Artistic license

Paint was everywhere: hands, feet, faces. One little boy even had some on the back of his head.
It was multi-colored chaos Feb. 16 at Georgetown Community School during the kindergartners’ art day with teacher Jill LaGiglia. Fifteen giddy students crowded around a canvas roughly 6 feet long and several feet wide.

Photo by Gabriel Christus

Clair Whitney, 5, uses her feet to paint on paper during Jill LaGiglia’s kindergarten art day on Feb. 15 at Georgetown Community School. For a story and more photos, turn to Page 8.

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The instruments of art-making consisted of everything from rollers to toothbrushes, spray bottles to beaded necklaces, even hands, elbows and noses.
The giant piece of art resembled a swirling collage of formless shapes, with the goal less about painting a picture and more about applying paint in interesting and fun ways.
LaGiglia said the children were learning about abstract art and the different materials that can be used in its creation.
“They actually study famous works of art throughout the year, and then we make our own, so we do some emulations of famous works, and we do some original pieces, so it just depends on where we are at. Right now, we are learning all about abstract pieces,” LaGiglia said.
LaGiglia said learning to paint abstractly is invaluable in helping to develop creativity, as well as teaching students how to work together.
“They are making a memory right now (that) they will never forget. They got to run around the classroom with paint all over them, barefoot and having fun,” LaGiglia said. “It’s a bonding experience for them and for me.”
Kindergartner Trinity Cade left droplets of paint on the carpet as she walked across the room. As the students focused on their important artistic task, where the paint landed accidentally was less important than where they wanted it to go.
In Trinity’s case, she was painting a building that adult eyes might be unable to discern from the other swirling images on the canvas.
Trinity loved that so many options were available to make art, though she preferred brushes.
Student Brian Jones said the best thing about art is making things that you didn’t know how to make previously.
Kindergartner Corey Baker was excited about using his toes to create art. The best thing about art, he said, was the chance to draw U.S. presidents.
After a moment of reflection, Corey announced, “I’m going to go paint with my feet now.”
LaGiglia said having the students draw pictures measured their developmental stages.
“Having them draw pictures of themselves — and if it has two eyes, and two ears, a nose and a mouth — that’s a certain developmental stage,” LaGiglia said.
She said it can be hard for kindergartners to draw in the abstract because they perceive the world in concrete terms.
“Five-year-olds are very much based in reality,” LaGiglia said. “When I told them, ‘I don’t want you to paint a picture; I just want you to have fun,’ it was very hard for them. It was a really big challenge because they want to paint rainbows and houses and trees and flowers.”
LaGiglia said that once her students get comfortable with the idea, they become very excited.
“It’s coloring outside the lines,” LaGiglia said. “… (It’s) really good to get their creativity going, to get their brains going outside of normalcy.”

Contact Ian Neligh at couranteditor@evergreenco.com, and check www.clearcreekcourant.com for updates and breaking news.