Croton-Harmon Students Bring Nature to Art Class

From Syntax NY:

Third- and fourth-grade students at Carrie E. Tompkins Elementary School in Croton-on-Hudson got their hands dirty as they worked with local artist Joe Mullins on art printing projects.

Third-graders were introduced to nature printing, a technique that uses the surface of a natural object, like a leaf, to produce a print. They learned art printing was developed in the Middle Ages to help record medicinal plants. The project followed students’ study of plant cycles at Bear Mountain, where they observed and identified various trees and plants.

Fourth-grade students tried their hands at “gyotaku,” an art form that involves making prints of fish using a paint and rubbing technique. The work with fish tied into the students’ study of the Hudson River, including the specific species of fish native to the Hudson.

The results of both projects were colorful, textured and detailed prints that students can display at school and at home. Mullins’ visits were funded by the PTA.

Photos courtesy of the Croton-Harmon School District:

(Images 1 and 2): Artist Joe Mullins (right) worked with Carrie E. Tompkins Elementary School third-grade students to create leaf prints using local plants.

(Image 3): Croton-on-Hudson Joe Mullins visited Carrie E. Tompkins Elementary School, where he taught fourth-grade students how to create prints of fish from the Hudson River using “gyotaku,” a Japanese paint and rubbing technique.