Year 4 will be creating some colourful artworks over the next few weeks. This week, they have studied paintings by one of the most significant modernist artists of the twentieth century, Georgia O'Keeffe. Pupils learnt how photographic techniques informed her closely cropped compositions of flowers, and we discussed how she might have manipulated the paint to achieve carefully graduated areas of colour.

Before embarking on their own piece, based on a large-scale photograph of a flower which they could choose themselves, pupils were introduced to the medium of soft pastel and watched me demonstrate how to use this tactile and satisfying material. They were very excited about the vibrancy of the colours and the blending effects that could be achieved relatively quickly using their fingers and paper towel.

Working on a large scale, encouraged pupils to be bold and step out of their comfort zone, and I was so impressed with how well they took to the task! I look forward to seeing these pieces finished during their next art session. Well done, Year 4!