In this one time painting class, students will paint a playful version of The Goldfish by Henri Matisse, while learning interesting facts about Matisse and his use of color, pattern and texture. Students will learn the watercolor resist painting technique, and experiment with using different color oil pastels, then layering with watercolor paints.

At the beginning of the class, I will go over the art materials with the students, as well as the process of watercolor resist. I will give students a brief slideshow that shows the original artwork along with examples of student art. I will then demonstrate and instruct students to sketch the basic shape of a fish bowl centered on their canvas. Shape of a cylinder will be discussed, with emphasis on how to make it appear 3D. Once our bowls are sketched, we will draw using black oil pastels for the outlines, and then move onto colorful oil pastels for beautiful flowers and garden details. We will also introduce patterns into the background, which Matisse is famous for in his paintings. Students will use watercolor paints as their final step, filling in all white areas and creating a varied background.

My teaching style is relaxed. Students can go at their own pace. I will encourage students to show me their artwork during the creative process so that I can give feedback that is both educational and enthusiastic.  Learners will get to interact with me and with each other, while creating their own artwork and watching my demonstration. At the end of class, students can show their artwork to each other and to me. If students don't feel comfortable sharing, students may opt to post a photo of the finished project in the classroom.