Jim Dine Inspired Hearts

In honor of Valentine's Day, Kindergarten and 1st grade artists looked at and discussed the work of American artist Jim Dine. Dine often explored the same ideas and shapes in a variety of different ways, including the heart. We looked at a few examples and talked about why he might repeat this shape so often in his work. Some students thought it might be because he wants to show how much he loves and cares about people.

Jim Dine, Four Hearts (1969)

We learned about a few different techniques using oil pastels, which we have been exploring, including blending, layering and scratching. Because oil pastels are softer than crayons, students noticed that they could blend and layer colors on top of each other and building up these layers.

Then we used wooden popsicle sticks to scratch lines and shapes through the layers, to create texture. We also thought about how we could make the background of our work more interesting and complete.

Here are some examples of our Jim Dine inspired hearts. Happy Valentine's Day, everyone!

Edmond, 1st Grade

Lusine, Kindergarten

Ally, 1st Grade

Mery, Kindergarten