Acrylic Paintings of Trees Create a Science/Art STEAM Project at CAHTS

In Ms. Reyes's classes at CAHTS, art students have been learning about trees and creating acrylic landscape paintings in a science/art STEAM project.  Students first researched on the Internet to find landscapes of trees they admired.  This research also involved learning about the types of tree in each landscape:  its natural habitat, its reproduction, its life cycle, and other important features.  For example students learned that one large tree can provide an oxygen supply for two people.  Students were impressed to learn the net cooling effect of a young, healthy tree is equivalent to ten room-size air conditioners operating 20 hours a day.  LINK

Next students sketched their landscapes onto white paper using pencil.  Their drawing skills have been increasing all year with Ms. Reyes' instruction.

Later students learned how to mix and match colors with acrylic paints.  Previously they had learned how to create a color wheel and color charts in Ms. Reyes' class.  This color theory knowledge gave them the skills to create the acrylic colors for their landscape paintings that they wished.  

Color theory is a science, as colors not only have different hues, but also different tints and tones.  For students to find a particular green, for example, they must consider the hue, lightness or darkness and the color intensity of the green they desire. Each type of paint pigment handles differently.  LINK
Ms. Reyes introduced an acrylic retardant to the class and students experimented with this medium to delay the drying times of the paint.  

Next students investigated more deeply into the types of trees in their landscapes. Again, they used the Internet.  From their notes, students created a research paper for this project, using their new knowledge about trees to inform this paper. Eventually, students will display their finished paintings and papers in a glass display case at CAHTS.