Capturing a Moment in Time
The students in middle school have had several opportunities recently to travel out of the classroom to observe nature as our regional landscape transforms from the monochromatic pallet of winter into the brilliant spectrum of spring.
One of our day trips took us to the Kubota Garden in Rainier Beach. This idyllic landscape is the 35 year epic work of Fujitaro Kubota who cleared the land, dug the ponds, cleared overgrowth and planted stunning specimens of shrubs, trees and plants that celebrated his Japanese roots. Our middle school students sketched their preferred ‘scenes’ as part of a larger art project that would be completed in the art room. The layered art project reinforced spatial elements by creating a background/landscape inspired by the Kubota Garden, followed by a window frame, and an image in the foreground.
David Hockney, Marc Chagall, Henri Matisse and many others renowned artists have created visual masterpieces that captured a moment in time, looking through a window to the world outside. After looking through the middle school windows, I think you will agree they also captured the moment!