In May, Weston Middle School students got creative painting ceramic tiles. Emily McGraw, owner of The Studio Pendleton, led the project with WMS Art Teacher Karen Moore. The project used techniques of Sgraffito and wax resist.
Students first sketched their designs in pencil, mostly of natural elements like fruit, vegetables and flowers. Then they painted their design on a tile and applied wax to the colored areas, scratching away any areas of detail they wanted to be black. They then painted black over the entire tile; the wax burns off in the kiln but allows the color to stay.
“One great thing about this project is they get a pottery piece that will last forever,” McGraw said.
Moore said she chose a pottery project because the school doesn’t have a kiln, so it was something different that they can’t do. “The students have commented they love the peacefulness of this project, they liked the images they chose, and they will be able to take it home,” Moore said.
Enjoy a video slideshow about the project: Pottery Tile Project
Here are a few comments from students:
“This is something different, because we usually do stuff on paper so it’s kind of fun to get a new material.” --Rianne, 7th Grade
“I chose to paint cherries, because they are my favorite fruit and there is a cherry tree at my grandma’s house. So I will probably give the tile to my grandma.” --Ava, 6th Grade
“What I like about art is seeing the finished project.” --Eloise, 8th Grade
“One of my favorite parts of art is being able to have my own ideas and express myself as I’m working.” --Tristan, 8th Grade