Sweet Still Life

American painter Wayne Thiebaud is best known for his paintings of cakes, pies and other commonplace objects arranged as they might be seen in a bakery or cafeteria. Thiebaud uses thick brushstrokes to suggest the swirling textures of cake frosting and he often outlined his objects with lines of contrasting color; a technique which intensifies color, creating a vibrating "halo" effect. Thiebaud considered composition and point of view to be very important and he liked the simple geometric shapes of pies and cakes; he set them in precise arrangements in blank, open space. In this project, eighth graders were challenged to take familiar sweet treats and put them together in a visually pleasing composition. Inspired by Thiebaud, students emphasized the arrangement of objects, texture of paint, neutral or constrasting negative space, contrasting areas of light and shadow and the use of cast shadow to create mood and depth in their work. The results are simply sweet! (see art exhibit info in previous post)...