Although a minor character in Greek mythology, the story of Icarus is widely known and it has become a symbol of hubris- excessive pride.
Inspired by Matisse’s Icarus print, 5P created their own collage of Icarus, who with his passionate heart fell out of the starry sky.

Icarus’ wings of wax and feathers inspired 5P’s relief work in the art studio. Warm up exercises of ‘blind drawing’, ‘continuous line drawing’ and observational drawings of feathers supported their feather studies. Watercolours, pencil, oil pastel, pastel, biro and felt tip were ‘sandwiched’ to create these wonderful studies in their sketchbooks.

Watercolour techniques were explored further in sketch books. Exploring how salt, wax resist, alcohol, splattering and a wash could create different effects was then incorporated into their backgrounds for their own collage.

Feathers- their own drawings photocopied and collaged onto the piece, as well as phrases from the poem performed in their dance were then added.

5P’s final piece, was a relief. Each child enlarged a feather- shape, line and pattern the focus. Then on cardboard, newspaper and glue were manipulated to create the ‘walls’. The process was definitely tricky and sticky, but 5P persevered. Tissue paper was added to the feathers before using acrylic paint for the background. The reliefs were very impressive.

In order to prepare for the arts celebration, pupils were asked to reflect upon and share their successes and challenges within the art process. The following photographs of their thoughts capture the pride, perseverance and ‘pit’ moments.

It was a delight to welcome 5P’s interested adults and siblings to Friday’s art celebration. As the following photographs and comments share the afternoon was enjoyed!

‘Had a lovely time looking through the art and then lots of fun trying out the techniques. Very hands on, and interactive. Always good to see the full class. Thanks.’

‘Amazing dance! Great teamwork and very brave of Cristian! Lovely artwork in the studio.’

‘Lovely session- highly interactive and informative.’

‘Always enjoy arts fortnight, so lovely to have time with the children and drawing together.’

‘As always, it is wonderful to see the children so focussed on displaying their work. Well organised and great to see the school learning environment.’

‘Surabaya has done some amazing work. I can see just how much time and effort she has put in and just how much she has enjoyed it.’

‘It has been lovely to see the wonderful artwork the children have been creating- thank you to all the teachers for the opportunity.’

‘Really nice to join in and draw with my son and compare our drawings.’

‘What an excellent activity to do with my daughter. Very therapeutic! Thanks.’

‘Really great art fortnight again. Fantastic to see all the children grow every year and all the great work they do. Thank you!’

‘Excellent day. Thank you so much. Lovely activities.’

‘I have really enjoyed the art event today with the different activities and also we can engage with kids in their own space around the school.’

‘Lovely afternoon understanding more about what Erin has been learning over the past 2 weeks.’

‘Love the performance and it’s lovely to see my child’s work and her performance. Nice to be involved and see other parents and their children’

‘Another amazing arts fortnight celebration. The dance was fantastic. The trust in the class is great to see.’