January – Cassatt

This month we are going to be studying the work of

In preparation for class, please print out The Boating Party (1893/1894, National Gallery of Art, Washington DC) and place it where your child will see it often.

Enjoy spending time intentionally discussing the picture with your child. Encourage them to notice things with you. It doesn’t need to be complicated – point out the shadows, or have your child see how many lines that they can find which point to the baby’s face. Another idea is to show the picture to your child and give them 30 seconds to study it. Then, take the picture away and ask them questions about what they saw – What color are the baby’s shoes? What kind of boat are they in? How many hats did you see?

Have fun exploring this painting. It is a fun one!

Next Tuesday we will create pastel drawings focusing on color and line in the style of Mary Cassatt. Copies of finished projects will then be shared with residents of a local elder care facility.

You will need to bring the following supplies:

• One 9″x12″ sheet of construction paper in any of the pastel colors per child – pale green, pale blue, pale yellow, etc.
• One 9″x12″ sheet of black construction paper per child
• Paper towels and/or baby wipes
• Box of Soft Pastels
• Scissors
• Glue
• Pencil