Alma Thomas Inspired Paintings

Iris, Tulips, Jonquils, and Crocuses by Alma Thomas

Fourth grade has been spending much of the school year learning about colors, their properties, how they mix, and how to be a painter.

We first did a project involving the color wheel and primary and secondary colors. The students were only given: red, blue, and yellow paint, then asked to fill in the color wheel with the appropriate colors.

They then created their own paint company name and came up with eight colors that they created using only the primary colors. The students were encouraged to come up with names that were descriptive of the color that they created.

After all of the preliminary work, we looked at the painting: Iris, Tulips, Jonquils, and Crocusesby Alma Thomas. We talked about how she was interested in color, brushstrokes, and how colors worked together. The students then divided their canvases into columns and began painting, focusing on the colors and brushstrokes.