I am so very excited to introduce you to a new contributor to Art Bar. Please welcome Shannon Merenstein from Hatch Art Studio in Pittsburgh!! Shannon has the most beautiful Instagram feed where she shares truly original and open-ended art ideas for children. I have been so inspired by her this past year that I sent her my book to see what she thought (an art teacher’s opinion is always the most valuable). Not only did she love it, she plucked one of the workshops from my book and used it in her art class. I asked her if she could write about it here, and she said yes!!! And not only that, she said yes when I asked her if she would like to be a monthly contributor. I feel so incredibly lucky to have Shannon on my team. You guys will just die over her use of materials, she is insanely thrifty and creative.
And now, without further ado, here is Shannon writing in her own words about these spectacular paper bag collage paintings!
PLAYING
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Hello out there! I’m so excited to be sharing ideas with you here at Art Bar. I’m Shannon from Hatch Art Studio in Pittsburgh! I recently received a copy of Art Workshop for Children, Bar’s amazing new book that is full of cabin fever-reducing, creativity-inducing projects for children. I love how the workshops in Bar’s book are inspiring and accessible across age groups, interests, and settings. The materials in the book are easy to find, set up, and really do invite children to get creative.
Enter the ordinary brown paper bag. We’ve become pretty much obsessed with transforming this unassuming recyclable (in my case, basement clutter) into a magical masterpiece here at the studio. The idea for this project comes from Workshop No. 7 in Bar’s book.
Supply List:
~ Brown paper grocery bags (cut down the sides and across the bottom)
~ Scissors
~ Kraft paper or newspaper to cover the tables
~ Paint (we used washable tempera)
~ Brushes
~ Scraps of old artwork, wallpaper samples, or scraps of card stock to paint
~ White glue or gluestick
If you’ve forgotten your reusable grocery bags one too many times, you can easily whittle down your collection by setting up this invitation to create. Here’s how to do it!
Process:
~ Before we started creating, we talked a little bit about landscapes and the current wintry weather outside. I showed my little artists a few snowy images, but this is totally optional. Just a little bit of context setting. (You can adapt this project for any season.)
Read more here
