Taught by social studies teacher Lisa Holz, “Paint Like The Greats” is arguably Village School’s most popular class of the semester. Paint Like The Greats is an art class focused on teaching students to experiment with different art techniques used by traditional artists. The ultimatum of each project is to mimic the styles used by the artists as closely as possible. Regardless of the skill and experience of each student, Lisa walks the class step-by-step through each project, giving mini-lessons and practice assignments along the way. Students are encouraged to overcome their own challenges and road blocks through the semester.
Each day in Lisa’s class typically starts with a do-now assignment, designed to incorporate the same techniques that the class is using for their projects. Afterwards, Lisa will typically provide a lesson or demonstration for the students, teaching them each step to perfecting their work. Finally, students will be given time to work on their projects, being able to sit in tables and collaborate with one another when necessary. Students are welcome to come to Lisa at any point for additional assistance, allowing them to conquer any difficulties they may be having. Once the projects are complete, they are hung and shown off in the commons.
For their most current project, Paint Like The Greats took inspiration from artist Claude Monet, a French artist of the 19th century. Known for the creation of impressionism, Monet attempted to paint nature as he perceived it, often with the use of oil paints. To channel Monet’s style of depicting nature, Paint Like The Greats was encouraged to explore the suburbs of Great Neck, being able to walk through parks and the surrounding neighborhood to capture inspiration photos of nature. Flowers, trees and landscapes were popular choices of inspiration.
Once Paint Like The Greats developed their ideas through their inspiration photos, as well as from photographs on the internet, they began to sketch out their ideas on paper. The ultimatum was to depict their inspiration as accurately as possible, paying attention to light, shading and detail. The students mostly used oil pastels for their projects, a Great Neck School District budget version of Monet’s oil paints. With the exception of the infamous pine cone painting, which was unfortunately scrapped a few days after its creation, students were proud of the way their projects turned out, and were impressed with their own abilities. Compliments showered the room as students shared their artwork and beamed at their projects’ positive outcomes.
