Artist of the week....Learning about Winslow Homer

This week, Lydia and I started our study of American Artists using 13 American Artists Children Should Know.

Our first artist is Winslow Homer.  

He is most famously known to live in Prout's Neck, Maine.  You can still visit his home there, since it has been made into a museum.  

Homer was known as an adventurer, and enjoyed nature.  He began his career as an illustrator for magazines.  During the Civil War he  followed the United States Army to illustrate soldier's lives for Harpers Weekly.  After the war, he continued traveling and enjoyed boating, hiking and natural areas.  He also enjoyed the coastal areas of the Bahamas.

He painted everyday life.  One of his famous pieces is named, Snap the Whip...and it shows children playing in the school yard.  He is also famous for his seascapes.

We also found this nice little story about Winslow Homer and the opening of his museum.

Our project was to draw either a seascape or a day at the park.  Lydia opted for a seascape.  Lydia chose to use watercolor crayons, since Winslow Homer is known for his love of using watercolors.

 Here we are at the beach.....

I highly recommend this book...We are only beginning the study with this book, and already we are loving it.  I love the simplicity.  The information that is provided is actually sufficient for elementary children, and very little extra research is needed.  We did look up some of his paintings, and then I happened to find the above video when I was looking for a picture of his home in Prout's Neck, Maine.    There happened to be an activity suggestion for this artist, but it can be very easy to find an activity for each artist.

Next week....Mary Cassatt.