Alma Woodsey Thomas was an American artist and educator whose exuberant colorful paintings used the techniques of pointillism and abstract expressionism. She became the first African-American woman at the age of 80 to have a solo show at the Whitney Museum of American Art. To honor her influential work for #blackhistorymonth an invitation to recreate her art work in order to inspire children to become creative just like Alma.
Whether you print out images of her art work or read the books A Blaze with Color: A Story of Painter Alma Thomas or Alma's Art they are both great ways to learn about her work. After reading those stories you can do any of these three art invitations that are inspired by her work.
Textured Shape Collage: On a poster board glue wooden geo shapes in the designs of her artwork. Provide liquid water colors + paint brushes and let them paint!
Tape Resist Art: On a poster board with blue tape create the designs of her art work. Provide liquid water colors + paint brushes and let them paint. After the paint dries remove the blue tape and voila.
Bubble Wrap Canvas: On a poster board place bubble wrap to create a similar texture to her art work. Provide tempera paint + paint brushes and let them paint!
Invitations such as these opens a child's mind to the many ways of creating art. When children learn about artists the more well rounded and creative they become. Art is a fundamental component of early childhood education therefore continuous exposure leads to seeing the world in different ways and learning about different forms of art.
Here are two other ways to recreate her art Alma Woodsey Thomas Textured Water Color Art and Alma Woodsey Thomas Loose Parts Play