The last couple weeks at Penn Treaty we’ve introduced students to the fundamentals of color theory and design. Applying the color wheel model, students were instructed on how to identify primary colors and how to blend them to create secondary colors. By incorporating white and black pigments, the class also had the chance to derive various shades and tints within a range of color hues.
The Color Theory lesson also served as an opportunity to showcase African-American artists during Black History Month. The Penn Treaty class was given examples of professional paintings from Jacob Lawrence, Horace Pippin, and Henry Ossawa Tanner which demonstrate creation through bold color palettes.
In the afterschool program, students created a small design swatch with acrylic paints on paper. The design swatches helped the class express their understanding of color composition, and interpretation of works by creative professionals.
