One of our favorite picture books right now is Olivia by Ian Falconer.  As I was skimming through a great resource called Storybook Art, I stumbled across the idea for this art experience. I like this activity because it helped the girls make a “text-to-world connection” between the main character in the story and the artist Jackson Pollock.

After reading the story, I mentioned to the girls that there was an artist who painted the same way Olivia did.  During our next trip to the library, I found a book of his work and shared it with the girls.  Right before they started their own paintings I showed them the short video clip listed below.  Inspired by a brief overview of his technique and philosophy the girls set out to create their own masterpieces.

I used two small canvases I already had on hand for another project. If I were going to purchase new canvases specifically for this project I would choose a larger size.  I started the girls out by giving them a muffin tin filled with the primary colors and white washable tempera paint (see below for set-up).  They had a great time mixing the colors they wanted to use and it was a great opportunity to review color mixing.  Once their palette was complete they went to work creating their pieces Jackson Pollock style.

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Materials & Resources

1. • Jackson Pollock (video)
   

2. • Jackson Pollock Paintings (photos)
   

3. • Jackson Pollock Experience
   

4. • Another Fun Pollock Inspired Activity