Peter Reginato For Younger Children

Silhouette of sculpture

Kingfish: An Homage to Tim Moore

1986

Peter Reginato

American, born 1945

Subject: Color

Activity: Mixing colors

Materials: Brush, paper, primary paint colors

Vocabulary: artist, color, primary colors, sculpture, secondary colors, shade

Introduction

Remind your child that we see colors in all the things around us. Then explain that colors can convey mood; they can be pretty and cheerful or serious and quiet. Artists can use many different colors or different shades of one color to convey different feelings. This artist used bright colors to make his sculpture energetic

Questions

What colors do you see in this sculpture?

Which colors are light and which are dark?

Which colors move toward you and which move away?

Can you think of words to describe the colors?

Do the colors in this sculpture make you feel happy or sad? Why?

Observations

Note how light colors seem to come toward you and darker colors seem to move away. Also, the brightness or darkness of a color can convey mood. 

Activity

Ask the child to make three separate paintings: one red, one blue, and one yellow. Then on new sheets, mix red and blue to make purple, yellow and red to make orange, and yellow and blue to make green. Explain that the first three drawings are primary colors and the second three drawings are secondary colors.

Vocabulary

Artist - someone who makes things, such as paintings and sculptures

Color - lightness or darkness of a surface, also known as hue

Primary colors - red, yellow, and blue

Sculpture - a work of art that has height, width, and depth

Secondary colors - green, orange, and purple

Shade - a darkened area, in which sunlight is blocked