Mrs. Rita Ross
Department: Fine Arts
Mrs. Rita Ross is the coordinator of the Fine Arts Department at OLL. She teaches Advanced Placement Art, Art I, Art II, and Screen Printing. Mrs. Ross studied at the New York Studio School and received her MFA in Painting and Printmaking from Yale University where she studied with Andrew Forge, William Bailey and James DeMartino. Mrs. Ross began teaching at New Haven University and earned her teaching certification K-12 for art education at SUNY New Paltz. Mrs. Ross is a teacher as well as a practicing artist and brings a thorough foundation in representational drawing and painting technique to her teaching. She lives with her family in Clintondale and shows her work regionally.
September, AP Art
Students will be practicing basic drawing exercizes:
1. Cross contour portrait of classmate.
2. The structure of light and shadow. Shade an imaginary sphere, cone and cylinder.
3. Still life with strong directional light.
In addition to regular classroom assignments, students will also meet after school on Mondays till 4:00 to draw from the clothed figure. The drawings they produce after school will help fullfill the breadth section of the portfolio.
Art II- Mrs. Ross
September 2014 - Art II
Reading: Themes and Foundations of Art (textbook)
1. Pictorial Space in the Renaissance
2. Atmospheric and Non-Linear Perspective
1. Choose a photograph with layers of space.
2. Recreate the photograph by cutting and pasting colored construction paper.
Essential Questions and Issues:
1. What is style and how is it apparent in this project?
2. How can you simplify and show detail in the same image?
Art I- Mrs. Ross
September 2014, Art I
Reading: Themes and Foundations (textbook) Capter I :
1. What is Art?
2. How is Art Valued?
3. Approaches to the Study of Art
Scholastic Arts Magazine: Ice Age Art / Working With Line
Studio Project: Cave Painting
1. Build a surface on heavy paper with waxy crayons and plaster.
2. Make line drawings and sillhouettes of animals with ink and by scraping the surface
with a sharp tool to create the illusion of ancient art.
1. What was the purpose of cave art?
2. How is the purpose of cave art conveyed through the choices
made by the artist?
Scrn Print-Mrs. Ross
September 2014, Screen Printing
1. Instruction on basic screen printing techniques.
2. Experiment with stencils, stamps, screens and mixing media to convey
a feeling, idea or mood.
Studio Project: Screen Printed Book
1. Create a book using screen printing, stamping and stenciling techniques about your life
or some aspect of your life.
2. Practice lettering and sign painting styles for your book.