Paddock Arts

The children learned about the artwork of the Aboriginal people of Australia.  They learned about how they made their paint by grinding up certain rocks and how they applied them to rocks, cave walls, and bark.  The students also studied some of the wide variety of styles of Aboriginal art.  Some common types are X-ray art, in which the skeletons and internal organs of the animals portrayed are drawn inside the outline, as if by cross-section;.  Another technique that was used was dot-painting where intricate patterns, important symbols (totems) and/or stories are created using dots; and stencil art. More simple designs of straight lines, circles and spirals, with the occasional zig zag persist throughout the work of Australian Aborigines. These are thought to be the origins of "modern" Aboriginal Art.  The children then chose an animal (real or fictional) and created their own x-ray style art pieces.  Some children decided to create drawings that were not animals and some even continued the Aboriginal  tradition by showing an x-ray view of their animal.