The last couple of art periods, we have had the opportunity to look at the work of Ted Harrison. The artist was born in England but later on moved to Canada where he initially worked as a teacher. Considered one of Canada's most prominent artists, Ted Harrison is well known for his portrayals of the Canadian North, particularly Yukon.The students in grade 5 were able to look at some of his illustrations in the books, The Cremation of Sam McGee and The Shooting of Dan McGrew, both written by Robert Service. The children found his illustrations captivating and vibrant and could not pick just one favourite. Through the artist's use of simple lines and shapes, as well as brilliant complementary colours, he allows his audience to see the frosty, uncomplicated beauty of the north.
The children were able to create some of their own "Ted Harrison style" paintings by focusing on such elements of design as simple form, line and colour study. Like Harrison, they sketched their scenes first and then proceeded to paint. We used tempera paint for the project and used less conventional colours such as lilacs, aquas and lime greens (true to Harrison's style).
To learn more about Ted Harrison, visit the link below.
