Drip Painting by Kitah Bet-1

The Kitah Bet-1 children have been exploring paint and movement this year. Honoring these interests, the children were offered a large canvas on which to create a drip painting.

During their first atelier session, the children painted the canvas with Gesso.

Next, the children were offered squeeze bottles of various shades of acrylic paint mixed with pouring medium. The children took turns holding the canvas at a slant while one friend squirted their paint at the top of the canvas. Afterwards they shook the canvas vertically to help the paint drip down the canvas.

During the following class, the canvas was propped up on top of a dropcloth, leaning back slightly. Muted versions of the paints were poured into small cups. The children selected a cup and poured their paint down the canvas one at a time.

For the final session, Morah Jessica mixed the paints with Mod Podge to give them dimension and shine. The children were given swizzle sticks as tools to dip and drip the paint. We did this in small groups and flipped the canvas each time the group changed.

Once the painting dried, Morah Jessica mounted it in a floating canvas frame and showed it to the children. They said, “We did that!” The children ran their hands over the paint, feeling the smooth layers.