Classes Duo Paris / Knoxville participants continue to explore STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics) through the work of Beauford Delaney.
Over the past couple of weeks, the students have been learning about the different properties of oil-based and water-based paints. Inspired by three Beauford Delaney abstracts, they created their own masterpieces using these paints, just as Beauford did.
The Jean Zay students began by using watercolors to recreate Beauford’s Untitled (1961):
![Untitled (1961) Mixed media on paper © Estate of Beauford Delaney by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire, Court Appointed Administrator](https://wellsinternationalfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/B.Delaney-010-600-x-488.jpg)
Untitled
Beauford Delaney
(1961) Mixed media on paper
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
See their work here: Jean Zay Abstract Watercolors
Nature’s Way students were inspired by Beauford’s Greece (1967) to create paintings in watercolor and oil:
![Greece by Beauford Delaney](https://wellsinternationalfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/B.Delaney-004-486-x-600.jpg)
Greece
Beauford Delaney
(1967) Oil on canvas
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
See their work here: Nature’s Way Abstract Watercolors and Nature’s Way Abstract Oils
Most recently, Jean Zay children began their work in oil paints and pastels, inspired by Beauford’s Les Embruns (1963):
![Les Embruns Beauford Delaney 1963 Mixed media on paper](https://wellsinternationalfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/B.Delaney-040-486-x-600.jpg)
Les Embruns
Beauford Delaney
(1963) Mixed media on paper
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
They created mixed media works, first by using oil pastels and overlaying these images with watercolors and then by mixing watercolors and oil paints to observe the visual effects of this combination.
See their work here: Jean Zay Mixed Media Abstracts
Jean Zay project leader, Juliette Blache, described the session as follows:
Exciting scientific experience for children … They had a lot of fun … And they love to paint abstracts more and more. They are finally daring to express their emotions through their paintbrushes!
An upcoming STEAM lesson will incorporate geometry as the students recreate Beauford’s Untitled (Trees), ca. 1945.
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The featured image at the beginning of this post is a detail of the Greece oil on canvas board painting by MaKenna, a Nature’s Way student.