Computer Lab

Middle School

Elementary School

Preschool

Current School Families

• Calendar of Events
• Sports Calendar
• Middle School Test Schedule
• Computer Lab
• Parent Faculty Association
• Where to Buy Uniforms
• Summer Reading Program
• 2009/2010 Supply Lists

Support Our School

Visit Our Church

Joan Miró Ferrara was born on April 20, 1893 in Barcelona, Spain. He took drawing classes when he was 7 but his parents insisted that he do something other than art for a living so he became a bookkeeper but, he also studied art at the same time. 

At first Miró's works were more realistic and contained lots of details and his paintings of this time are often referred to as poetic realism. As time went on Miró began painting things that were much more abstract and he began using other materials such as: masonite, copper and sandpaper to create collages. He also became very interested in sculpture in the 1950s-70s.  Miró's works are often characterized by their simple shapes and bold colors and almost childlike qualities.

Miró created a great amount of art during his lifetime: at least 2,000 oil paintings, 500 sculptures, 400 ceramic objects, and 5,000 drawings and collages. Miró was recognized as an artist during his lifetime with huge exhibitions at most of the well respected museums at the end of his career. Miró died on Christmas Day in 1983 in Palma de Mallorca

Create Your Own Art in the Style of Miró

We are going to use PhotoFiltre to create our Miró styled artwork. Remember we are using Miró painting as inspiration.  Try to capture the mood and general feel of the work with similar colors, shapes, etc.

Select one of the following works by Miró as your inspiration piece:

• The Girl
• Ballerina II
• The Little Cat
• The Red Sun
• There Was A Little Magpie (1)
• There Was a Little Magpie (2)

So, open up PhotoFiltre and let's get started:

1. Copy your inspiration piece and paste it into PhotoFiltre using Edit > Paste As New Image. This is for reference only so you can see your inspiration piece as you work.
2. Create a new blank canvas using File > New. Set the Width to 640 pixels and the Height to 480 pixels and click OK. This should display your blank canvas.
3. Now, create your Miró inspired work! Play with the tools in PhotoFiltre - for example:
   • Use the selection tool to draw a circle or other shape and then flood fill it with color using the paint bucket. HINT: To Turn off the selection, use Selection > Hide Selection
   • Use the paintbrush or the spray tool to draw lines.
   • Use the flood fill tool to color your canvas and then play with the Filters to make it look more like a canvas.
4. SAVE YOUR WORK:
• Go to File > Save As
• Change Save As Type to JPEG
• Change File Name to: Your Name - Miro
• Click Save
• Move the slider to Best Quality and click OK.
5. Now go to your Powerpoint Art Gallery and add your Miró image and add a small image for Miró to the title page of your Art Gallery.

Back to The Artist In Me - Grades 3-5

St. Martin-in-the-Fields Episcopal School
7136 Winnetka Avenue
Winnetka, CA  91306
Phone: (818) 340-5144   Fax: (818) 340-5882
E-mail: stmartinsschool@aol.com