Lorser Feitelson was a painter who moved from New York to LA in the late twenties and developed an influential minimal abstract style. His earlier works were a response to and rejection of European Surrealism. He eventually moved into a style, called Abstract Classicism, where his compositions became increasingly geometric. Like Mondrian before him, Feitelson simplified his work down to what he believed were the basics, the essentials. The hard-edged paintings gave way to flowing minimal paintings at the end of his life. I fell in love with the hard-edge era of his work and decided to create a watercolor painting project for my after school students.

Materials:
+ watercolor paper
+ painters tape
+ watercolors
+ pencils
+ rulers
+ brushes and water

Before my kiddos came to class I taped a large piece of watercolor paper to a blotter paper. The reasoning was simple- keep it in place so the kids can focus on using the ruler without sliding the paper all around. I think I avoided a lot of frustration.

1. Use a ruler to create a dozen or so lines on the watercolor paper. The ruler doesn't have to be used for every line but for a more hard-edged look, encourage it!

2. Encourage lines that create blocks for color.

3. Paint in those blocks. We used two brands of watercolors. Any paint will do. Fill in every block and make sure not to paint two touching blocks the same color. Spread the color love.

It took two days, or roughly an hour and a half to complete these paintings. Because we used watercolor we ended up with some really fantastic textures within our color blocks. If you want a smoother look work in tempera or acrylics. These are actually far brighter in person and make a beautiful statement. Each painting is unique and so fun to look at. Some look like landscapes and others remind me of storms.

Happy making!