Sea Monsters, Maori style

Traditional artwork depicting Taniwha

I've done this project before but it's always so much fun! In my Passport to Art Class all the young Artists make passports and each class we "travel" to a different country to learn about the culture and  the artwork of that country. A few weeks ago we went to New Zeland for an hour.

Some exuberant painting!

The Maoris of New Zeland have always created amazing artwork with beautiful graphic swirls. Everything from their tikis to their facial tattoos are gorgeous.

The Taniwha are mythological sea creatures. In some stories they are protectors, in some they are vicious. But the drawings and sculptures of these beings are vibrant and exciting.

The artists in the class created their own sea monsters. Some chose to use bubblewrap and mesh bags to add textures, underwater bubble patterns, and scales. 

 And, of course, they painted some facial tattoos. 

Well done, Art Travelers!