• Home
  • Resources
    • Image Bank
    • Posters
    • Actor's Toolbox Music
    • ArtSEL Onboarding
    • '24 Summer Institute Web Quest
  • Lessons
    • All Grade Lessons >
      • Bowl of Light
      • Belonging Collage
      • Color Field Portrait
      • Doodles
      • Emotion Creature
      • Emotion Statue Game
      • Getting to Know Your Nervous System
      • Glimmer of Summer Masks
      • If I Were a Flower
      • Metaphor Images
      • Mixed
      • Texture of the Wild
      • Origami Reflection Project
      • Reading Art to Name Emotions
      • Spirit of the Land
      • What Do You See?
    • TK-2 Lessons >
      • Drawing Feelings
      • Drawn Together
      • Unique Me Masks
      • Drawing to Discover
    • 3-5 Lessons >
      • Abstracted Memory
      • Visualizing Music
      • Symbolic Portraits
      • The Animal Inside Masks
      • Sculpt a System
    • 6-12 Lessons >
      • Fantastic Expression Masks
      • Ecosystem Tunnel Books
    • Theater >
      • Animal Inside Masks
      • Fantastic Expression Masks
      • Mask Performance
      • Shadow Play
      • Unique Me Masks
  • Presentations
    • 2025-2026 >
      • 8.12-8.13.25 Summer Institute
    • 2024-25 >
      • 6.17.25 Cultivating Wellness and Belonging
      • 5.3.25 Spring Institute
      • 4.17.25 Ballinger Cal Poly Humboldt
      • 4.2.25 Global Education Workshop
      • 2.27.25 Instructional Coaching NIC Deep Dive
      • 1.16.25 GATE Academy
      • 11.1.24 Culturally Responsive Teaching & The Brain
      • 6.17.24 Cultivating Wellness and Belonging
      • 8.14-8.15 Summer Institute
    • 2023-24 >
      • 6.17.24 Cultivating Wellness and Belonging
      • 4.5.24 NAEA Visual Art Exercises for SEL
      • 4.4.24 NAEA with Jon Juravich
      • 3.21.24 Balllinger Cal Poly Humboldt
      • 3.9.24 CES 2024
      • 3.9.24 VTS
      • 3.9.24 Diverse Perspectives, Visual Art and Poetry
      • 2.26.24 Mir DeSilva Presentation
      • 2.26.24 HCOE Arts PD "Thinking"
      • 2.9.24 STEAM Long Beach
      • 1.27.24 Winter Training
      • 1.9.24 RAN Presentation
      • 12.6.23 TEAS Cal Poly Humboldt
      • 11.9..23 CPH-Making Thinking Visible
      • 11.7.23 Cal Poly Humboldt Art + SEL
      • Studio Thinking Book Club
      • 9.30.23 Fall Training
      • 8.15-16.23 Summer Institute
    • 2022-23 >
      • 5.24.23 CCS Emotion Statue Game
      • Carriage Drive Elementary Visual Art Exercises for SEL
      • 5.6.23 Symbolic Portraits
      • 4.20.23 Cal Poly Humboldt Ballinger
      • 4.14.23 NAEA Children's Literature & SEL
      • 4.13.23 NAEA Visual Art Exercises for SEL
      • 3.25.23 CES23 Intro to Art + SEL
      • 2.6.23 CPH-Making Thinking Visible
      • 1.28.23 Training
      • 12.1.22 Cal Poly Humboldt
      • 9.17.22 Fall Training
      • 9.6.22 AIE PLC
      • 8.31.22 Big Lagoon School
      • 2022 Summer Institute
      • 5.14.22 ArtSEL Kick-Off
      • 5.12.22 SCCOE- Doodling
  • Contact
  • The ArtSEL Archives
ARTSEL.ORG
  • Home
  • Resources
    • Image Bank
    • Posters
    • Actor's Toolbox Music
    • ArtSEL Onboarding
    • '24 Summer Institute Web Quest
  • Lessons
    • All Grade Lessons >
      • Bowl of Light
      • Belonging Collage
      • Color Field Portrait
      • Doodles
      • Emotion Creature
      • Emotion Statue Game
      • Getting to Know Your Nervous System
      • Glimmer of Summer Masks
      • If I Were a Flower
      • Metaphor Images
      • Mixed
      • Texture of the Wild
      • Origami Reflection Project
      • Reading Art to Name Emotions
      • Spirit of the Land
      • What Do You See?
    • TK-2 Lessons >
      • Drawing Feelings
      • Drawn Together
      • Unique Me Masks
      • Drawing to Discover
    • 3-5 Lessons >
      • Abstracted Memory
      • Visualizing Music
      • Symbolic Portraits
      • The Animal Inside Masks
      • Sculpt a System
    • 6-12 Lessons >
      • Fantastic Expression Masks
      • Ecosystem Tunnel Books
    • Theater >
      • Animal Inside Masks
      • Fantastic Expression Masks
      • Mask Performance
      • Shadow Play
      • Unique Me Masks
  • Presentations
    • 2025-2026 >
      • 8.12-8.13.25 Summer Institute
    • 2024-25 >
      • 6.17.25 Cultivating Wellness and Belonging
      • 5.3.25 Spring Institute
      • 4.17.25 Ballinger Cal Poly Humboldt
      • 4.2.25 Global Education Workshop
      • 2.27.25 Instructional Coaching NIC Deep Dive
      • 1.16.25 GATE Academy
      • 11.1.24 Culturally Responsive Teaching & The Brain
      • 6.17.24 Cultivating Wellness and Belonging
      • 8.14-8.15 Summer Institute
    • 2023-24 >
      • 6.17.24 Cultivating Wellness and Belonging
      • 4.5.24 NAEA Visual Art Exercises for SEL
      • 4.4.24 NAEA with Jon Juravich
      • 3.21.24 Balllinger Cal Poly Humboldt
      • 3.9.24 CES 2024
      • 3.9.24 VTS
      • 3.9.24 Diverse Perspectives, Visual Art and Poetry
      • 2.26.24 Mir DeSilva Presentation
      • 2.26.24 HCOE Arts PD "Thinking"
      • 2.9.24 STEAM Long Beach
      • 1.27.24 Winter Training
      • 1.9.24 RAN Presentation
      • 12.6.23 TEAS Cal Poly Humboldt
      • 11.9..23 CPH-Making Thinking Visible
      • 11.7.23 Cal Poly Humboldt Art + SEL
      • Studio Thinking Book Club
      • 9.30.23 Fall Training
      • 8.15-16.23 Summer Institute
    • 2022-23 >
      • 5.24.23 CCS Emotion Statue Game
      • Carriage Drive Elementary Visual Art Exercises for SEL
      • 5.6.23 Symbolic Portraits
      • 4.20.23 Cal Poly Humboldt Ballinger
      • 4.14.23 NAEA Children's Literature & SEL
      • 4.13.23 NAEA Visual Art Exercises for SEL
      • 3.25.23 CES23 Intro to Art + SEL
      • 2.6.23 CPH-Making Thinking Visible
      • 1.28.23 Training
      • 12.1.22 Cal Poly Humboldt
      • 9.17.22 Fall Training
      • 9.6.22 AIE PLC
      • 8.31.22 Big Lagoon School
      • 2022 Summer Institute
      • 5.14.22 ArtSEL Kick-Off
      • 5.12.22 SCCOE- Doodling
  • Contact
  • The ArtSEL Archives

Color Field Interview Portrait

Image of blurred yellow, green and red colors
In this project, participants learn about color field paintings which came from the Abstract Expression movement. While this project is called a "Portrait", the artists are representing who the person is, not what they look like.  They interview someone to learn more about that person by choosing two connection questions.  They use color and shape to symbolize that person and what impressions they had of the person.   Finally, they write to them on the back of the artwork before giving the artwork to the person.  ​

This project takes about 2 hours, depending on the age of the students and studio time.  

Lesson Plan

This is a list of materials needed and the steps involved
Picture
Lesson plan

Connection Questions

Participants choose any two of these questions to better know their subject.
Picture
Questions

Lesson Video Clips

The lesson is broken into 5 separate video clips:
​Part 1: Background information
Picture
Video 1
Part 2: Setting up the paper
Picture
video 2
  • Part 3: The interview
Picture
video 3
Part 4: Oil pastel technique & Art making
Picture
video 4
  • Part 5: Giving and receiving the artwork
Picture
video 5
Proudly powered by Weebly
  • Home
  • Resources
    • Image Bank
    • Posters
    • Actor's Toolbox Music
    • ArtSEL Onboarding
    • '24 Summer Institute Web Quest
  • Lessons
    • All Grade Lessons >
      • Bowl of Light
      • Belonging Collage
      • Color Field Portrait
      • Doodles
      • Emotion Creature
      • Emotion Statue Game
      • Getting to Know Your Nervous System
      • Glimmer of Summer Masks
      • If I Were a Flower
      • Metaphor Images
      • Mixed
      • Texture of the Wild
      • Origami Reflection Project
      • Reading Art to Name Emotions
      • Spirit of the Land
      • What Do You See?
    • TK-2 Lessons >
      • Drawing Feelings
      • Drawn Together
      • Unique Me Masks
      • Drawing to Discover
    • 3-5 Lessons >
      • Abstracted Memory
      • Visualizing Music
      • Symbolic Portraits
      • The Animal Inside Masks
      • Sculpt a System
    • 6-12 Lessons >
      • Fantastic Expression Masks
      • Ecosystem Tunnel Books
    • Theater >
      • Animal Inside Masks
      • Fantastic Expression Masks
      • Mask Performance
      • Shadow Play
      • Unique Me Masks
  • Presentations
    • 2025-2026 >
      • 8.12-8.13.25 Summer Institute
    • 2024-25 >
      • 6.17.25 Cultivating Wellness and Belonging
      • 5.3.25 Spring Institute
      • 4.17.25 Ballinger Cal Poly Humboldt
      • 4.2.25 Global Education Workshop
      • 2.27.25 Instructional Coaching NIC Deep Dive
      • 1.16.25 GATE Academy
      • 11.1.24 Culturally Responsive Teaching & The Brain
      • 6.17.24 Cultivating Wellness and Belonging
      • 8.14-8.15 Summer Institute
    • 2023-24 >
      • 6.17.24 Cultivating Wellness and Belonging
      • 4.5.24 NAEA Visual Art Exercises for SEL
      • 4.4.24 NAEA with Jon Juravich
      • 3.21.24 Balllinger Cal Poly Humboldt
      • 3.9.24 CES 2024
      • 3.9.24 VTS
      • 3.9.24 Diverse Perspectives, Visual Art and Poetry
      • 2.26.24 Mir DeSilva Presentation
      • 2.26.24 HCOE Arts PD "Thinking"
      • 2.9.24 STEAM Long Beach
      • 1.27.24 Winter Training
      • 1.9.24 RAN Presentation
      • 12.6.23 TEAS Cal Poly Humboldt
      • 11.9..23 CPH-Making Thinking Visible
      • 11.7.23 Cal Poly Humboldt Art + SEL
      • Studio Thinking Book Club
      • 9.30.23 Fall Training
      • 8.15-16.23 Summer Institute
    • 2022-23 >
      • 5.24.23 CCS Emotion Statue Game
      • Carriage Drive Elementary Visual Art Exercises for SEL
      • 5.6.23 Symbolic Portraits
      • 4.20.23 Cal Poly Humboldt Ballinger
      • 4.14.23 NAEA Children's Literature & SEL
      • 4.13.23 NAEA Visual Art Exercises for SEL
      • 3.25.23 CES23 Intro to Art + SEL
      • 2.6.23 CPH-Making Thinking Visible
      • 1.28.23 Training
      • 12.1.22 Cal Poly Humboldt
      • 9.17.22 Fall Training
      • 9.6.22 AIE PLC
      • 8.31.22 Big Lagoon School
      • 2022 Summer Institute
      • 5.14.22 ArtSEL Kick-Off
      • 5.12.22 SCCOE- Doodling
  • Contact
  • The ArtSEL Archives