• About the Work of Art

• About the Artist
  

Looking and Discussing
Grade: 4–5; 6–8
Subject: Visual Art, Language Arts, Science, Social Studies

Looking at A Cloudy Day, Bluebonnets near San Antonio, Texas, describe the scene depicted by the artist.

• What time of year does this scene depict? How do you know?

• What colors has the artist used? What mood is created by these colors?

Reading and Research
Grade: 4–5; 6–8
Subject: Visual Art, Language Art, Social Studies

A New Symbol for Texas

• The bluebonnet was adopted as the Texas state flower in 1901. What else would you pick to represent Texas to the rest of the country? Research some of the other Texas state symbols. Describe a Texas scene that would depict as many special features of the state as you can identify.

• Read Legend of the Bluebonnet by Tomie dePaola.

• Research the economy and living conditions of Texas during the early twentieth century. What were living conditions like? What was the population of Fort Worth, Dallas, Houston, and San Antonio? Who would have had enough money to collect works of art, such as the ones Onderdonk painted? What were some of the occupations of people who would have had enough money to collect art? Who were some of the major Texas art collectors at that time?

Drawing
Grade: 4–5; 6–8; 9–12
Subject: Visual Art

Impressions of Texas

Using pastels draw a Texas landscape based on your memories of an outing you have had.

• What trees, grasses, flowers, rocks, bodies of water, animals, or buildings are parts of your scene?

• What time of year is it?

• Think about how to create the scene in an impressionistic style similar to Julian Onderdonk’s. Try eliminating some of the tiny details and capturing the fleeting effects of light and shadow.

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