Red Watercolor Art Inspired by Louise Bourgeois”
Introduce your young artists to the bold and emotional world of Louise Bourgeois with this fun and engaging watercolor art inspired by Louise Bourgeois’s red gouache paintings!
Known for her massive spider sculptures, Bourgeois also created a series of striking red watercolor and gouache paintings later in life. These works used red to express emotions like love, pain, and courage. In this activity, kids will use watercolor techniques like splattering and blowing paint to create abstract art, just like Bourgeois. Then, they’ll add their personal touch to transform these shapes into imaginative objects.
About Louise Bourgeois and Her Red Paintings
Louise Bourgeois (1911–2010) is best known for her monumental sculptures, like Maman, a towering spider. However, during the last years of her life, she turned to red watercolor and gouache paintings as a way to process emotions. These works explore themes of love, pain, and resilience through fluid, abstract forms. Red was an especially meaningful color for Bourgeois, symbolizing everything from passion to anger. Her art invites us to see emotions through shapes, lines, and bold hues, making it a wonderful inspiration for kids to explore their feelings through art.
Materials
- Multiple watercolor papers (cut into B5 or smaller sizes)
- Red watercolor or gouache
- Drinking straws
- Soft brushes
- Optional: Long strips of red cardboard and glue for accordion-style bookbinding
How to Create Watercolor Art Inspired By Louise Bourgeois
Step 1: Provide each child with a stack of watercolor papers, a drinking straw, a soft brush, and red watercolor or gouache.
Step 2: Show the children how to drop a small amount of red paint onto the paper. Encourage them to use the straw to blow the paint in different directions, creating abstract shapes. Let them experiment with splattering the paint using the brush for more variety.
Step 3: Ask the children to look closely at the shapes they’ve made. Encourage them to imagine what the shapes might represent, like flowers, animals, or abstract objects. Using the brush, let them add simple details to bring their ideas to life while keeping the artwork loose and abstract.
Step 4: Allow each child to create multiple pieces, as the process is quick and exciting. Encourage them to explore new forms with each piece, building a small collection of their unique red artworks.
Ideas for Display
Once the children have finished their paintings, encourage them to think about how to display their work as a cohesive series. Provide long strips of red cardboard and show them how to arrange the paintings in a sequence. Glue each painting onto the cardboard strip, leaving a small border around each piece to emphasize the vibrant red theme.
After all the paintings are attached, fold the cardboard strip accordion-style to create a book. This accordion book can be flipped through like a traditional book or stood upright to form a zig-zag display.
Extension Ideas
Read Cloth Lullaby
Share Cloth Lullaby: The Woven Life of Louise Bourgeois by Amy Novesky with the children. This beautifully illustrated story introduces Louise Bourgeois’ life and artistic inspiration. After reading, discuss how Bourgeois used the color red in her work. What might red have meant to her? Ask the children to think about their own feelings while painting with red. Did they find it energizing, calming, or something else?
Discuss the Color Red
Hold a discussion about the color red and its different meanings. Ask the children what they associate with red—love, anger, warmth, or excitement? Encourage them to think about why red might have been so important to Louise Bourgeois and how it felt to use it in their paintings.
Try Different Colors
Encourage the children to repeat the activity using other colors, such as blue, yellow, or green. Ask them to compare how each color makes them feel while painting. Discuss how the mood or message of their artwork changes with each color. Let them experiment with combining colors to see how they interact and create new shades.
Did you find this post useful or inspiring? Have you tried it yourself or have suggestions to share? I’d love to see your creations! Share them with #ArtSproutsArt and tag me @art_sprouts_art. Don’t forget to pin this for later and follow me on Pinterest for more creative ideas!
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