Reflecting at the end of the course.

Back in September, when we first met, we discussed what it meant to be an artist and what an artist needs to be creative. We played around with materials and explored a variety of ways to make art. Halfway through the course we paused to consider why people make art in the first place and you thought deeply about what makes you unique and what you have to say through art.

Now, as we say goodbye at the end of the course, what is the story of your year as an artist? If you were to imagine your experience in this class as a story, a comic strip, a reality tv show, the highlight reel...how did it start? What were the ups and downs along the way? What images, stories, or moments come to mind?

And, most importantly, how does it end? How will art play a role in your life going forward, if at all? How can you envision what you learned in Art Principles this year showing up again in school and in life?

I See The Light drawing.

Insert picture here.
Write title of the drawing here.

This project was about exploring the potential for light and dark to take on some symbolism or to have story-telling potential.
What was your goal in using light and dark in your drawing?
How did you arrive at this idea?
How did you use the pencils and erasers to achieve your goal?
Describe any discoveries you made about working with pencil and eraser, light and dark, while working on this project.

Self Portrait as a _______________.

This project was both conceptual and technical.
In a post on your blog describe your intentions in both areas.
You were asked to create a sculpture that represented you in the form of an animal out of its environment. Explain why you chose the animal you did and why you placed it in the setting (or with the props) you did.
Think about your experience working with clay in the past. How did you use different textures and what you discovered about the structure of clay to support your concept?

Me-scape: A Reductive Block Print

This project was mostly about process.
Many people struggled with the process.
How did it go for you and how do you feel about the resulting print or prints you made? What was challenging about the process for you, if anything? What would you do differently if you were to do it again?

Thinking about the use of light in art.

from L to R: Charles White, Jan Vermeer, and Frederick Edwin Church

On your blog, write about the potential symbolism of light.

Think about in what places and/or situations light plays a big role. Think of movies you've seen, song lyrics, works of art you've seen in museums. Think of places you've been where light has been dramatic. Think of things that have happened to you in which lighting has played a role.

Be sure to write about at least 2 situations like the ones just described that come to mind when you think of light and answer these questions:
What is the potential for light to be symbolic in a work of art?
What could it symbolize and why?

I am ______, _______, and __________.

1.
Create a title for your self-portrait. It must start with I am and be followed by one, two, or three words. This is also the title of the blog post you're about to write.
2.
Look back at the original goals for the project (on the class site).
3.
Spend a moment looking at your finished work of art objectively. Try to see it the way other people (who don't know you) will see it. This may be the first time you've done this since you finished.
4.
What do you think are the strengths of your work of art?
What parts of your story come through the most AND what artistic choices did you make that allowed this to happen?

Artist-in-Residence: Alexander DeMaria

This week artist Alexander DeMaria will be visiting Beaver for the week. He'll be making work in the studio, installing an exhibit of his work in the Nancy Lincoln Gallery.

On Wednesday during X-block he will be giving a slide talk about his work in Bradley Hall and I expect you to be there.

On Thursday there will be an opening for his exhibit in the gallery and I expect to see you there for a few minutes between 12:15 and 1:15.

NOW...
Click HERE to see Alex's website.
Spend a few minutes looking at his work and reading his statement and resume.
On your blog please post your favorite piece of Alex's. Then describe why you like it and how it fits into the rest of his work.
ALSO, develop a question you'd like to ask Alex (you'll have several chances to do so). Write that on your blog too. Extra points when you get your question and post the answer on your blog!

Reflecting on self-portrait progress.

You have been working for several weeks on a non-traditional self-portrait. Today you got the chance to share what you've been doing with some of your classmates. Hopefully, you got some good feedback from your group.

On your blog, please describe what happened while discussing your work.
What did you share with your group members?
How did they react to your story and your work of art?
What feedback did they give you about your work up to this point?
What do you still need to do to finish your work and how many more classes do you anticipate needing to finish?

Why do people make art?

At the beginning of last term I asked you to consider several questions:
Who is an artist? What does it mean to be creative? and What does an artist need to be productive and creative?
You wrote very thoughtful responses on your blog. We discussed these ideas in class and you practiced much of what we discussed in the weeks following.

At the beginning of this new term, let's ponder a new and perhaps more difficult question...
Ever since the beginning of time (see below), people have been making pictures, making art...but why?
WHY, DO YOU THINK, DO PEOPLE MAKE ART?
Answer this question as thoughtfully and thoroughly as you can on your blog.

Reflecting on the 4 Hour Project.

You have been working on a very short project here at the end of the term.
It is quite different from anything else we've done so far this year.

On your blog, describe how you feel the project is different from the others we've done and how that has impacted the work you've done.

Describe your process. How has it been going? What has happened along the way? Be specific.

The more you write, the more I know about what you think, the better I can assess your learning so...write a lot. Be descriptive.

The Book Project...progress and planning.

On YOUR blog, DESCRIBE your original plans for The Book Project.
What's the story you're trying to tell?
Then write about how it's going...what challenges have you faced so far?
What's going well? What isn't?

Drawing the Human Figure From the Inside Out.

Today you made a series of drawings of the human figure.

In your own words, describe what the goals for today's drawings were.
How well did you achieve these goals? Give specific examples from your process and/or from the finished drawing. You might even describe what challenges you faced.

Shades of gray.

Today you made a charcoal drawing of light and dark objects using additive and reductive techniques.

In your own words, describe what the goals for today's drawing were.
How well did you achieve these goals? Give specific examples from your process and/or from the finished drawing. You might even describe what challenges you faced.

Studying Nighthawks...for a discussion on Wednesday 10/28/09

This is a painting called Nighthawks. It was made by an American artist named Edward Hopper.
This week we're going to study this painting in depth.
1.
Begin by pasting this picture into a post on your blog and labelling it with:

• title
• the artist's name
• where the artist is from
• the year it was made
• and what medium was used to make the work

2.
Write your first impressions of the painting. What do you see?
3.
Do a little research on this painting (there's lots of info on the web about it). Try clicking here or here if you need a little help. Who was Edward Hopper? Why did he make this painting? What is it really all about?
4.
Now...as we study the principles of design this week add your analysis of the painting to your post. Describe HOW the artist uses The Principles of Design to communicate his ideas. Be as specific as you can in your description.
5.
USE THIS POST AS A WAY TO BE PREPARE FOR A DISCUSSION OF THIS PAINTING IN CLASS ON WEDNESDAY 10/28/09.

Finding images that are balanced.

Find four images on the internet each representing a different type of balance. Paste the pictures into a post on your blog and label each one to show which type of balance is being represented.

The Principles of Design

Today we will discuss The Principles of Design.
On your blog you should create a post in which you'll take notes on the new vocabulary you learn.
Vocabulary words you should know are in bold in the presentation.

You will continue to add to this post over the next few classes as we build our knowledge of The Principles of Design.

Be sure to check the labels below.

Reflecting at mid-term.

Today in class we discussed the skills we've developed so far this term.

Now, on your blog, carefully and thoughtfully write a paragraph that describes the progress you've made so far this term as an artist.

Make sure to:

• refer to the lists we made at the beginning of the term about "who is an artist?" and "what it means to be creative".
• refer to the rubric you just filled out in class.
• refer specifically to things you've made or done in and out of class.
  

Reflecting on Found Object Sculptures.

Insert a picture of your Found Object Sculpture (found on Picasa) into a post on your blog.

Describe how you began. What object inspired your project? What were the formal qualities it possessed that inspired you to turn it into something else?

Describe any feedback you got from the scavenger hunt conversation we had in class today.

Keeping in mind the original expectations for the project and the conversation we had in class today, describe what about your sculpture is successful and what you could have done differently.

What's in the Sack?

Today you made a drawing of bags filled with different materials.

In your own words, describe what the goals for today's drawing were.
How well did you achieve these goals? Give specific examples from your process and/or from the finished drawing. You might even describe what challenges you faced.

The Changing Still Life

The goal for today's drawing was to keep up with the changes that were happening to the still life so that your drawing always looked just like the still life did.

On YOUR blog, DESCRIBE IN DETAIL at least three things you had to do to accomplish this goal.

The Potential of Found Objects.

Below you see a group of sculptures made from found objects similar to the ones we've been "playing" with so far this week.

On your blog write in response to the following questions:
What is it about objects or parts of objects that gives them the potential to become a part of a sculpture like the ones you see below. In other words how or why did the artists choose the objects they did? Use specific examples from the pictures below.

(note: if you click on the pictures you can see them larger)

Reflecting on my first critique.

On your blog describe BOTH the positive AND critical feedback you got on your story collage/drawing during the critique today. Then answer the following question...How did it feel to get feedback from your classmates today?

The work of Ingrid Calame

Take 6 minutes to watch this video and then...
1. On YOUR blog answer the following question: Does this seem familiar?
2. THEN describe:
-who Ingrid Calame is
-HOW she makes her paintings
-WHY she makes her paintings the way she does
3. THEN post a picture of a painting made by Ingrid Calame that you appreciate and describe why you appreciate it.