Visual Exercise

My theme for week 12 was "Pink".  I had the idea, but as is typical... I have a hard time moving past the idea stage.  I have spent a little time working on the composition as well as practiced sketching.  I have the small canvas ready to go.  Now, how to stay engaged?  I was feeling frustrated with the sketching because the pencil was not working for me.  I really just need to get to the little canvas and begin mixing - creating color!  I think it will be easier to stay "engaged" and to "persist" when I get a little messy with paint.  I should have a little time to work, uninterrupted, this week.  I will check back with more pictures on my progress.

"Scratching Takes Longer When You're Rusty"

I really enjoyed reading Tharp's reflections about the creative process. Yes, scratching definitely takes longer when you are rusty!  I am working on a painting to go with the theme "pink".  I have waited a long time to have a little pink around my house and I am thoroughly enjoying it!  Zola has the cutest pink shoes and I couldn't think of anything more perfect to use for a "pink" project.  I would like the painting to be small - 6x6".  To begin, I look around the internet at other interpretations of baby shoes.  Here is small sampling:

Next, I sketched for a few minutes and took a few photos of the shoes in different arrangements. 

Soon.... I will paint these darling shoes with a pale pink color scheme.  

The Kosslyn 4: Generate, retain, inspect and transform

4^th Grade Masks:

Generate  - We view art prints, power point presentations, previous student examples and a short video about masks.  We discuss the role of masks in various cultures.  I demonstrate how we will use paper mache (sometimes plaster) to cover a form and we discuss ways that the form could be built up/ changed.  I allow the students to sift through boxes of miscellaneous materials that they have available to use for the project.

Retain – The students sketch out their ideas in their sketchbooks.  They also list possible materials to use for embellishment.  If time allows, they add color to the sketches to further plan out the finished piece.   They will use the sketch as a blueprint to begin the construction of the mask.  I will ask the students to show me their plans when they need help. 

Inspect – Once the students begin working with the materials, they may need to re-visit their plan.  The idea may need to be re-worked if the 3-dimensional interpretation is not evolving the way the student planned it.  If a student is having trouble with the construction, it is often a teachable moment – a way to interject new ideas for constructing pieces out of materials such as tagboard and foil.  The students can offer suggestions to each other as to the methods that seem to work best for them.

Transform – The plan or idea is only the beginning.  I love it when students have an “aha” moment and choose to use a new material to suit their creative purposes.  The colors may need to change, the materials can be altered, the final presentation can be refined in a different way.  When the mask unit is complete, the students fill out an artist statement that tells about their idea, the purpose of the mask, the materials used and their personal reflection about the finished piece.

Week 12: Try.... try again!

It seems that when you are out of the practice of art-making, the frustration of tackling a new painting or creation can be very overwhelming.  I am often met with many obstacles when it comes to creating a new piece but the biggest roadblock and frustration is the mere act of “starting”.   I am an “idea” person.  I walk through my day-to-day life with oodles of ideas swimming through my head.  I also collect.  I collect bits and pieces of fabric, paper, found objects…. in anticipation of carrying out one of my creative visions.  In this sense, I do not have any trouble collecting materials and ideas… it is the follow through that I struggle with. 

When I am painting and something just does not look quite right, I step back, look at it from different angles, take a break and come back.  Sometimes just waiting and starting at another time can help me see a piece with fresh eyes.  Other times, I just scrap it and start anew. 

Our students can often become easily frustrated when they can’t seem to get a project to look how they have envisioned it.  We have to be patient with them and remember how frustrating it would make us if we invested time and thought into a project that just wasn’t working out.  PATIENCE… PERSIST… PERSEVERE.  I encourage my students to sketch out their ideas so that I can have a visual of what they are considering.  I also work on techniques next to them to show them new ways of tackling an idea.  I also like to show the students examples of my work that I have “reworked”.  For example, if a watercolor painting did not turn out exactly the way I envisioned it, I could go over it with chalk pastel to add more vibrant color.  Sometimes, I suggest that students re-work a project by refining it with another art media. 

Walk away.  I often encourage students to set their work at against the wall and stand back to get a fresh look at it.  If that doesn’t help, sometimes it works to try something else for a few minutes and come back to the project.  Each student is unique.  If we are observant of their behaviors and talents in the art room, we can have a better idea of how to intervene when they need or assistance. 

Allow opportunities to learn the media.  I know that personally, when I experiment with an art material, I am more confident when using it for a completed piece.  This is also true of my students.  I often give the kids opportunities to try out materials – the process being more important than the product.  This gives them more practice and new techniques to apply to their projects.  

Unitasking a little...

Visual Exercise

I tried many times last week to sit down for 30 minutes and draw after I put the kids to bed.  The honest truth is..... I fell asleep. (every time)  So, today I tried to "unitask" and draw in quiet solitude while the baby napped.  Well, she woke up.  I ended up unitasking "a little".  The "little" part is baby Zola.  

First, I decided to set up downstairs.  I grabbed a few supplies (including baby toys) and headed for my creative space. The room is actually uncluttered right now because we just had company.  I set the baby down on the clean and uncluttered bed and set to work on my drawing.  No music, no coffee, no clutter... just Miss Zola and I.  My drawing was going fine but soon.. the baby and I were both getting fidgety.  I started singing to make up for the lack of music. (note to self - now we know why kids "hum" in class) The baby eventually decided she was not interested in her toys anymore and I decided I needed better light.  So... off to the great outdoors.  We moved our things outside to the deck. Much better light and the baby was fairly entertained.  I would definitely have preferred to work outside the entire time.  Next time, if weather permits, I am setting up my project on the deck.  The drawing turned out alright.  I would definitely go back and rework some of it.....  but maybe with a little music and some coffee close at hand.  

* I also had a beautiful ginkgo leaf that I stitched to a piece of paper with gold thread. I wanted to include a picture of it here.  After several minutes of searching, however, I have decided that my house must have swallowed it.  

Week 10: Multitasking My Way through Life

I am a multitasker.  I always have been - even before technology.  I tend to work on more than one thing at a time and I am, as Rosen described, similar to the net-gener who could go through life with earbuds and music.  I was the doodler in class.  Even to this day,  I have to make a conscious effort not to fill my notes during staff meetings with borders and pictures.  When I teach, multitasking can be both good and bad.  It is good in that I can easily introduce lessons that require many materials and lots of individual attention.  I am also good at quickly adjusting lessons and improvising to meet the needs of individual students or the class as a whole.  I can re-fill paint while observing a table across the room and answering the question of the kindergarten student standing in front of me.  Many, but not all teachers are wired this way.  Multitasking, however, is not always the most efficient way to teach and/or work.  I believe that there is only so much we can do at once, which may be unique to the environment, the situation or the individual.  Often, I forge ahead in lessons... moving on to the next exciting thing... without slowing down to take the time to focus on a key element that may need clarified or to focus solely on reviewing knowledge, etc.

A true example of multitasking inefficiently:  A couple of days ago I was at the grocery store with my three children.  I am walking through the produce aisle, pushing a stroller, carrying a basket, picking out apples, keeping an eye on my 5 year old who is bouncing up and down.. and answering a call from my sister on my cell phone.  I turn to my 9 year old and ask him to please go and get me a red basket for our apples.  The woman standing next to me looks at me like I'm crazy.... it is then that I realize I have been carrying a red basket all along.  Embarrassed, I quickly hang up the phone and apologize to my confused son.  Are there moments when we don't have the capacity to multitask? Absolutely.

As a multi-tasker myself, I understand the feeling of needing to do more than one task at a time.  However, I also understand that we can get overwhelmed and that periodically uni-tasking is important to assure that we are not going about things in fragmented and inefficient ways.
I typically start elementary art lessons with about 10 minutes of quiet, focused time.  This gives the uni-taskers a few minutes of peace and the multi-taskers some time to focus before jumping into the creative chaos.  At the secondary level, this is a tough one.  A few summers ago, I taught three-hour art courses at Hickman.  Three hours is a long time, and when the rules say "no personal electronics" in class, the kids can get frustrated. I feel their pain. I added books on cd, music and the occasional youtube to our lessons, but it still wasn't enough for most of the kids.  While it may be frustrating to refrain from using headphones in class or to put away the blackberry, I feel that it is a life skill that young adults need to practice.  I also strongly believe that everyone can benefit from occasionally uni-tasking and quietly focusing.   Each teacher will need to adjust the class atmosphere based on the needs of the students, district technology policies, and the teacher's own comfort levels.  The key, is to being willing to acknowledge that our students have different learning styles and preferences for working, and vary the instruction and environment from time to time to allow for differences in learning.

Studio Habits:  Developing Craft and Learning to Observe
I really could relate to the information discussed in the "Studio Thinking" chapters.  I have instructed art at all age levels and I feel that learning to take care of supplies and to be able to manipulate materials and apply various techniques is essential to teaching art any grade level.  When students are responsible for materials and are comfortable using the media, they gain a sense of empowerment and are less inhibited in the art making process.
In the elementary art room, time is often limited to 50 minutes, once a week.  I do not like to spend a lot of time on isolated instruction of vocabulary and instruction on how to precisely use tools.  Personally, I learn best by "doing".  I tend to teach the same way.  I do spend a little time discussing, demonstrating and modeling class expectations and how to care for materials at the beginning of the year and from there, I embed these practices and instruction in the art lessons.  We can always use the "teachable moment" to teach vocabulary and new techniques as well as model the appropriate care of materials and techniques during our demonstrations.  It is great when kids learn new techniques and control of a media without even knowing that they are learning.  I like how the ceramics instructor in the reading explains that the clay should be a "partner in their creations".  Hetland (2010) explains, "As students begin to acquire technique, they begin to "think" with technique".  Partnering with the media, and thinking with technique are fantastic ways to direct our students in the art-making process.

Proposal

I have so many ideas but very limited time these days.  I have decided that what I need most is just plain practice.  I need to get back to the business of creating art.
I really like the painting of Aspens (at the bottom of my blog page).  I think I am drawn to the rich color and the contrast.  I also enjoy playing around with different techniques.  Back in my undergrad days (13 years ago) I was a fiber artist.  I love paper and sewing.  When it comes to drawing, I prefer charcoal or pastels.  I used to use oils but switched to acrylics when my first son was born.  I also really like taking photographs.
So..... what I propose is it to create a series of small pieces based on color.  I will try out various drawing, painting or multi-media techniques that I have been wanting to work on for awhile.  Rather than having my work based on one specific concept, I will choose a color each week and complete a piece based on the color.
In response to the fall season and the beautiful leaves, this week, I choose the color scheme "gold".  - I will post pictures and descriptions soon.