The Evergreen Three

In Art History we often read about groups of artists who, through their collective work or ideals, gained great recognition. There were the Impressionists who first exhibited in the Salon de Refuses; The Fauves; the artists and photographers of 291 Gallery; the Hudson River School; the list goes on and on. Perhaps one day the work of "The Evergreen Three" will be added to this list. 


For the past several weeks, three students in Evergreen (Mason, River, and Morgan) have been working tirelessly on The Book of Kells Project. The assignment was to use the ancient illuminated manuscript as inspiration for a work of art, and to place their first, last, or first and last initials into the work. Because they took so much time, and put so much effort into this FIRST assignment (they've certainly raised the bar for themselves!), I'm giving them their own exhibit space this week. 

Drum roll, please! 

Ladies and Gentlemen, in no particular order, 

The Evergreen Three . . .   

First, we have Fancy Waves by Morgan F.

Morgan F. Fancy Waves, 2009, Pencil, Colored Pencil, and Sharpie Marker on Paper

Artist's Statement

My painting is more modern that my usual work, and I have a very big knot that stands out for me. I also put all these little circles around to fill in the space and make it more  fancy. I like the colors blue and black together, so that’s the main colors in my painting. You can figure out the rest, because I don’t want to give all my secrets away!

Morgan F. Fancy Waves, detail (Above and below)

Next is River G.'s The Arrow and the R

River G., The Arrow and the R, 2009, Pencil, Colored Pencil, and Sharpie Marker on Paper

Artist's Statement

There’s nothing hidden in the picture, though there is a feather hanging from the spear. The knot at the bottom is supposed to be holding it all together. On the right side there’s orange and blue detail that’s supposed to stand out. When you look at it, your eyes kind of focus on the middle, and then wander around on that detail. The one Celtic knot is supposed to stand out, because it’s in the middle of nowhere. There’s a circle in the middle of the detail, and when you look at the picture you notice all the color!

River G., The Arrow and the R, detail (Above and below)

And, finally, rest your eyes upon Mason F.'s The Detail Maze

Mason F., The Detail Maze, 2009, Pencil on Paper

Artist's Statement

The Detail Maze was inspired by the Book of Kells. I  hardly used any straight lines, because I kind of wanted it to have a wiggly sort of style. I hid lots of little pictures in it, including a bird, a fish, and a hidden word. I personally like the design between the M and the F (in the middle), because it stands out and it looks cool. I liked the entire project, in general, because when you look at it, your eyes move around trying to take in all the detail. Like a maze!

Mason F., The Detail Maze, detail (Above and below)

Well done, guys! We're all looking forward to seeing more of your work!

Before we move on to the coming week's web challenge, I'd like to acknowledge Tavia and Keith, who both identified The Spiral Jetty, and amazing piece of Earth Art by Robert Smithson. They also brought examples of work by Andy Goldsworthy, another talented Earth artist! Good work! Tavia and Keith each received an ATC to add to their growing collection. 


If you'd like to win an ATC in the week of October 20th through 22nd, here's what you need to do: Do a web search* to find out what the art terms "diptych" and "triptych" mean, and print out an example of each. If you'd like to win an ADDITIONAL ATC (a total of two in one week!), create your own diptych or triptych! Be sure to do your best work! 
Remember: Who ever has the MOST assignment-related ATCs by the end of the semester will win a prize. A 2nd place prize will also be awarded! So far, the Tuesday and Wednesday students have been collecting quite a few ATCs (that means two 1st place prizes, and two 2nd place prizes!). Thursday students, are you going to have a 1st and 2nd place winner, too? :)
*Remember: Anytime you're doing an online search, your parent or other responsible adult must be present. No exceptions!
Have a good weekend! See you in class . . . and don't forget to bring in your "web challenge" assignments! :)

Dioramas, Op Art, Dreamscapes, and Pinch Pots. Week 4 was PACKED!

Before we recap the past week's projects, I'd like to take a moment to acknowledge the fantastic work that Avalon G. did during her "non-HSC" school days. After working on her "fill in the missing side" artwork from class, she went on to create two more! She's mastered this technique! Don't believe me? Well, then, look at the following!

Great work, Avalon! 

Thank you for the dedication you've shown to the RIGHT SIDE of your brain!

Last week in Art from Paper, we started work on dioramas--a project that we hope to finish in the coming week. In this project, students covered the outside of a small cardboard box with pictures and words. The goal is to have the outside become a "preview" for what's inside.

Each diorama will have a theme, picked out by the individual artist--the possibilities are endless! Katie I. is off to a great start with her diorama (above). Stay tuned for photos of finished works!

OP ART, and contrast was the idea behind our project in Explorations in Art (1st through 3rd). Combining what we know about line and shape, and adding contrasting colors (colors that compliment each other on the color wheel), students created wonderful works of Optical Art. 

So, you might be asking yourself, what exactly ARE complimentary (contrasting) colors? Here's a clue:

ORANGE said to BLUE, "Wow, you're really having a good hair day!"
GREEN was overheard talking to RED, saying "That color really suits you. You look fantastic!"
YELLOW and VIOLET kept going back and forth with, "YOU'RE the prettiest!" and "No, YOU are!"
Similar "compliments" took place between . . .
BLUE-VIOLET and YELLOW-ORANGE
RED-ORANGE and BLUE-GREEN
YELLOW-GREEN and RED-VIOLET

In other Explorations in Art classes, 4th through 6th graders continued their work on the Book of Kells project. When these highly detailed and ornamental works are finished, photos will be posted here!

In Drawing and Painting class, we discussed the works of Remedios Varo (below, left) and Marc Chagall (below, right). After looking at many of their works and discussing the dream-like quality of their paintings, students created their own "dreamscapes."

    

The next time you have a really interesting (or crazy!) dream, why not write down the details, and then draw a picture of your dream. Be sure to put in lots of details! Who knows, you might become as well known as Varo or Chagall!

Ceramics students continued with their wet clay work. Below are examples of very creative pinch pots and small sculptures that were created in class. Soon we'll have a kiln load, which means we'll do our first bisque firing!

In Mixed Media class, students created a 4-in-one mixed media work. After folding their art paper into four equal parts, they flattened the paper and drew a picture over the entire page, then used a different medium on each quarter. The final works were awesome!  

While a lot of mixed media works layer the different mediums over top one another, placing them into this grid pattern allows the students to see how they compare and contrast with one another.

Mary Cassatt, The Bath, 1890-1891

Thanks so much to Zoe for bringing in the above work by American impressionist, Mary Cassatt. Zoe found this wonderful example of Cassatt's work at the National Gallery of Art (last week's web challenge), and received her made-to-order ATC. Congratulations, Zoe!

Anyone who wants to win an ATC in the coming week (Sept 22nd through 24th) will need to find out what a haniwa is! Bring some information (information with a picture is even better!) to school, and you'll receive your own ATC.

Remember: the student who collects the most ATCs during the semester, by following the web challenges posted here, will receive a 

WAY COOL PRIZE! 

Diego Rivera, Paper Beads, and the Book of Kells: Just a Smidgen of Week 2's Projects!

The second week of school was packed with activities and projects. You might remember last week that I challenged students to find an artist who shared their name (first or last), and to bring in a photo of the artist's work. Diego G. came through with a magnificent work by Diego Rivera:

Diego Rivera's El Hombre al Cruce, at Palacio de Bellas Artes, Mexico City

Thanks, Diego! 

Great work! Diego earned an ATC--the beginning of his collection. Whoever has the MOST ATCs by semester's end will win an even better prize! :)

I'd also like to send out a special thank you to Celeste for the thorough paper on one of my favorite artists, Georgia O'Keeffe!  

Ram's Head White Hollyhock and Little Hills, 1935 collection:Brooklyn Museum Georgia O'Keeffe
Art from Paper

. . . was fun, and a little bit tricky, when the students made beads out of paper, and then strung them on yarn. We learned that paper can mimic other materials when rolled up. The beads, below, almost look like stone!

Explorations in Art

. . . turned into quite an adventure when the 4th through 6th students explored the Book of Kells. Over the next week or two, we will continue to create our own version of this ancient script. This work, created by Irish monks around 800 b.c., is full of intricate designs, ornamentations, and hidden pictures. 

1st through 3rd grades continued their journey of the elements of art when we discussed shape. We picked up from last week's lesson--line--and used lines to create shapes. We took turns naming the various types of shapes before creating our own, and coloring them in . . .

WOW! Look at all those SHAPES!!

Ceramics I

. . . was quite a lot of fun. While learning the pinch method, students tackled their first clay project: the "animalito" (little animal). Ever thinking outside the box, some students made BUGitos, VOLCANOitos, and a variety of other "ito" items. We certainly have a lot of talented ARTISTitos (little artists!) in our class!

The more advanced students in  

Ceramics II

spent their first "wet clay day" making artist stamps. Each student designed their own stamp, picking a shape or symbol that they identified with, artistically, and carved a stamp to use in their future ceramic works. This was quite tricky, though, because the stamps needed to be mirror images of what they wanted them to look like after pressing them into clay! 

Drawing and Painting

. . . young artists really had to stretch their imaginations, when they were challenged to create their own imaginary creature, and to use COLOR to convey the creature's personality!

And in Mixed Media class

students combined collage, pencil drawing, and crayon (or colored pencils) to create "fill in the missing half" artworks! If you're not in Mixed Media class, and want to try this at home, here's what you do:

1. Find a picture that you like in a magazine, and tear it out.

2. Cut the picture down the middle, lengthwise.

3. Glue one of the halves to plain white paper, leaving room on the "missing side" of the paper for drawing.

4. Save the unglued side for reference.

5. Using a pencil, and the missing side for reference, draw in the missing elements of the picture.

6. Use crayons or colored pencils to finish your artwork!

7. Amaze your friends and family with your extraordinary 

ARTISTIC TALENT!  :)

Do you want to win a PRIZE (an original ATC) in the coming week?

If so, then go to the National Gallery of Art's website and start looking through their permanent collection (or the current exhibit!) to find a work of art that really appeals to you. It can be from any genre you choose, and from any year in art history: prehistory through contemporary works. Print out your choice and bring it to class. Be prepared to tell me what you like about it!

I'm particularly fond of the works in the Philip Guston exhibit that is currently on view through October 18th in the East Buiding's Tower Gallery. He has such a playful style. It reminds me of outsider art, and has a distinctive "self taught" edge to it. 

Philip  Guston, Rug, 1976.  Oil on canvas