Class #12

We begin with what I consider to be a positive aspect of being an educator:  the art of teaching affords you the luxury of changing your mind at the last minute, allowing you to switch to a different or better idea.  This blog is intended to help me hone my practice in the art of teaching.  Our class began with discussing our blogs, how to refine them and how we are going to "wrap them up" for the semester.

But before we race to the end, we went into a critique/discussion of sketchbooks to look at what everyone would like to do for their final project.  We looked at sketchbooks because they were intended to be one of our sources for inspiration for this final project.  In our sketchbooks we were just working, not necessarily with a specific plan in mind, but seeing where our work and experimentation with different materials would lead us.  Nobody had the same idea for a final project.  Our ideas for final projects included:

• a book of prints & collages
• a monoprint & drawing on fabric
• an installation based on black and white drawing
• a painting combined with embroidery
• a casting or a 3-D relief with paper mache
• a “rain machine”
• a large accordion book with stencil paintings
• a book that might be a pattern for model (as in a children’s toy model) of a certain place
• a stop-animation drawing with charcoal

In discussing a book of collages and prints, Aileen suggested artist, Arturo Herrera, who works in various materials including collage.

Arturo Herrera, 2004
Keep in Touch (from set #4), Mixed media on paper

Another artist mentioned, in reference to the concept Lucinda has been developing, was Tim Knowles.  Lucinda had made her own rain machine that she was using to make prints from actual leaves onto paper.  Knowles had an interest in the natural world as well, specifically having to do with nature and natural motion.  He mapped the movement of different types of trees by attaching drawing implements to the tips of branches which in turn created a different drawing for each different type of tree he used.

Tim Knowles, Tree Drawing

Tim Knowles, Oak on Easel #1

A last reference, specifically for my final project idea was the children's book, Tico and the Golden Wings by Leo Lionni.  I am planning on making a large accordion, wordless book based on the migratory path of the scarlet tanager.  To make my images I would like to use a technique I have been using in my sketchbook with acrylic paint, watercolor and stencils.  I have not yet looked at the whole book, but the few images I have seen from it, do seem to share a similar feel in image and idea.

From critique we moved onto creating structures.  Aileen explained that there are a multitude of ways in which to create a structure.  Buckminster Fuller was mentioned for his repetition of shape in his geodesic dome structures.

Buckminster Fuller, 1949
Autonomous Living Unit

The specific structure we were creating was a sphere.  We divided into small groups and worked with the sphere/structure idea at one of three stations: (1) lashing,with long cardboard strips, tape staples and bamboo to create hollow sphere shapes, (2) reverse tape casting, with clear packing tape and an assortment of balls (basketballs, soccer balls, etc.) Tape was first wrapped around a ball, sticky side up.  Once the ball was completely wrapped sticky side up, it is then wrapped some more with the sticky side down.  After several "wrappings" the ball is carefully removed and a clear sphere remains. (3) Stop-animation with ball of clay, digital camera, mini tripod and black paper background.  By taking several photos after each minute change, the clay ball is supposed to appear to somehow break apart and them re-assemble back into a ball.


As Aileen might say, this class was a bit a "chock-a-block," we accomplished a few different tasks in one class.  Our critique at the beginning of class was helpful and insightful for me, I think a discussion of this nature could work with an older group of students.  If you were planning on having a group of students work on their own final project or a long-term independent project, a critique such as ours was might be helpful as it was also a whole class check-in to see where people were and what they were thinking about in their independent work.  This type of discussion could engage students so that they might better focus on their individual artwork.  


The three different stations works with a group of adults, but I think it might work best with children or adolescents to break into groups and work on just one type of structure making.  Having multiple techniques being introduced and then executed in one class seems like a lot for a group of young students.  Working in "teams" might be great way to work and problem solve one structure building idea, leading to a discussion upon completion as to how each group went about building their structure.  It would also be interesting for everyone to see and compare the different structures in the end.