Wednesday, July 15, 2015
Grown Ups
Over the past year I've had the pleasure of teaching art classes to adults. I started with water colour sessions at the Sunset Community Centre for a group of 5 women and then did some one-on-one private lessons from my home. Both were lots of fun! Honestly, not much difference between instructing kids and adults. Both are curious and both need encouragement. Our culture sets us up to be so self critical and it feels really good to be a part of the process that breaks that down. To be able to help someone enjoy the creative journey and not expect perfection is a huge reward. Both kids and grown-ups need to feel free when they create!
Monday, June 23, 2014
SPACE THEMED ART CAMP
A few summers ago I held a space themed art camp and it was a blast! What I loved most about hosting this type of camp was the opportunity to bring together my three greatest passions: art, astronomy and teaching. I think it's so important to show kids the connection between creativity and science, that art isn't just reserved for a select few who reside on the fringe of society but a primary component of the science and technology that helps to shape our culture. Without visual art and creative minds we would be far less successful at communicating our ideas about the universe and how it works!
With all of the art program cut backs in our public schools I fear that the next generation will be less able to creatively approach the problems that they face.
Here's how the 5 days will go:
DAY 1
Warm-Up exercises - Each day we do 15 mins of quick gestural drawing and collages. This gets kids "warmed-up" and comfortable. This is usually a very silly and fun exercise that also allows kids to get to know each other and feel less critical about their work.
Alien Landscapes - Our first project is the alien landscape. These are created using styrofoam balls and tons of fun materials that they bring together to create flora and fauna from a world out of their imagination. They also create labels or flags for their special world and do a quick presentation about what they've made. We then photo document our work.
DAY 2
Nebula Paintings - Warm up will consist of using a variety of brushes and sponges to create experimental textures and shapes. I will then give a short lesson about nebulas (using power point so they can see how incredible nebulas are!) I will also show the kids different techniques they can use to create their paintings. Then, each student will receive a large canvas board, painted black (I do this before hand) that they will then spend the rest of the class using sponges and splatter techniques to create their own nebula. At the end of class the other students will try to guess what type of nebula they have created and talk about each others work using positive words.
DAY 3
Solar System Mobiles - After a painting warm up I will give a short lesson about planets and what they are made of. Then, the kids will use different size styrofoam balls to create 3-5 planets that will be in the imagined solar systems. Each ball will be painted using different colours and textures. When the planets are complete we will use hot glue and fishing line to hang the planets from a "sun." The mobile can be hung against a wall or from the ceiling.
DAY 4
Space Dioramas - Probably my favourite of the projects, the space diorama takes up the whole 2 hours. The warm-up consists of the kids looking through all of the materials and playing with different combinations until they have an idea of how to proceed. The dioramas are created inside of boxes that range in size. They use collage, paint, glitter, astronaut figurines and anything else they wish to create a space scene. We will photo document this work.
DAY 5
Alien Collages & Space Ship Design - Warm up will be a "exquisite corpse" session (not as gruesome as it sounds!). Exquisite corpse is a drawing game where participants collaborate to create strange drawings… each person can't see what the person before them drew. This is a great way to open up the imagination to the possibilities that collage can allow in creativity. I will then do a short lesson on the types of life that may exist in on other planets. We will then work with collage and watercolour to create aliens and space ships. The class will end with a giant collaborative space collage where we will all work together to create a "new" kind of life form!
With all of the art program cut backs in our public schools I fear that the next generation will be less able to creatively approach the problems that they face.
Here's how the 5 days will go:
DAY 1
Warm-Up exercises - Each day we do 15 mins of quick gestural drawing and collages. This gets kids "warmed-up" and comfortable. This is usually a very silly and fun exercise that also allows kids to get to know each other and feel less critical about their work.
Alien Landscapes - Our first project is the alien landscape. These are created using styrofoam balls and tons of fun materials that they bring together to create flora and fauna from a world out of their imagination. They also create labels or flags for their special world and do a quick presentation about what they've made. We then photo document our work.
DAY 2
Nebula Paintings - Warm up will consist of using a variety of brushes and sponges to create experimental textures and shapes. I will then give a short lesson about nebulas (using power point so they can see how incredible nebulas are!) I will also show the kids different techniques they can use to create their paintings. Then, each student will receive a large canvas board, painted black (I do this before hand) that they will then spend the rest of the class using sponges and splatter techniques to create their own nebula. At the end of class the other students will try to guess what type of nebula they have created and talk about each others work using positive words.
DAY 3
Solar System Mobiles - After a painting warm up I will give a short lesson about planets and what they are made of. Then, the kids will use different size styrofoam balls to create 3-5 planets that will be in the imagined solar systems. Each ball will be painted using different colours and textures. When the planets are complete we will use hot glue and fishing line to hang the planets from a "sun." The mobile can be hung against a wall or from the ceiling.
DAY 4
DAY 5
Alien Collages & Space Ship Design - Warm up will be a "exquisite corpse" session (not as gruesome as it sounds!). Exquisite corpse is a drawing game where participants collaborate to create strange drawings… each person can't see what the person before them drew. This is a great way to open up the imagination to the possibilities that collage can allow in creativity. I will then do a short lesson on the types of life that may exist in on other planets. We will then work with collage and watercolour to create aliens and space ships. The class will end with a giant collaborative space collage where we will all work together to create a "new" kind of life form!
Wednesday, February 12, 2014
Colour, Form & Landscapes by Rachel
Rachel was my student for two years and every class with her was amazing. She has a great sense of humour and loves to use colour and shapes without reservation. She is a truly free artist and was always full of surprising and unique ideas during our 2 hour classes. She is now in high school and busy with soccer and being a teenager. Hopefully, she'll be back to make more awesome art!
Here are some of my favourite pieces that she made in class:
Here are some of my favourite pieces that she made in class:
Gavin the Great
I've spent the past several months working with a remarkable student by the name of Gavin. At twelve years old Gavin is a fantastic guitar player and artist, not to mention an all around great person. Each week we meet for two hours, spending the first 20 mins or so doing warm-up exercises then dive into an art project.
Here is some of the wonderful work he has done:
Here is some of the wonderful work he has done:
biology composition / graphic markers
watercolour exercise
fruit still life / watercolour, pastel and graphite
guitar abstraction / guache
Friday, September 28, 2012
New Classes, Amazing Results!
A year has gone by since my last post and a lot has happened with the Early Works project. Here's an update and some samples from my classes so far this year.
I am now teaching from my new home studio which has turned out to be a very enjoyable and functional space. As much fun as I had at the House, I find the change refreshing and the students seem very comfortable. Calla and I do plan on teaming up again in the future however! For now, I'm teaching solo and keeping my classes to a maximum of four students. This offers students more instruction and creates a calmer, more focused environment. We still get goofy though!
The last two rounds of classes have been so nice : )
In the spring I taught a botanical watercolour class and in the summer I put on a week long art camp dedicated to my passion for astronomy. We created solar system mobiles, alien landscapes, and beautiful nebula paintings. Currently, my fall session is under way and we have been focusing on composition and illustration.
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| Eva : age 11 / watercolour / botanical study |
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| Lauren : age 5 / watercolour / learning technique |
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| Hana : age 12 / collage on hard board / composition study |
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| Amy : age 11 / mixed media / alien landscape |
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| Anna : age 5 / styrofoam balls, acrylic paint, yarn / solar system mobile |
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
Student's Work / Fall 2011
Emma: age 10collage
made-up monster
Emma: age 10 & her sister, Katie: age 6
watercolour & ink
still life
Rowan age: 11water colour & ink
abstract & made-up monster
Isobella: age 12watercolour and ink
still life contour line drawing
Ruby: age 12, Rowan: age 11, Emma: age 10
collage contour-line project
Marlee : age 13
watercolour & ink
still life contour line drawing
Grey : age 8watercolour and ink
made-up monster & still life
Ruby : age 11
graphite
blind contour line drawing
Amy : age 11, Sophia : age 11
graphite
blind contour line drawing
Isobella : age 12watercolour & ink
still life
Thursday, September 8, 2011
The House
Fall is here and Calla and I are super stoked!! We have finally taken over our WHOLE house and now have room for our art studios and classes! We're calling our space "the House" because it feels good... the idea of living with our art and sharing the experience. We've also teamed up with an experienced animation instructor, Ben Jacques, who has a wealth of knowledge about video editing and movie making. He has a fine arts degree from ACAD and has been teaching kids animation and art since 2002. He has extensive experience making short films and has even re-made star wars and Lord of the rings among other original works. Also, he can draw anything you want, if you ask nicely.
The following multi-media pieces are from a still life workshop Calla did with a group of grade eights. The project was to create an image with limited materials. Students were given pages from phone books and a sparse colour palette to express their view of a chair holding potatoes and oranges. Her students loved this exercise and were happily surprised with their differing styles and techniques!
The following multi-media pieces are from a still life workshop Calla did with a group of grade eights. The project was to create an image with limited materials. Students were given pages from phone books and a sparse colour palette to express their view of a chair holding potatoes and oranges. Her students loved this exercise and were happily surprised with their differing styles and techniques!
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