When People Are Stuck At Home, Artist Edition 3: The Materials Around Us

Hello my most ingenious brainiacs! 

You can read today's letter, or you can listen to me read it to you in this video I have embedded.  Let me know how you feel about listening to it versus reading it. I want to do whichever works for you. It has been lovely to attend your virtual circles and hear some student voices! At the end of this post I have attached lots of student work that artists have been sending along. Bravo, children!  You are amazing.

Cresencio Perez Robles, circa 1970's

Today, I will tell you about how artists use what they can find around them to make their art. People around the world have been making art with the materials from their environment for thousands of years. Artists do not have to own lots of fancy materials from art stores to make artwork successfully, or to become famous. 

The indigenous Huichol (sounds like “wee-chol”) people of the Sierre Madre Occidental mountains in Mexico have used the materials around them to make art for a long time. For many generations, Huichol artists have used stone, clay, bones, and seeds to make beads for jewelry. Huichol artists also produce Nierikas (sounds like “near-eeka”), which are paintings make from lambs wool yarn. The yarn is traditionally glued on with a mix of resin from trees and beeswax, which are both available in the natural environment. Nierikas told stories, mythology, and life experiences of the Huichol people. 

Artist José Benítez Sánchez

The artist José Benítez Sánchez is renowned for his yarn paintings. He was born in 1938 in San Pablo, Mexico. He used to be a janitor for the Instituto Nacional Indigenista in Tepic, Mexico. The director asked him to display his yarn paintings there at work. He became famous for his artwork. His yarn paintings are now in collections all over the world. Here is one you might like. 

Yarn painting by José Benítez Sánchez

How can you use the materials already around you to create amazing artwork?  Let's brainstorm some of the things that you might have in and around your home, and make an artwork with it. Make sure to first ask your grownup for permission to use these things.

Natural objects, such as feathers, stones, leaves, sticks, shells, pinecones, seed pods. 

Plastic bottles and caps

Paper junk mail

Bubble wrap

Cardboard, from food boxes or mailed packages

Used makeup brushes

Used kitchen sponges

Old fabric, from outgrown or tattered clothes, cleaning rags

Found objects, such as greeting cards, used wrapping paper remnants, postcards, playing cards, odd puzzle pieces, outdated maps

Kitchen utensils

Toys, such as little cars

Let's make a mandala today with objects from around your house. Mandala means "circle" in Sanskrit.

Here is what you need:

Assorted supplies from the list above.

The basics:

Begin with a shape in the middle. A mandala is a radially symmetrical design that starts at the center, and you add on "rays" like the sun all around it. Add on all around it, then repeat in additional layers.

More ideas to try:

Can you make a mandala using only warm colors? Only cool colors? In shades or a single hue? Can you make one from only things in your bedroom? How about from only things in your kitchen?

Here is one I made this morning:

Another artist who makes artwork from the things in his environment is the contemporary (living and working now) British artist Andy Goldsworthy. He lives in Scotland. He is 63 years old. He is very famous in his own lifetime, and there are many books written by and about him. He makes artwork from the materials he finds on the land where he lives. There is a wonderful documentary movie about his work called Rivers and Tides. Ask your grownup if it would be okay for you to watch it. The best word I know to describe watching it is "mesmerizing". Mesmerizing means that your attention is held as if by a magical force. 

Andy Goldsworthy

Sometimes Andy Goldsworthy makes mandalas, like maybe you will try today. Here is one he made with rocks arranged around a little hole he dug. When he is done, he uses a camera to take a photograph of his work.

Notice that this one is monochromatic- made only from tints and shades of black

Here is another one he made from leaves.

This one is made with warm colors

What can you make a mandala out of today?  Can you make a mandala out of all your socks? Can you make one using slices of an apple you are going to have for a snack after? If you want to share your work, please ask your grownup to email me a photo of whatever you have made. I miss you!

Love,
Mrs. Elliott

And as promised, here are some of the many wonderful works of art you have been making at home.  I am so proud of you for finding so many ways to be creative! 

Ava painted a rock

It looks like a tiger!

Jumana made a collage

Sylvie is painting the Simpsons

Isaac and Eli are trying papier-mache

McKenna is making lots of drawings!

Wells is printmaking

She made different sizes and form types

Grace tried the Pottery.ly app

You can try it too!  The app is free.

This one has handles

Masyn made his rocks into a collage!

Masyn collected rocks

Maeve collaged

Isla collaged too!

Avery made three collages!

Anet made a collage

Andrew and Claire built a fort

Thireas drew animals he loves

Hazel made a self-portrait

Andrew and Claire baked

Claire made a mask

When People Are Stuck At Home, Artist Edition 2: Where Would You Rather Be?

Hello my artsy lovebugs!

    Here is another letter to you. It begins with another picture, this time a painting. This painting is one that you might recognize, because it is one of the artists on the outside of the art room door. 

Self Portrait with Monkey, 1938

Do you recognize her? It's Frida Kahlo. I like to see her on the way into the art room each morning, because she reminds me to be strong, and that we are all really stronger than we might think we are. She had lots of pets, including two pet spider monkeys. Do you have any pets? Maybe you have one at home with you right now. Have you every drawn yourself with them? Perhaps this is the day to try.

Frida loved to paint herself with animals. When she was young she wanted to go to medical school. She worked hard as a student. When she was 18 she got in an accident, and lots of her bones were broken, so she had to go spend time in bed. Just like Matisse, who I wrote to you about yesterday.  When she was in bed, she decided to take up art again, which she had enjoyed when she was younger. She was eventually able to walk again, but she spent many months in bed, waiting. Do you ever find it hard to wait?

This is Frida, painting in her bed.

In the earliest self-portrait of hers that I could find after her accident, I notice that she looks very strong. She did not feel very strong in her body, but she had a very strong mind, and believed that things would get better. In this painting below, she stares at us just as we look at her. She exaggerated things about herself to look even stronger, like unifying her eyebrows and making her hands large.

Self-Portrait, 1926

In the first self-portrait I showed you, Frida is with one of her pets. She loved animals and the outdoors, and even after her body got better it was still hard for her to travel far, so she imagined it through her artwork. She looks strong, she's in the jungle, and she has her pet monkey. 

If you could be anywhere right now, and surround yourself with anything you wanted to make yourself feel more sure and more powerful, what would that look like?

Here is what you would need:

Pencil, crayon, or markers (Any will do. Color can be fun, too, so use whatever you have.)

Paper (Sometimes I doodle on whatever I can find. The blank back of something in your recycling or fresh paper work equally well.)

The basics:

Draw a picture of yourself. Surround yourself with pets, objects, creatures, and places you love. Add whatever makes your heart feel the strongest, most confident, and happiest that it can be today.

More ideas to try:

Think about activities that you love. We all live near a big lake here in Burlington. Do you love to be near the water? Maybe you love the bike path, and might draw yourself zooming down it on your favorite set of wheels- a bike? A scooter? A skateboard? Where would you rather be today?

Sometimes people don't get to go where they want to. Right now, that is happening all over the world, because people are trying to mostly stay in their homes to stay healthy. One person who has often felt stuck is the artist Ai Weiwei.

With Wind, 2014

The artist Ai Weiwei was stuck in his country and was not allowed to travel from 2011-2015.  When he had an art show in another country, he often didn't get to go see it, which made him sad. He was glad others got to see it, so he kept making art anyway. He made this dragon above, and lots of sculptures out of LEGO, for an art show at the no-longer-in-use Alcatraz Prison.

Here is some information about Ai Weiwei. He is a contemporary artist, and is 62 years old. He was born in China, but now he lives in Cambridge, England. He studied animation in college. Last November, one of his artworks sold for over $2.5 million. He is very famous in his own lifetime and has won lots of prizes and medals for his artwork.

I am looking forward to seeing what you draw today! 

Love,

Mrs. Elliott

When People Are Stuck At Home, Artist Edition 1: Collage

Hello to all my creative artists, 

   

This is a letter to you, my students, who I am missing tremendously. I hope that my blog can send you little virtual bits of encouragement when things are strange and confusing in our world. When times are hard, humans have turned to art again and again in our culture. We write songs, poems, and books about our feelings and experiences. We draw pictures, take photos, and paint to show our feelings. This is a very healthy thing to do, and this is a very good time to do that.

I wanted to share some things with you, and to begin with, I thought that we should all look at an artwork that we have all seen together:

The Sorrows of the King, 1952

Do you recognize this artwork? Of course you do! We have a gigantic poster of it in the art room, right above the sketchbook shelves. You might remember that it was made by the artist Henri Matisse. Some of the classes have asked about it recently, which is perfect timing. 

   

Henri Matisse was a painter. He made paintings like this one below and was very famous, even during his lifetime. 

The Goldfish, 1911

Unfortunately, Matisse became very sick later in his life, when he was 72 years old. After he got really sick, he was mostly in bed or a wheelchair for the rest of his life, so he couldn't stand up to paint like he used to. 

    

Maybe you are bored right now at home. Matisse got really bored, because being sick or stuck indoors is no fun no matter what your age is. So, look at the next photo and see what he did! He got long sticks of charcoal, and lay in bed doodling on his walls.  

    

Boredom can improve your creativity; it caused Matisse to develop a whole new way to make art! He asked his assistants to paint huge pieces of paper for him, which he could cut up while he was in bed.

His assistants glued them to single big sheet, and that, my sweet friends, was how collage was born as its own art medium. And that big print that we have in the EES art room is one of those, a print of a Matisse collage.

Here is another he made:

The Sheaf, 1953

Maybe this week you can start a collage.

Here is what you would need: 

1. Paper (any kind is great! Magazines, newspapers, bits of junk mail, and gift wrap all count.)

2. Scissors and/or just your fingers (collages can be cut up or have torn edges, both are great!)

3. Glue (any kind is good, liquid or glue sticks.)

The basics:

Tear or cut pieces of paper, and glue them onto a larger background piece. 

More ideas to try: 

If you have magazines, try to make the pictures line up in ways that are funny, or combine unexpected things, like animals and people, or plants where we might expect to see feathers or hair. If you have newspapers, pick out words that are interesting and grab your attention, or words that make you feel a certain way, like happy or sad. Try crumpling the paper then smoothing it again before you glue it. 

Collages can be made by anyone, all over the world. Lots of contemporary, living artists make collages now. Here is one by the artist named Wangechi Mutu.

Wangechi Mutu, 'The Rare Horn-Hair Thought', 2004.

Here is some information about her life. Wangechi Mutu is a Kenyan-American artist who lives in New York. She was born in Kenya. She is 47 years old. Her collages are shown all over the world, and she has won lots of prizes. Some of her artworks have sold for more than $350,000. After she moved from Kenya, she went to school in New York and Connecticut. Some people say that her work looks futuristic. 

That seems good, because I am focusing on the future, when I will see you again. Until we get to hang out in person, we can share our art. If you ask, your grown up can email me things you have recently drawn, made, written, painted, knitted, baked, embroidered, sewed, grown, or sculpted, I will share them here on the art room blog. 

Love, 

Mrs. Elliott

Terrific Arts Resource and a Fun App!

Here is a link to a wonderful, comprehensive arts resource, put together by @MrsVelazquezArt on Instagram. It includes art contests, museums, games, art education, and digital resources. 

Pottery.ly design that I made this morning!

Also, if you have a digital device that supports apps, Pottery.ly 3D is a fun and outstanding way to throw pottery on a wheel digitally. If you try it out, make sure to share a picture with me!

Homeschooling Art Activities

In response to the school closures, I would like to share a number of art activities which students can do at home.  Please feel free to adjust the materials to suit what is available around the home. Most of these activities will require no more than paper and pencil. Adding color is fun for students, so if  you do not have access to crayon or markers, please feel free to reach out to me at jelliott@bsdvt.org

Here is an awesome art scavenger hunt which children can do around the home and neighborhood.

I have used Art For Kids Hub as a special treat in the classroom on many occasions, and students love it. It includes videos appropriate for kids Kindergarten through middle school. The vast majority of the videos are draw-alongs, and include tons of character, seasonal, and animal themes.

Mo Willems (The Pigeon books, Elephant and Piggie) is doing a free online draw-along called "Lunch Doodles With Mo Willems," through the Kennedy Center. You can join the fun here. It's going to air at 1pm each day, beginning with "Animals with a lot of legs." As he says in today's video, "It's not the best drawing I have ever made, but it was kind of fun to get lost in it." Art can help kids forget their stress!

Here are some fun drawing prompts. Doing one each day is an outlet and creative distraction. Here are a few ideas:

1. Imagine and draw an animal doing something that only humans usually do. (Ex., dolphins surfing, a moose gardening, dogs skateboarding, cats riding a roller coaster, etc.)

2. Create your dream bedroom. What features would it include?

3. There are a million fish in the sea. Create your own original fish, and show its ocean environment.

4. Create the dreamiest ice cream sundae you can imagine. What toppings would it have?

5. Nature has created some pretty bizarre creatures, but none as bizarre as one you can dream up! Combine creature features and make a whole new animal that the world has not yet discovered. How would it move? What would it eat?

Here is an additional general education resource:

Scholastic has a terrific Learn At Home site chock-full of activities to keep our students learning, available here. 

I will continue to share new art ideas frequently!