C is for Charming, creative and colorful (AKA Children's Art)

No description of my work is complete without mention of my greatest inspiration and pleasure - the kids' classes that I teach. I've been doing this for years, and every year I am dazzled by the work that appears on our studio.

Yesterday, we had the privilege of hanging a display of art from the 6 to 9 year old class at a local library. The pride and pleasure of the young artists seeing their work matted and ready to hang for ALL THE WORLD to see is pure delight all around. To prepare for the display I focused this term's lessons on the season - apples, owls, and trees. Each project was done in a different medium to give the young artists a chance to discover how each works, and which they like the best.  As you can see, the results were wonderful.

N is for New (and Unexpected)

Caran D'ache Neocolor Watersoluble Crayons (or French crayons as they are known by my kid students) are some of my favorite and most used teaching materials.

They are as easy to use as crayons, vibrant enough to be seen by even some of my vision challenged seniors, and when water is added, create beautiful deep colors that enhance any image..

I have written about them often because they are so versatile and so lovely.

The other day, developing an idea for a project, the only thing at hand

to draw on was a piece of construction paper, and my French crayons. I planned to rough out a butterfly sketch - but when I put the crayon to the rough texture of the school grade paper, magic happened. Depth of color, texture, almost painterly in its richness. No water, just layers of color. Easy, unexpected and a whole new way to use an old favorite.

Upcoming Classes @ Multnomah Arts Center: REGISTER NOW

Young Artists—Drawing & Painting 

Action! Brushstrokes! Beautiful lines, gorgeous colors, wild shapes, and interesting composition! Learn about all of these as we experiment with paint and pastels, and try out techniques such as painting, drawing, and printmaking. Create amazing faces, places, flowers, fish, abstractions, and more. 

Ages 6 - 8
1079555  Tu.  3:30 - 4:30 pm   Oct. 3 - 31   $73 [5 classes] 

1079558  Tu.  3:30 - 4:30 pm   Nov. 7 - Dec. 5   $73 [5 classes]  

Ages 9 - 13
1079556  Tu.  4:45 - 6:15 pm   Oct. 3 - 31   $100 [5 classes] 
1079557  Tu.  4:45 - 6:15 pm   Nov. 7 - Dec. 5   $100 [5 classes]  

The History of Fashion— Design & Drawing     

Where and how does a fashion designer get their ideas? Look at clothes across time and cultures to inspire designs. Learn how fashion designers express their ideas, and explore the connections between historical events and clothing over the course of history. Through a variety of art explorations, students will try their hand at fashion sketching and clothing and fabric design. Working from lots of resources, explore sources of inspiration—from history and from today’s influences—and the importance of design elements such as color, line, and composition in visual presentations.

Ages 9 - 14
1079553  Wed.  4 - 5:30 pm Oct. 4 - Nov. 1   $100 [5 classes]
1079554  Wed.  4 - 5:30 pm Nov. 8 - Dec. 6   $100 [5 classes] 

Saturday Workshops

Drawing & Painting— Three Layer Painting   
Ages 8 - 13
In this fun and creative workshop, learn about color mixing, line, pattern, composition, and paint application as we create vivid original paintings in three layers.

FAMILY Parents/guardians are welcome to register with their child.
1080532  Sat.  1 - 3:30 pm Oct. 14   $33 [1 class]

Drawing & Painting— Fabulous Faces    
Ages 8 - 13
Learn several different ways to successfully draw and paint great looking faces. Experiment with different methods and materials to create vivid and beautiful pieces of face-based art. Think wild and crazy and highly original.

FAMILY Parents/guardians are welcome to register with their child.
1080533  Sat.  1 - 3:30 pm Nov. 4   $33 [1 class]

To register,
please drop by the office or call

(503) 823-2787.
You may also register online by going to
Portland Parks & Recreation

X is for eXpression: Creative that is

CREATIVE 

ADJECTIVE

1. relating to or involving the imagination or original ideas, especially in the production of an artistic work: 

This Art Everyday Month Challenge is fascinating. 

Every year it is an opportunity to see, admire and be inspired by the creative work and ideas of a highly diverse group of people. This year especially, I am noticing artists from around the world.

 How wonderful that people of different ages, styles and skill levels are all brave enough to express their creative selves to the world. 

To keep within my X theme, I would say that the work is eXcellent, eXciting and eXtremely well done. 

I appreciate the eXtraordinary effort involved in being creative every day. So, for today, something 

eXtra lovely to share- flowers - a digital photo from a summer walk-through at the Farmer's Market. 

U is for Unafraid to Fail

" Creativity is something we can all improve at... it is about daring to learn from our mistakes"   James Dyson

I found an interesting article online the other day and I knew it was just right for U day. I will let the article speak for me today.


I have included this painting of a New Mexico sunset to remind ourselves to look UP, even when the challenge seems doomed to fail.

How creativity is helped by failure

A design college in the United States has just started a new exhibition about creativity, which will run till January. It is called "Permission to Fail". The curator asked a group of 50 prestigious designers and illustrators to send in their mess-ups, rough drafts and preliminary sketches so that they could be put on display.
Now, this may seem like an odd thing to do. Most exhibitions are all about the finished product, the pristine new car design, perhaps, or the flawless painting. But the college, called Mount Ida in Massachusetts, wanted its students to engage not with the finished article, but what happened beforehand. They wanted to reach into the true characteristics of how creativity happens.

Read on ...

Q is for Quantity or is it Quality?

I have written about encouraging my students to play with the same ingredients to create many images. This is actually a variation on a creative thinking technique - brainstorming - generating MANY ideas - some which will be good, and others which we may discard and move on. All of which are worthy of consideration.

In my classes, I believe that I am teaching more than art lessons - more than techniques and fun projects. I am teaching creative thinking and problem solving skills. And I am teaching kids to learn to trust their ability to find  solutions.

I believe that creativity is as much about attitude and confidence in yourself as it is about talent. I want my students to learn that when we make art, we are not looking for one right answer, or one image that is the same as everyone else's. I want them to be able to look around them and see many solutions to the fun challenges I present - and understand that art (that any creative work) is highly personal. We are all different - why should our art all look the same? And, to be comfortable with the knowledge that it takes practice to learn, to improve and to discover your own strengths and particular interests.

Working in a group - drawing or painting and producing things that everyone can see is a risk. Yet in every class we share what we have created, evaluate what has worked, what could improve, and praise what we like. I want my kids to feel proud of themselves for  being brave enough to jump in and use the ideas they find in their own imagination. And to appreciate effort and originality in others.

To help them feel safe and confident and relaxed, I remind them that it is good  to generate MANY ideas; to test many solutions, to experiment with techniques or materials in different ways, to produce different results, and most of all, to accept that sometimes the results are not what you hoped.

I believe and I teach that mistakes are teachers too. We learn what we might do better. We discover that even work we do not like can include one square inch that is just right. And, sometimes, we put the trash bin to use. (Or, we recycle unsuccessful work into something new.) And we recognize that by doing things many times, by practicing and building skills, the quality of our work and our ideas improves.

The image on this page is from my vast series of sea and sky pics. Taking large quantities of photos absolutely results in several of good quality. Also, the wide open sky and sea speak to me of endless possibilities, and I like it.

P is for Playing with Possibilities

A student mentioned that she had learned about an artist, Gabriele Munter, at school. I was unfamiliar with the artist, so I looked her up - (what would I do without the internet.) She paints florals, faces and landscapes with lots of color, flat plane and an abstract feel. I describe my own work in the same way. I especially liked her florals because mine are so similar in style and feel.

So, I decided to try to copy one of her paintings, but instead of paint, I used Caran D'ache on watercolor paper. I liked the arrangement of her flowers, but I changed up the leaves.

I had a few thoughts in mind for this drawing - one - this would be a great way to introduce some color blending techniques to my students. The flowers are colored in different ways - some are rings that are blended, others layers of color that are also blended to create both new colors and some pattern .

Also, I have been playing with wetting my Caran D'ache drawings and creating "prints" on rice paper - this as an idea for fabric design to use in my Art of Fashion class.

I played all day - ending up with a delecate rice paper print, a full scale painting, digital prints with different color backgrounds, and a really satisfied feeling. I had fun, and I have enough ideas stored up for my entire week of teaching.

K is for Kitchen Art

Kitchen art, for me, usually refers to a bowl of fruit or teapots or other cozy images that suit my favorite room. This piece may work in someone's kitchen, but it was created in mine.

One of the techniques I revisit from time to time is monotype printing. I have modified the more traditional approaches I have learned in classes and books to meet the needs of my senior students. It is so easy and so fun that I do it for myself whenever the urge hits.

But, because this method involves water, and soaked paper and spoons and a rolling pin (!) I find I do this best in my kitchen on the big counter under the lights.

This piece began as a drawing in caran d'ache neocolor watersoluble crayons on acetate. It is printed on wet cotton paper 9x12.

 It is always interesting to discover which details transfer over, which ones get lost, and how the changes effect the overall piece.

Z is for craZy Turkey

The kids in my kids' classes this week were all about making art for Thanksgiving. They all seemed to want to make something to bring home and share with the family. Great idea.

I needed a project idea. I thought about doing a cornucopia, but somehow I wandered off to look at illustrations and photos of turkeys. This was where I found inspiration for my lesson of the week.

In my senior class last week, we had great success with patterning (snakes), not to mention that I am on a patterning tear in my own artwork. The other day I drew a big turkey on 14x17 drawing paper and let him sit on my table. I had no idea what it would become, until today, thinking about how creative my kids were, and planning for seniors tomorrow, I started to pattern, first drawing words and then filling the spaces with markers.

Since I am up to Z in my alphabet, there are many z's worked into the pattern, and a few notes on our family Thanksgiving - hiding in the feathers. As I was coloring, a name appeared - that both describes my bird and fits by blog post.

This is craZy turkey and she wishes you a great holiday.

I brought my drawing into Photoshop to smooth out the marker lines, ended up adding a filter. I love the results -

L is for Lucky Me

Sometimes, when the art work is going well, I feel lucky. Lucky to have the time, resources and ability to spend making art. This last run of word/picture drawings is one of those times. I feel like I've stumbled into something new, challenging, mysterious and interesting.

 

Today's piece is the next step in working on yesterday's image. I used Photoshop for the color. What fun!

 

 

I is for .... I

Initially my idea was to brainstorm possibilities for the letter I, but as I began to think, I pulled a sheet of drawing paper from a pad and wrote a large letter I in the center. Then I began to write the I words that were occurring to me, using the words to create the pattern.

This is not a new approach to drawing for me. I first found this in the work of Paul Klee, and have used this idea with my seniors to create a really beautiful project that told their stories in shapes and color based on their names and the things they value. But this was different.

As soon as I began to work with the shapes created by the words (all begin with I and are related to creativity), I changed course and started to add lines. The lines suggested a scene. I cropped out part of the image and began to add color using Prismacolor markers - thick and thin.

I loved the results, but was still inspired to go further, so I photographed this and brought it into Photoshop to continue playing. This is the result - words into picture. Get the idea?

C is for Creativity

Redhead

Creativity is about the process not the outcome.

This is what I tell my students (many of whom complain that their work is "no good") at least twice a day.

Since my art students cover a rather broad range of ages (5 -101) and abilities, some of my creative energy needs to be directed at finding projects that allow each student to feel successful, and to create something that they see as beautiful.

One of the challenges with my 'senior class" is that many of these older women insist on making things the 'right way." This means brown tree trunks, green leaves, red apples, blue skies. Nothing I say seems to give them the permission they need to try a  green sun in a pink sky. So, sometimes, just to shake things up, I present a project that is not supposed to look real.

One way I inspire these lessons is by presenting the work of a favorite artist. (If a real artist can do it like this, maybe it's alright.) I love the work of Paul Klee. Showing his work is a way to begin to get the point across that things that are not realistic can be beautiful and interesting.

One of the many inspirations that I get from Klee's work is the idea of "taking a line for a walk." I have done many drawings in this way. The more comfortable I become with this style of drawing, the more I trust the outcomes. For some reason, when I use this method to draw faces, they always seem to be better proportioned, have more expression, and open the way for more creative use of color than any other method I use in my teaching. I taught an entire summer workshop using this method and the students' results got better and more beautiful and fun every day.

So, here is an example of one of my One Line Faces, enhanced with straight lines when the face/head/figure is complete. The color is Caran D'ache and I have added a little digital oomph in the background.  This is 9x12" on watercolor paper.

This brings me to a question. Do any of you teach art? Does anyone work with Senior Citizens? I would like to know how others teach senior artists.  Please post to the comments.  Thanks

Dd is for Done and Done and some Digital too

We've made it to the final day of the Challenge Month. November is almost done and December is just ahead with all the busyness, bother and pleasures it is sure to bring. So, I am glad that I have completed this task, but I will miss the daily-ness of thinking, planning, writing and creating.

Though I worried about my ability to fulfill my personal challenge of using the alphabet to structure my month's work, I find that I  have once again learned a great deal about my art, process and need for structure by doing things in this way. I still find that using the alphabet to organize my posts results in creative ideas - I don't fight myself, just let the words and themes appear. Then something always works out.

Today's piece combines monotype printing and some interesting digital tweaks. I won't share the process - just the results.  Thanks to all of you who have been following my work, and especially for the comments and connections. I am grateful to you all. Till next November ...

Y is for Yellow

Red used to be my favorite color for my paintings. Cadmium red medium to be precise. But that is so yesterday. Today, I am in love with yellow - cadmium yellow is my new favorite. I buy it in the extra large tubes. I especially love the shades that I get when I add white to the mix. Pure sunshine.

Today's painting was done in my Dynamic Abstract class. The assignment involved a set of complicated instructions - including standing outside holding a flower in the sun to create a shadow and sketching that shape - repeating it, adding a prescribed number of lines and circles, and limiting to only one color with black and white. Lots of fun to do. Art projects may be the only time in my life where I enjoy being told what to do :-)

This is "18x"24, acrylic on canvas.

Q is for Quit: Knowing When To ...

Is it done yet? Do I need to do more? This is constant question, both for myself and my students.

When I am asked in a class, I sagely suggest that my students become "a wise cabbage" - one who knows enough to quit while he or she is a head. They all get the idea ... but the question remains. How do you know when it is time to put down the brush or the marker and just call it DONE?

In my classes I tend to see students go in one of two ways - tread too lightly and never really get into the piece for fear of going too far. Or, endlessly add layers of color and lines until the image turns into mud. I wish I knew the answer, how to identify that magic moment when we have done enough - but not too much to bring our ideas from our mind to the page or canvas.

How do you know? Do you have a clue you can share?

The example on the page is a combination of water color paint, sharpie marker and caran d'ache. It was begun outdoors on vacation - a chance to play with color and my travel art kit. I  worked on it for a several hours, and suddenly, I knew I was done. I wish I could tell you how I knew - but I felt without a doubt ... it was time to quit.

P is for Postal

This summer I took a MOOC Massive Open Online Course - through Coursera.

According to Wikipedia a MOOC is a massive open online course aimed at unlimited participation and open access via the web. In addition to traditional course materials such as videos, readings and problem sets, MOOCs provide interactive user forums that help build a community for the students, professors, and teaching assistants (TAs). MOOCs are a recent development in distance education.

The course I took this summer was called Introduction to Art, and as I mentioned earlier, though I am not a beginner, I found a great deal to learn in the unique lessons and projects. One of my favorites focused on the history and development of Mail Art.

Our assignment was titled Correspondence with Memory, and asked us to create the inner and outer art to convey a message sent by mail.

We were actually supposed to design an envelope and interior message, but somehow I came up with a two sided postcard, that really invoked a memory and all the emotions that accompanied it. 

Thinking of a letter or postcard also brought words (and puns) into the mix. These are the results - they are collaged from numerous publications and places, truly a gathering of ideas to send.

O is for Once in a While - Collage

Every once in a while, often in a class, I am introduced to a totally new technique. Last spring, in a class on creativity, the assignment was to work with torn paper to create a collaged image - color optional.

I actually did this assignment three times. I addition to these sunflowers, I did a face and an abstract.

For inspiration, I found a large and very old sheet of thick cottony paper in my stash. This had had been lightly drawn on long ago, and was not nice enough to use for any other project.

Though I knew any paper might be used to interesting effect, this thick and heavy stuff promised a good result because it tore into rough soft edges which allowed me to fit them, like a mosaic into a drawing on canvas.

This was the ultimate in sticky finger projects, but by using gel medium, applied with a paint brush in thin layers, I soon discovered that I could both fit and layer the tiny paper pieces to create both shape and texture. I also chose to add some color into the background that would show through.

This was painstaking and tedious work, but I just loved listening to music and playing around to build each work. It is unlike my other work, and therefore a fun thing to do, once in a while.

18"x24" on canvas

J is for Jumping In (to something new)

Two new things have appeared in my art life this week. The first, I have already mentioned. I am taking a class in Monotype printing.

All of the new things I am learning here has been eye-opening. Thinking about printing is helping me see an entirely new way to create images.

Though we work in oil-based inks and use a press to create work in class, I had heard rumors about using watercolors to create beautiful images as well. I am interested in learning to do this because I think any of my students would find this a great way to work.

Then, some new materials appeared in the studio where I teach my kid classes. Little tubes of gouache. I have little experience with this medium, and my lovely program director suggested I take some home to experiment so that my students can get the most out of these beautiful paints. Also, and purely by serendipity, a sheet of Plexiglas appeared on my work table at home.

I asked Google "How to create monotypes with watercolor?" Google responded with several excellent UTube videos. It was clear I had everything I needed, from the all cotton paper that I would need to soak, to the high quality paints, and an abundance of  fun images to work from. I chose this cat because of the clearly defined areas I drew into the original pattern, and I like the contrast of colors.

This image (my first try) is created in gouache on Plexiglas, and printed onto Arches paper. I can see lots of possibilities for this method, and plan to revisit the "ghost" (the image that is still on the plate) and see what that will allow me to do.

B is for Background

One of my greatest challenges is deciding how to begin a painting. Sometimes its easy - I start with an idea,  a line or a patch of color, and just go. Other times I struggle to find my direction. Lately, I find that building on a background can create good results and allow me to really let my love of color take center stage.

This approach started a while ago when I found an early canvas in my collection of "not suitable for seeing" stash. There were lots of great colors, but the image seemed beyond help. As I looked at the work, I realized that the oripalette of strong hot colors just called out for some cools to balance - and I began to paint over it.

The painting that resulted has become a favorite, and I have used this method - either by painting a new background, or overpainting something else has had good effect several times. In fact, each of the paintings I have in the Instructors Show at Multnomah Art Center were painted in this way. I like knowing that I that the painting on top is hiding another story, and letting just little bits of the past influence the present.

By starting on a painted background in this way, it is easy to select a limited palette, and all that lies beneath offers a subtle texture to the finished work.

Each of these painting is 18x24 acrylic on canvas.

A is for Art Everyday for a Month 2013

Its November again.  This means miserable weather and great holidays, and the start of yet another Art Everyday for a Month challenge.

This will be my fourth year taking part in a challenge that forces me to not only create everyday, but to put my work out there for the world to see and comment about. It is also  a great way to meet other artists, see and be inspired by their art and learn from their ideas and their struggles.

Looking back over the work and words I have posted on this blog over the last three challenges. I can see the progress I have made as an artist, enjoy the variety of materials and subjects that hold my interest or fade away, revisit my thoughts, ideas, struggles and adventures, and I can enjoy the comments made by others.

Looking to the future (or at least the next thirty days), I am excited to share some of the things I have been working on this year.  Some of what I will share will be generated in the process of preparing lessons for the classes I teach. And, there will be some brand new stuff coming out of the Monotype printing class I just began and which I will surely write more about. Printing is a totally new art form for me, and I am excited to be learning something new. After just one class, I can see fabulous applications of new techniques to my paintings and drawings.

So, lots to look forward to, and lots to do. Tonight, I will be attending the opening of the newly renovated Multnomah Arts Center Gallery. (Read all about it here. Please stop by the gallery for the opening celebrations tonight, or anytime - it is beautiful.) I have three paintings in the Instructors' Show, and am looking forward to a great evening, meeting other instructors, seeing their work, and having my picture taken in front of my paintings to share with you :-) 

Also, I will be offering a Fashion Art class for teens in January. I need to polish my sketching skills in preparation for that.

This cat painting is one of series I have been working on for months. The idea of drawing abstract cats started as an idea for students, and has resulted in dozens of great images done by kids and seniors. I have also "made cats" with friends and for friends. This patterned cat, 12 x18 on watercolor paper, is done with caran d'ache water-soluble crayons and water. I think this one is wishing you a slightly belated Happy Halloween