K is for Paul Klee

“Drawing is taking a line for a walk” (Paul Klee) 

These words are a mantra to me as an artist, and especially as a teacher. 

In my work, they encourage the free flow of line, willingness to let the line take the lead, and surprise (or bewilderment) at the unexpected places it takes you. 

Then there's the fun part - using other type of line to complete the design that appears. And any colors I choose. Whether painting or drawing, starting my work by "taking a line for a walk" helps me to get out of my own way.

I've encouraged Klee's approach over and over again in my classes to encourage creativity in students of any age, with any medium and any color palette.

 The results are always not only beautiful, but a surprise and pleasure to the artist who created the work.

Today's face was another nice day for a (line) walk. 

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

K is for Klee

"Paul Klee’s personal style spanned an astounding range, blending primitive art, Surrealism, Cubism, and children's art. Extremely inventive, Klee created imaginative works filled with wit and references to dreams, music, and poetry ..."

From the synchronicity department this morning, just as I was getting ready to post about one of my favorite artists, Paul Klee, the website Art.com decided to do the same. The quote about Klee is from the site, which includes this link to a full gallery of his images. 

It was because I just love looking at his work, that I had a major inspiration this summer, one that has been 'coloring' all of my art since. It all started as a search for ideas for projects to inspire my young students. Klee, with his simple forms and vibrant colors, and especially his scribble drawings is a natural way to help kids see the many ways that they can create art and beauty. So, I went to the gallery for a virtual stroll and happened upon this delightful image. My first thought

L'arrivée Du Marié, 1933 by Paul Klee

was that even a child could draw this. Then I noticed the name of the piece - which translated means The Groom Arrives. 

This is one more moment when the advice from my teacher about naming an image comes in handy - as soon as a read the name, I saw, not a bright colored scribble drawing, but an Eastern European groom from a past century (what my grandfather might have work to his wedding) -  hat, boots, pantaloons. A question floated up. "What would the bride wear?" 

The answer practically flowed from my pen as I scribbled the lady above. Not only do I love her - (she hardly feels like my own creation - just a gift from the art heavens) - but she is amazingly like the drawings I obsessively created as a young girl - girls in dresses. This drawing is sharpie marker and oil pastel on heavy textured paper.

I taught several wonderful Klee related lessons to my students this summer - with amazing results - but in this instance, it was the teacher who gained the most from this lesson. As you can see from some of my recent posts, the abstract art I am almost compelled to create has a lot of roots in Klee's work. My sketchbook overflows with scribble drawings just waiting to be painted.

So, who inspired you? In what way? Please share.

Personal Creativity Comes from Considering How to Stimulate Creative Kids

I am getting ready to teach a Young Artist's Studio over Spring Break. I want to have really fun and interesting projects to offer my students, and I want them to be grounded in the work of famous artists.

One of the things I am always struck by in my Young Rembrandt's classes, is how much young kids love to look at fine art books. Even tiny kids ooh and ahh over Monet and Salvador Dali. So, with this in mind, I've been scouring the library for art books written for young readers. I've noticed that Paul Klee, with his vibrant colors, simple shapes and imaginative images is a very popular subject for these book. I've now spent several hours looking at his work, seeking ideas for the art classroom.

My study has resulted in what I hope will be a totally lively and engaging curriculum, and it has also resulted in a spate of creative production for me. One of Klee's pictures that absolutely grabbed my attention is called, The Groom's Arrival. It is essentially a doodle of overlapping lines loaded with color - that creates the image of a man in a hat - a groom. I knew I had an idea for a lesson - but then, a question popped to mind ... What Would the Bride Wear?

This picture is my answer. WHAT FUN! She seemed to just pour out of my pen. She is colored in oil pastel (a nice medium for kids) on heavyweight drawing paper.

BLOG RECOMMENDATION One outstanding source of inspiration I have found is a blog called Art Projects for Kids . The creativity and sheer artisticness of the projects offered and described are wonderful.

For more info or to Register for my upcoming class:

REGISTER NOW for Spring Break Young Artists' Studio