Art Lesson of the Week

Year 6 - charcoal

A new technique for year 6. They thoroughly enjoyed this. This was the first time they had used charcoal. I had the pencils in my room but I brought the willow charcoal along, the stuff that I used as a schoolgirl and loved it. I remember the feeling it gave me, I felt like a proper artist, using a proper tool, so I wanted and hoped they would feel the same too.

We had made clay masks based on our Maori designs we had been working on. As far as the charcoal was concerned we focused on building up the picture by tone - light, mid and dark - rather than drawing an outline and filling it in. This was a challenge for most but they did really well when it clicked what they were looking for.

I will miss this class. They embrace every technique, they try everything, they ask questions, they put their own style on the technique. They want to be there in my lesson and I love seeing them working! 

This Week's Pin

This would satisfy the ditsy 'Darling, we need to talk about the...oooh, shiny!' side to me. Love this, soooooo pretty. 

And distracting.

And sparkly.

And twinkly....

Find it here: http://pinterest.com/pin/24136547975957556/

Art Lesson of the Week 1

It’s our first week back after the Easter break, a short week, but no less fun! And no better time to start (better late than never) to highlight my fave lessons.

I thought I had already decided on which lesson would be made my favourite before the week was done…but I’ve now learned to not think it’s not over until it’s over. So I’m actually going to highlight two lessons from this week that I saw the kids loved and I also loved too, both for different reasons.

a) Year 4 - Grecian Vases

We looked at the different vases that the Greeks used and talked about the different uses as well as the designs. Some designs highlighted what the purpose of the vase was, some were just decorative and often represented everyday life. We talked about the patterns that were typical of the style. We went to our sketchbooks and planned our own design for our vases. The first year 4 class had the issue of technology fail so I couldn’t show them the pictures in order to compare designs so we went by books, albeit a rather limited number in the class but enough to inspire. This year 4 class tended to focus on pattern and missed the point that many vases depicted scenes from daily life.

I had several templates of three particular vase designs. The children drew around the vase and then filled in the shape with oil pastels. We talked about the difference between oil and chalk pastels and so those who picked up a chalk pastel and worked with it by mistake could tell which it was. They filled in the shape with heavy pastel so that the paint would slip on to it.

I’ve chosen this lesson as a favourite because of the way it evolved during the hour. My original plan was to allow the paint to dry and next week scrape away at it to reveal the colour beneath. But as I demonstrated it it suddenly occurred to me to scrape the paint whilst wet. And it worked brilliantly, as long as the colour underneath was thick and bright, the paint would scrape off it and not lose any of the oil pastel. It was a lot more vibrant. I demonstrated what would happen if it was dry and we all agreed it was a lot better. We ended up as a result finishing the activity in one lesson.

It’s worth making sure that the children lay the crayon/pastel on thick…I showed what would happen if we just shaded gently…the crayon would have been scraped off with the paint and would just leave the paper showing. I just used black ready mixed tempera paint.

This lesson was one that reminded me again why I really like teaching art, it doesn’t have to be prescriptive..as long as the curriculum is followed with the success criteria being met in an evolving lesson then great! I think this is a good lesson for the kids in itself so the children can see how thoughts and plans in art can be developed.

2) Year 6 - Pablo Picasso’s Guernica

This simply was a gobsmacking lesson.

I revelled in the developing thoughts and ideas coming from the 10/11 year olds as we went through the lesson. We started off with a good old PowerPoint on Picasso. I shared my personal opinion of the man; that I think he was a lovely, charming, funny, deepy thoughtful man yet his art does not appeal to me. I went to his exhibition at the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art in Edinburgh last summer. A great insight in to his life as well as his main works.

The aim today really was to introduce them to the skill of art critiquing, for them to express and justify their thoughts, feelings, likes and dislikes and ultimately aim to offer interpretations (expected to be basic at this stage). I then showed them Guernica – with no background information - and left them with it for 5 minutes to discuss.
Random, chaotic, dull, boring, weird, creepy were the standard and expected responses. A few of the girls were on the right track, suggesting the symbols that may represent war or death.

I then proceeded to tell them the background of Guernica. They had already been studying World War 2 so the vocabulary of battle, Fascists, Communists, And then the floodgates opened! This had obviously sparked the interest of one boy (E) who always had a suggestion or a question at every stage.

I wanted them to share ideas in groups about the painting, creating spidergrams. They were to think about the following questions: why did Picasso paint this in black and white? What was Picasso’s point in painting this? Why abstracted? How does Picasso portray the innocence of the suffering people? (this one was a corker – some great ideas!)

I finished off by showing them Picasso’s weeping woman and we discussed why he could have painted this. This raised some conversation as to why he painted in colour, namely green and blue yet he was painting his interpretation of a sombre event, a mother crying over her son’s dead body. I left them with that query, why colour in this one yet black and white in Guernica. It was interesting trying to get the point across that Picasso was expressing his mood about the battle and the death of innocent people.


I'm really looking forward to the lesson this week and hearing E's research. He has done some full-on homework on it by all accounts!

Topomax and Me...it begins.

Tonight I start taking my prescribed Topomax.

I am not looking forward to this having read about the horrid side effects...memory loss (like I can afford to lose any as it is) and hair loss (ditto) amongst others. I have a history of kidney stones and these could be a side effect too. The pharmacist mentioned I may need to keep an eye on liver function.

I actually said to hubby that I really did not want to take them. But he reminded me just how low I've been and that I've been at my wits end this last week. I can but try. I really hope it doesn't affect my teaching.

This Week's Pin

I'm in the mood for two for one it seems. Two pins today, one arty and one that's just funny!

The driftwood art is by Valeriane Leblond, a Wales based artist. She paints on wood. I think it's beautiful, so organic and textural.

The bra one is just hilarious, I think I've found a decent bra once every ten years. And then when I do, it's worn to death and loses its prettiness! I can't have everything it seems!

Enjoy!

My Curse

Migraines have been ruling my life again this last week. I had one on holiday and then exactly a week later they came flooding back. I had 9 auras in 3 days and one persistent headache. I have no idea why they've come on but it is flooring me. I've come to the conclusion they are hormonal as I have no other clue as to trigger factors. I was drinking coffee for months until recently (enough time has passed for it to be out of my system so withdrawal isn't a factor I think).

I think possibly it could be a build-up of toxins that eventually overwhelm my system and then come out as migraine.

But what I am struggling with is the aura. These days I feel I can handle the headache and get on with life but when I cannot see, when I hallucinate, or when things appear closer or larger than they are, life just has to stop.

I actually felt the lowest I have in some time. I had to pull over on the highway before I got to the appointment I was heading to because I became so overwhelmed with a horrible feeling of depression. I found myself wanting to just disappear...I couldn't even cope with conversations with family members or managing daily tasks and basics.

I managed to get to my facial appointment on Sunday with lovely Ann. I did however, had an aura when I got to the car park. Stress perhaps? Luckily I was early so I sat it out in the car. But then I had to go on eventually up to Tips and Toes in sunglasses and explain. She understood straight away and saw that I had been crying. She explained after that she has this type of migraine too and shared how she deals with it. I will definitely go back to her each month. She made me feel a lot better and maybe that's what I need each month.

On leaving I thought that had to be it. But no another one...sat in the car....thought I was ok...another one as I drive off. Hubby had to come and rescue me. That's what brought me down again, the lack of ability to function properly. They seemed to escalate and eventually stop.

So now they seem to have stopped (none for 48 hours) I am embarking on an action plan:

* neurologist at my local hospital has prescribed me Topomax and Imigran. Was kinda hoping he'd help me figure out why I'm getting them. Didn't have a great deal of faith in him especially when he smirked and shook his head at me when I asked what Topomax would do...!
* headache centre at Muscat Private
* kinesiology
* homeopathy
* failing all the above, I've asked my husband to shoot me.

I prefer the old fashion way...

I am getting entirely pissed off with blogging at the moment. Technology keeps fu**ing things up, losing drafts, disconnecting from the Internet. It was so much easier in the diary-writing days. And right now, I'd prefer to go back to that.

So bear with me whilst I calm down and sort this s**t out. Nothing may be published but I'm drafting things in the background.

This Month's Artist - April

Another artist that Mad Murphy has brought to my attention is Dick Frizzell, another pop artist.

He's from Hawke's Bay, New Zealand. He brings in to his work icons from Kiwi kitsch. He's described as not just a pop artist but an artist in expressionist pop. This is something I'll be reading up on as I thought the two movements were very different to each other...how has he been described as the two together...? Mass consumerism of expression and emotion?

I always seem to be drawn to pop art yet not sure if I would ever have any on display in my home (maybe the Mickey to Tiki in the middle!) Yet when I paint or draw it’s never in any realist or impressionistic style, it’s always colour, full of pattern, abstract maybe (just read a definition of abstract art: free-hand jazz!). I think Rothko, Klimt and Kadinsky are my inspirations as far as abstract is concerned. I turn to Kahlo for colour. Richard Todd is another artist I like the look of. Maybe he'll feature soon in the monthly artist section.