Artist of the Month - July

Bloody hell, another intriguing artist I've got myself wrapped up in!

 

This month it is Tamara de Lempicka.

 

 

I had been grabbed by her Auto-Portrait (Tamara in the Green Bugatti) a few months back. I found the picture at a time that I was searching for 1920s inspiration for a themed ball we were going to. I became hooked on the style and was mesmerised by other images from that time.

 

It is just an instant dash of art-deco, it epitomises the era. Angular, geometric, modern and stylised yet she still has the sultry eyes, the bobbed, finger waved hair…

The BBC design website gives a great synopsis of the style, happenings, people etc of the time.

The reason that I decided on de Lempicka was that during the staff bonding trip to Dubai at the start of the month, in Neos bar, 63 stories up, was Tamara in the Green Bugatti. I didn’t see her until we left. So when I saw it in my new favourite bar in Dubai and recognised it, I was stopped in my tracks! It was the wrong way round admittedly but it made me squeal! I realised how much I like the picture and has got me looking at her life and other work.

 She was born into wealth and bourgeoisie, a lawyer father and a famous socialite mother. Her actual name was Maria Gorska. At the opera at the age of 15, she cast eyes on the man she knew she would marry. And three years later she married Tadeusz Lempicki. Possibly a relationship based on dowry and wealth initially, with him being unwilling to find work after they escaped the Bolsheviks during the Russian Revolution. Nonetheless, they had a daughter, Kizette in 1916 (birth name Marie-Christine). 

 

Tamara’s reputation as a bisexual in the roaring 20s was notorious; this attitude and behaviour at this time was unheard of. She became well known for her scandalous affairs with both men and women. Many of her paintings featured this sexual energy. She was quite a flamboyant character in many respects who seemed to care more for her work and her social life. She abandoned her daughter with her mother but never lost her really, she painted with her as a subject or a likeness, consistently.

 

    

Of her mother, Kizette wrote

“She was strict with others but she was also strict with herself. One was not allowed to be tired, one was not allowed to put off for tomorrow."

Tamara eventually married Baron Raoul Kuffner after she became his mistress. Through him she regained her place in high society and maintained her social life and her high-standing commissions.

I personally think she was a dynamic and strong woman, to the point of selfish maybe…?  I am drawn to her art every time, it’s haunting yet dreamlike and holds my deeper attention for longer than most other pieces. She has a distinctive and elegant style and as I’ve said, it holds the style, glamour, the sultriness of the art deco period for me.

 

Sources
http://www.tamara-de-lempicka.org/biography.html
http://www.tamara-de-lempicka.com/
http://www.delempicka.org/tamaras-life/biography.html
http://theartsyladies.wordpress.com/2012/01/19/tamara-de-lempicka/
http://www.bbc.co.uk/homes/design/period_artdeco.shtml
http://www.ohparasite.com/2011/11/dead-artists-society-tamara-de-lempicka.html
 

Lesson of the Week Part 2

This week we started to paint the sculptures. I gave the children the freedom. They could pick a theme and showed them plenty of pictures and examples for inspiration. I made one alongside them so I'll give it a go too. I think I'm going for some lovely blues and my favourites henna inspired swirly design somewhere. Anyway, more importantly, here are some of the kids'. work... 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I'd love to have the free mind of a child again, no restrictions, no hindrances...these are just brilliant. Their own styles coming into play in year 6 ready for big school.
As Picasso said.... 

I shall miss this year 6 greatly.

Lesson of the week Part 1

I have been hanging on to do this with year 6 ALL term...I was so excited and kept promising them we'd end the term with something so cool. I made sure I kept it secret. Then I'd let little things out, possibly because I couldn't contain my excitement! I only said we were doing sculpture. This conjures up wonderful images of clay and bronze and chisels and hammers...but this was a little different...certainly a lot more accessible!
This was the wire hanger and 'pantyhose' (because I'm British I'm going to call it popsock from hereon in if you don't mind!) sculpture I'd seen on Pinterest (I <3 you) and a Google check for more instructions.

It took a LOT of prep but prep I could cope with compared to papier mache prep...ugh...

Resources:

• Enough wire coat hangers. Ask your friendly ICT teacher for his spare dry cleaning hangers
• Wooden blocks cut from some old 3x5 timber we had (it was actually from our camp fire stockpile but mum's the word...). Another option next year would be to stick the wire hanger ends into a lump of clay and mould that as a base and maybe incorporate that into the sculpture
• Cheapy popsocks. Don't go and get a pair for each child, get to the cash desk before you realise you only need one sock per child's sculpture and therefore half the number of boxes you picked up and have to put 13 pairs of pop socks back on the shelf (Advice: do this early in the morning to avoid too many funny looks)
• Base covering. Some sites suggest just white paint (likely to crack when dry especially when painted over), other's suggested spray paint (wouldn't want the smell even outside and lingering inside especially in a bulk amount of sculptures), I went for the gesso option but it is a fortune in the local art shop, for a class-worth anyway. So I made my own. I'll be posting on that next. Really glad I made it!

This is what I did. Any amendment or suggestion to better the method please throw it my way please!

Step 1 - The Frame (needs to be done days in advance for the glue to dry)

• Drill the holes in the block
• Untwist the hangers. Grab your long-suffering partner to help. Taking off the hook is an option or you could straighten it out. As long as the ends are straight to go into the drilled holes
• Fill the holes with wood glue or contact cement (that suits all materials)
• Stick in the hanger ends as far as possible and leave to dry

Step 2 - The Gesso. I made this the night before.

Step 3 - Unpack the Popsocks to save time!

Step 4 - Surprise the kids - Day of the Project. ExciiiiiiitIIIING! Even more so because this was an extra art session I had arranged with Mrs. C and we agreed to make it a surprise. I know, who said art should be fun...

Step 5 - Mould the wire frame. Encourage small, gentle movements, maybe in opposing forces and directions. Think about forward and backward movement rather than a flat plane.

Step 6 - Pop sock time. Stretch the sock over pulling down  from what would be the toe so there are no baggy, saggy bits. I got them to put the band around the block of wood so there was still a flat stable surface underneath.

Step 7 - A few tweaks to bend the frame a bit more where they needed it. They realised here that the sock will not always follow the line of the wire and may stretch from one point to another.

Step 8 - Time to coat. The room was filled with the gorgeous smell of baby powder! What a beautiful, emulsive , gloopy mixture. They worked on covering their sculpture, layering it up rather than one thick layer, keeping the layers even, covering the texture of the sock.

Step 9 - Leave to dry.

Gesso

ges·so  jeh/soh      n. pl. ges·soes 1. A preparation of plaster of Paris and glue used as a base for low relief or as a surface for painting. 2. A surface of gesso. [Italian, from Latin gypsum, gypsum; see gypsum.] gessoed adj. From thefreedictionary.com

I found the need for gesso in a recent lesson of the week for year 6, in which we made sculptures from wire hangers and pop socks (find the first of the two posts here).

I love the time that I have now to spend on art not only for my own satisfaction but also I can put in the time and research for the lessons at school. Probably effort above and beyond the call of duty but I love to give the children the best. At risk of burning myself out at times but as long as I gave my best! And so I did some research in gesso and found it is easy enough to make my own, rather than paying the expense of premade small pots of which I would need many for a class.

So....the following info was really helpful for me in explaining to the class what gesso was and why we were using it. It is from art-is-fun.com.

What is gesso?

Gesso is an important art supply to get your canvas ready for painting. You can buy gesso readymade from any art supply shop. Gesso is very similar to white acrylic paint, only thinner. It dries hard, making the surface more stiff. Gesso prepares (or "primes") the surface for painting, making the surface slightly textured and ready to accept acrylic paint. Without gesso, the paint would soak into the weave of the canvas.

The word gesso is a noun, but many artists also use it as a verb. For example: "You need to gesso your canvas before you paint."

The beauty of gesso is that you can apply it to nearly any surface, and then you can paint on that surface with acrylic paint. For example, you can apply a layer or two of gesso to vinyl records, rubber duckies, or cigar boxes, and voila - you can now paint on that object with acrylics! What fun. The possibilities are endless!

Different types of gesso

Gesso is traditionally white, but nowadays you can also buy black, clear  gesso and colored gesso readymade. You can also tint your gesso to make any color you want. Just mix a little acrylic paint to the gesso, and you've got some tinted gesso!

There are two different grades of gesso: Artist grade and Student grade. The difference between the two amounts to the different ratios of pigment vs. filler. The Student grade is cheaper because it contains more filler than the Artist grade. Artist grade has more pigment than Student grade, making it thicker and more opaque. These differences are reflected in the price, and also in the quality. Student grade is usually available only in white, but as mentioned earlier, you can add acrylic paint to the gesso to make it more pigmented.

The consistency and texture of gesso will vary from brand to brand. Some are more liquidy and others are more thick. Some apply more smoothly and others leave a more textured, toothy surface. You'll have to experiment with different brands to find the one you like best. Liquitex Super Heavy Gesso is great for applying sculptural effects to the canvas with a brush or palette knife.

Gesso comes in both squeeze bottle form and in large tubs or jars. With the squeeze bottles, you can squeeze the gesso right onto canvas and then smooth it out with a brush. You can also pour some onto your palette first if you want to mix the gesso with paint or water. If your gesso comes in a jar, you can stick your paintbrush right into the jar and apply it to the canvas.

Gesso is also available as a spray. What is gesso spray? You shake the can and spray the gesso directly onto your canvas, with no need for a brush.

This is a great website I've discovered that gave me this me this insight: http://www.art-is-fun.com/what-is-gesso.html#ixzz2VdIdhEye

So I searched for recipes and it seemed to be quite straightforward. What is coming up is probably the best recipe I found. I work better by recipes and quantities. Even in the kitchen cooking, I feel everso slightly out of control if nothing is mentioned precisely so I've made it into quantities. Probably why I was a heap when it came to papier mâché recently (still summoning up the effort to post about THAT lesson prep!).

This one I used as a basis, as it sounds like they did from where they found the recipe from. The recipe was from A.J.'s Art and Designs who in turn found their recipe from Joan of Art.

MY Resources

* 2 x 120 ml glue pots (I had run out of the big container glue!)

* 1 x 120 ml water

* 1 x 500 ml baby powder

* white tempera paint

I made two batches and this was enough for a class of 22 with some spare. I did put quite a lot of white paint in to bulk it out as I think each batch would only make a 750ml paint-bottle worth.

I amended A.J.'s recipe as the glue was quite thick. I put it back to her 3 parts water. It mixed to a stodge at first so I added another 120ml glue container of water and that was just right. I added white tempera paint as required.

Oh, it smelled LUSH!!

Artist of the Month - June

So this month's artist is a lesser well known one relatively speaking, compared to the few I've looked at so far. She is a contemporary from Cambridge in Britain and her work is shown and represented on the Saatchi Online Gallery.

 

It was this piece that grabbed me. Anything involving crashing waves and rollers will always have my attention and so I thought I'd find out more of the artist behind the work.

Siren song: http://pinterest.com/pin/24136547975969850/

 

Her name is Lia Melia.

 

I love what her teacher taught her;

"no matter how technically good an artist is, if they do not paint from the heart and soul, they said nothing". (http://www.saatchionline.com/LiaMelia)

(I'm worried about how much I'm being a perfectionist in my own work...I'm worried now that it will stifle my creativity...maybe if I remember Lia and her teacher then I should try and loosen up and relax!).

Lia goes on to say in her profile,

"My medium is unique, developed over many years. I use powder pigments and solvents and bake them onto aluminium,(mainly for speed of drying)or, occasionally, glass. I use fluid mixes which need high levels of control; for more figurative work I thicken the medium, which makes it easier to work. I love experimenting. (http://www.saatchionline.com/LiaMelia

Her other work is varied different, several series of pictures. I like her variety.

 

Pin of the Week

I fancy doing this myself over the summer or maybe setting a modified one for the children. There must be a kid-friendly version online...next research!

Find it here: http://pinterest.com/pin/24136547975947893/

Well...that could have gone better.

My evening:

* The neurologist denies any link between Topamax and kidney stones despite it being disseminated through the medical information on the leaflet in the medication box. But was kind enough to refer me for an ultrasound.

* I have a kidney stone. I knew it. I've been aching for days It's only 3.6mm. My last one was 1.8cm.

* The first hospital pharmacy don't have my prescription. But Scientific pharmacy in al Khoud should do and will honour my insurance.

* Finally found it but it is shut as its prayer time. Wait 20 minutes. They don't have it. Badr al Samaa do and should honour my insurance.

* Starting to get twitchy now. My battery is very low. GPS and 3G is not working. I get lost.  Majorly lost. Never been to Maballeh. At least it was the right end of town.

* Strangely and bizarrely and somehow will never know how, I pop out next to the road that leads to Badr al Samaa, so I make my way there.

* The Pharmacy assistant looks at my forms. Talks to his colleague. I need a doctor's stamp and a hospital stamp actually on the insurance form. I've been in and out of hospital these last few months and in and out of pharmacies and have never been asked for a stamp on that form.

* For the first time in my adult life, as far as I can remember, I make a scene. I raise my voice. I shout. I recount my whole evening to the poor assistant (although at that moment in time he is not poor in my eyes; he is doing this on purpose to tease this expat woman and wind me up). I snatch the form from his hand, wordless, and storm from the pharmacy. I even manage to slam the door open on my way out. I am seething. I am sobbing.

* At least I am not lost now but I still sob all the way home. Angry and embarrassed.

* I manage to calm myself down. I am concerned that I may not get the medication for some time, I don't want to be off it, for it to come out of my system and for me to have to go through the struggle of getting used to it again.

Next morning:

* Form stamped by Starcare.

* Enough time to get to Badr al Samaa before work. And chances are the staff last night won't be on shift.

* Two lovely ladies are behind the counter. Yes. I can avoid further embarrassment.

* I have to get get my file number from the front desk before she can do anything. Oh FFS.

* But I manage to avoid the queues and nip to the billing man and he kindly helps me.

* Back to the pharmacy. A voice on my left.."So you went back to the hospital last night then to get the stamp?" O. M. G. At least it's just one of the staff from last night.

* No, of course it's not. This is me you're reading about. I walk in and number one who spoke to me goes and joins his two colleagues behind the counter so all three of them are standing there. I apologise profusely and I'm not sure but the one I spoke to last night either does not speak a lot of English or he really is pissed off with me.

* The lady gives me my prescription and I'm done. I give a final big apologetic smile as I leave and he stands up and returns it.

I think I'm OK now. Really, was all that necessary....? 

Mantra for last night should have been 'This too shall pass'.

Much like my kidney stone, I hope.