Art Seen

Ceramics journals are due on Friday- here is a link to the assignment sheet.

The work of Ah Xian keeps popping up in journals, books and exhibitions I have encountered recently, so I decided to make him the focus of our first project in ceramics this semester.

Using a handbuilding technique described by Arthur Gonzalez in a fantastic book called, The Figure in Clay, the students have created large scale busts.   Responding to the ‘personality’ of the head they were creating, the students researched images to be carved into the surface- something that would enhance the form and create meaning.  Sophie has chosen an Islamic tile pattern to carve in to her sculpture, addressing recent controversy in France about womens’ right to wear the burqua.  Bracken has used photographs of local architecture as inspiration and Frankie created a camouflaged soldier.  Images of the works in progress can be found here.

Support work in the journals is due on February 4th.

The first pages of the journal for this semester’s topic were due this week.  I have created a new category at the top of the page called “Fabulous Journal Pages” to show some exemplars.
There are many ways to meet the criteria, but a surefire way to create a good journal page is to -

• include a heading,
• to use images (preferably drawn) as well as writing,
• to lay out the page so that the space is used effectively and creatively (for example, by breaking up the space with borders, outlines or other decorative elements)
• to make sure that all of the questions have been answered and the criteria is addressed.
• keep the decoration relevant to the topic

Here is an example of a fabulous journal page that includes all of those things. Check the tab above for more examples.

It’s all quiet in the art room and I have finally finished grading the IB journals. I have been so immersed in grading all week, that it was a shock to wake up today and realise that I am leaving for Australia tonight!  Thanks goodness it’s a half day so I still have time for some last minute shopping.

I have attached some new pages to the IB tab, with images from the students’ journals. They’re a great insight into the amount of thinking and research that supports each piece and many of the pages could be considered artworks in their own right.

Enjoy the break- I’m off to the beach! Hooray!

IB1 Studio work was due on Friday, so there has been a rush in the past week to get their work finished.  Following their postcard project, the students had to create three more artworks that extended their theme- a painting, a clay sculpture and a drypoint etching. Images of the work can be seen by clicking on the tabs above.  The kiln has been firing non stop and our hands are stained black with printmaking ink, which is near on impossible to wash off!

The printmaking process requires that you ink the plate completely, then carefully wipe it back with paper until the image emerges.  It takes some practice to know how deep to scratch and how much ink to leave on the plate. It’s a really messy process when you’re learning. Paradoxically, one of the hallmarks of a good print is perfectly clean paper, which has to be soaked in water and blotted with a towel before going through the press. Needless to say, we have been spending a lot of time scrubbing our hands at the sinks to avoid fingerprints.  Even with gloves on, it seems to sneak under fingernails.  The prints look fantastic, but I’m pleased we’re finished with this medium for a while.

I’m  so happy to have finally found an easy way to post images of the kids work! Thanks Mae for the tip. Now if you click on the tabs at the top of the page, you can link to class sets- I’ll add to them as work gets completed. It is so much easier than juggling between sites!  Hooray!!!!

This year we set the Foundations exams in the final classes before the official exam period. The students have had about 3 weeks to complete their project which is presented in the final class. The topic was Aesop’s Fables- each student had a different tale upon which to base their artwork and they researched an artist to help develop their style, composition or colour scheme. They could choose to use any of the materials we have used in previous projects this year.  Most chose to paint, but some branched out and tried new combinations. I am very pleased to say that they are of a very good standard this year!

Below are the first Foundations exams submitted and there will be more in tomorrow.  IB work is due Friday and their oral exams will be spread throughout next week.

Most of the Foundations still life paintings are now complete and are on temporary display  outside my classroom. I plan to hang them downstairs outside the main office. They are really gorgeous and show the students’ confidence handling paint to show variations in tone and light. If you click on the image you can see an enlarged version.  Not all of the paintings are complete yet, but you can see how well they are going!

There is just one week until the Foundations exam project and journal work is due.

To expand on the painting skills learnt by creating their layered trees, the Foundations students are now working on two simultaneous projects in class.  One is a large group painting that requires them to work cooperatively to copy an artwork by a Chinese artist. Each of the paintings has been influenced by or can be linked to Western artists from the nineteenth century. Each student has been delegated an artist  to research, which will be shared with the group later in the project. There are many books in the library to support their research and I encourage students to look at varied sources, not just the internet.

The second painting is an individual still life painting- although it isn’t really a ’still’ life as the fans and lanterns are tied to an air vent and keep turning! It is good to see students painting fearlessly- working in layers, changing and adapting their work as they make choices about the composition.

The individual painting, the group work, their exam project and the journal is all due in the last lesson before exams. All the details can be found on the Foundations wiki. It is going to be  a very busy month in the art room.

All the information about your journal requirements and the research tasks has been posted on this wiki page. Please make sure you do all of the sections.  Your exam tasks will also be added to this page. Check the pages carefully and ask questions if anything is not clear.