Summery!

It was the end of the Summer Term and for the final session of Material Knowledge we looked back over the previous months activities and produced work incorporating some of the elements that we had learnt about; colour, tone, pattern and texture.

We had gathered lots of sheets of artwork from our explorations and used them as a resource. The images above and below have utilised pattern leftovers to create a 3D world for a central character. I like this idea, it seems that most of the time the starting point is the character and a world is built around them but instead, why not create a world or landscape first and then think about the kind of person or creature that would live there?

 

 

The landscape below was built up using textures with additions on top to bring the elements together.

 

 

Using a viewfinder, it is interesting to explore the different aspects.

 

 

As a result of attending Material Knowledge, my interest in pattern has deepened and I see it becoming increasingly incorporated into my own future work. I made the image below by selecting workshop leftovers that were in the same tonal range, cutting shapes to build up a regular repeat wave pattern and then added contrast with a bright irregular boat pattern (waves and boat images being another source of attraction for me).

 

 

It has been really useful to spend time looking at the basic elements that artists use to build up a work of art, although one key one aspect that we did not have time for is 'Line'.

 

There are many artists and sources of inspiration out there which can be used to develop a series of classes or workshops that could easily fill a whole academic year.

 

You could start by looking at examples by famous artists. Take a trip, go and look at their work for real - images in books or on the Internet cannot give you the full experience. Use a sketchbook (make a sketchbook!) and try to draw something in it every day - you could draw a visual diary, draw anything it doesn't matter, do it for a month and see what happens. Evaluate what you have produced after.

 

Matisse: The Cut-Outs, Tate Modern, 17th April - 7th September 2014.

 

Wassily Kandinski, Piet Mondrian and Henri Matisse are good examples of artists famous for their use of colour. Gustav Klimt, Yayoi Kusama and Orla Kiely being best known for their pattern creations.

 

After observing 2-4 year olds play for the past few months it has become clear that the most engaging and creative experiences we set up for them are those that use open ended resources e.g. a large tray with a selection of items - a range of objects that are different sizes, shapes, textures and colours, containers and utensils. With these they role play cooking and other games, contain objects, fill and empty containers, position objects, make decisions, count and measure, talk to each other, walk away and come back again, sustain interest for extended periods of time. With no perceived limitations they are constantly discovering something new.

 

As artists and educators we can learn from our younger role models.

 

Keep an open mind, expectation kills creativity.

 

Plan, play, create, evaluate...and the art will make itself!

 









 

Texture

 

Type in the word 'texture' into Google images and you'll get the best looking results page you've ever seen. Texture is described by Wiktionary as "the feel or shape of a surface or substance; the smoothness, roughness, softness etc. of something.

 

  

This was the subject of exploration for this Month's Material Knowledge. Ideas for activities to engage learners included:

 

* Extend August 2012's posting 'From Sheet to Form' exercise by seeing how many textures can be created from an A4 sheet of paper. Prep an A3 sheet of paper by marking out squares for the textures to be stuck onto and photocopy as many as the class requires. A large scale piece would also work well for group work and make a great display.

 

  

* Try simulating these textures and creating others in 2D.

 

  

* Use found textures to create artworks e.g. rubbings or collage/assemblage.

 

  

* Weaving - Mark out lines on card and using a craft knife, cut these lines being careful not to go too near the edge. Cut or tear strips of paper or other material and weave rows by alternating the starting point e.g. if the previous piece went under, start by going over on the next. Stick the ends in place to stop them moving around if you want. Very quickly a nice effect is built up. Of course there are many types of weaving and practical and beautiful objects that can be created. Can you see or think of any?

 

 

* For young children, making and playing with a 'feely box' is a lot of fun. Simply find a box with a lid, cut a hole large enough for curious hands to fit through and decorate. Put objects, which could be related to current themes, into the box and observe how the children respond and try to guess the object by feel alone.

 

Humans have many senses, the five standard ones being; hearing, sight, smell, taste and touch. Including as many of these as possible in a learning activity can make for an exciting and memorable experience.

 

This is particularly the case for babies and very young children. Because they are unable to process information intellectually, they do so in a more sensory way. When you see a small child put something in their mouth, they are actually thinking, they are trying to make sense of the object through how it feels and tastes.

 

 

Once again, spending 2hrs exploring a subject has opened up a whole new world of creativity and information. I highly recommend all artists and educators try and take 2hrs each month to play. Gather materials together, choose a medium or a subject and spend that time exploring as many possibilities as possible with no thoughts or concerns about the outcomes or product. Evaluate after if anything new or useful has come out of it or simply allow these ideas to percolate over time...

 

 

Julie Rafalski (www.julierafalski.com) did exactly this and after having examples of her 'From Sheet to Form' experiments on her table for a few months, found that turning her 2D work into 3D with some strategic folding complimented her work brilliantly.

 

 

 

 

 



 

 



Pattern

According to Wikipedia, a pattern "is a discernible regularity in the world or in a man-made design. As such, the elements of a pattern repeat themselves in a predictable manner." Examples include symmetry, spirals, waves, bubbles, cracks, spots and stripes.



With this statement as our starting point and equipped with a selection of mediums, the attendees of May's Material Knowledge session began to generate some pattern designs.

  

We used a variety of methods such as painting, printing, modelling, resistance effects with masking tape, sellotape or oil based crayons, string dipped in paint, scratching into layers, building layers, spirograph and photography. A useful tip when using tape that you wish to remove afterwards is to lessen the stickiness by patting your own clothes to pick up fluff before adding to your paper. 

 



 

On researching this month's subject, I came across an essay written by William Morris titled "The History of Pattern Designing."

http://www.marxists.org/archive/morris/works/1879/pattern/html

William Morris (1834-1896) was a famous textile designer, as well as being an artist, writer and libertarian socialist (which explains the slightly odd link address!). He was an admirer of originality and experimentation and praised the ancient Egyptians for possessing these qualities in his essay. The William Morris gallery in Walthamstow is in the house and grounds of his childhood home and is a great place to visit having been renovated in 2012 and named the ArtFund Museum of the Year 2013.

http://www.wmgallery.org.uk/

http://www.artfund.org

He also wrote about the strong relationship pattern design has had with architecture and craftsmanship, which in turn have been inspired by necessity and cultural identity. Historically pattern has mostly been symbolic of nature and religion e.g. the lotus scarab beetle in ancient Egypt. The oldest forms being representations of the Holy Tree or Holy Fire adorned with guardian spirits symbolising life and creation. The most prolific and long lasting is the Roman version of an Acanthus plant form.

 

 

When creating the above and below patterns, I had no previous knowledge of the history or symbolism of pattern, which doesn't matter for a free flow brain storming session, but if I were to continue exploring pattern as a theme I would definitely want to think about adding meaning to the patterns I created and develop my own visual language.

 

 

The previous two images are from the same piece of work that were physically reworked to produce different effects but the two images below are the same piece of work with the darker one being a photograph with a negative application on it and photographed further away.

 

 

 

  

The session and blog havn't even scratched the surface of this fascinating subject and could easily be cultivated into a series of works or educational workshops for all artists of all abilities and ages to enjoy.