Thursday, May 03, 2007

The Artist's Formative Stage

I think it was Picasso who said that everyone is an artist and the challenge as we grow is to keep from having it trained out of us.

When I was a kid, my mom taught me to make shavings from crayons. Then we'd press them with a hot iron between sheets of wax paper so they melted into a kaleidoscope of color. After that we'd cut out stained glass window frames and put the colored creation inside. Hanging in the window with the sun shining through, our homemade stained-glass windows took our breath away.

My kindergarten teacher taught me to make a turkey by tracing my hand. Did you do that too?

What are some of your first memories about creating something?

9 comments:

rhon said...

I remember having a subsitute teacher once in kindergarden. She asked us to do a scribble. So we took our basic black crayon, drew several large crisscrossing loops and swirls, and then filled in each enclosed random shapes with different solid colors. When we turned them in she said, "No, no. You don't know how to make a scribble?" She then showed us how to fill in each little shape with concentric circles of multiple colors creating a really vibrant, energetic piece. Huh! Another way to do a scribble. Who'd thoguht?

In grade school, I was intrigued by a paint project. We where asked to bring all kinds of objects from home that we could completely cover in paint - things like empty ketchup bottles and vases

I don't remember how it was done, but red and green paint were poured into a container and swirled together but not totally mixed. The bottles were then dipped straight down into the paint and straight up to reveal a psuedo marble effect of red and green waves covering the bottle. It was like magic to me. I wanted to paint everything.

Erin said...

Kindergarten: For a unit on Japan, we dripped black paint on a sheet of white paper and then blew it around the page with a straw to make it look like bare branches. Then we twisted tiny pieces of pink tissue paper into little cherry blossoms and glued them here and there on the tree. I was fascinated that I could make something so neat looking with just my breath and a straw.

First Grade: On a field trip to the local symphony hall, we were allowed to come onto the stage and try out an instrument. My mom has a photo of me attempting to coordinate my body to keep the violin under my chin, the bow in my hand, and a warbly note straining out from the body. Music has always attracted me. (Playing instruments has always intimidated me.) I've found the guitar is not as hard as it once looked, though. ;)

Sandi, hand turkeys are a yearly tradition in my house. Did you ever make a 3-D turkey by sticking raisin and marshmallow speared toothpicks into an apple?
Edible art. So cool.

Roberta said...

Hiya! Erin, my memorable art project was so similar! I'm thinking it was 1st grade though. We took a strip (the short way) of construction paper and tore a rough edge along the length of it. Then placing the strip (matching edge to edge) on a piece of white construction paper used colored chalk, shading with the wide side of it. The strip was moved color by color down the page until there was a rough scalloped edge chalk rainbow. With that as the canvas we blew bank ink designs, branching across the pastel colors. It fascinated me. My Mom still has it framed and I intend to do this with my kids someday.

One more... :)
Third grade, sub teacher (for a few months as teacher was out on maternity leave.) We did a class play, everyone had a part, and we each created our own Papier Mache puppet characters. Mine was Mrs. Crabapple, store owner. Her body sewn from a yellow floral flannel scrap. Papier mache and paint covered the 2 styrofoam balls (head and nose). And a french braid of white yarn glued on her head (I had just learn how to french braid). It was fun and creative.
Gosh...more creative memories are flooding my mind...this is long enough though. :)
Reminds me I should be providing more creative opportunities for my own children.

I wrote a goodbye message on our group, but it came back, I think I had just missed ya. :( So I'll say good-bye here. Thanks so much to you all for the group study. I WILL finish it! And am so thankful to have a "hands-on" inspiration that could be applied to any study. Thanks again and God bless you 3.

Roberta said...

Black ink..not "bank" ink :)

aspire2 said...

What great ideas. Long entries welcome here, Roberta!

Erin said...

Roberta!
How sad to be ships passing in the night for your goodbye to the Mocha group.

I'm SO glad you decided to take me up on my journal giveaway game... which led to the Mocha on the Mount study... which led to many great insights from you... which led to many "aaaaah"s and "ohhhhhh"s from me... which hopefully leads to more of the same in the future. :)

Did you ever use Mrs. Crabapple in a class puppet show?

Roberta said...

Did you ever use Mrs. Crabapple in a class puppet show?
Yes, our whole class performed the puppet show...probably parents and family were invited, don't recall that part though. Just the fun of creating and preparing. I do LOVE puppets!

Leatherwing said...

First grade. An elementary school in Texas. We were given an arithmetic assignment printed inside an outline of a turtle (you know the ones with the weird square toes). We not only had to do the math, we had to color the turtle.
I chose a black crayon, always my favorite color. I worked very hard and stayed completely within the lines. Teacher was going to be proud.
But teacher was not proud. With the simple comment "I couldn't read it" she handed back my graded turtle, given a score of zero.
The budding mathemetician in me was crushed. His work would not be seen or regarded. The artist layed down his crayon. His best work was done.

rhon said...

Leatherwing - It's hard to know whether you were being your deviant self of you were a Pollock in the making.