Art To See in Massachusetts

Sol LeWitt exhibit at Mass MOCA

I recently visited Mass MOCA and The Clark Institute while attending the Massachusetts Art Education Conference in North Adams, MA.

We are lucky to have so many wonderful museums close by. Go for a visit and be inspired to make your own art!

Happy New School Year!

Here is a little bit of the Art work that has been coming out of classes this Fall.

Hi Everyone,

This year, first semester, I am teaching Art III, Foundations, Clay I, and Art I. There is a page here for each of those courses, and each page has a course overview and homework list. Hope to see you in the Art Room!

AP Summer Work - Clarification!

Jay P. sent an email seeking clarification of the many papers I gave you before school closed. Here is my response to him. I thought I would share it here in case any of you are wondering...Happy Art Making!

You are being graded on 5 total projects. 3 must be drawings (although you may draw with pencil or crayon or ink. Understand drawing here to mean not an aqueous medium, not a collage, not a digital artwork.) The other 2 can be any medium of your choice. That might mean more drawing, but it could mean any of the above-mentioned media that are "not drawing".

You should, in addition to these more completed projects, also be doodling, scribbling, thinking in your sketchbook. Though I did not it in print, your summer sketchbook will be graded along with your first sketchbook prompt in September. (I guess I thought we were all at the point where we know how valuable sketchbook is, so I didn't think I needed to be all teacher-y about how it is graded?)

The blue worksheet is not mandatory, it is simply a list of ideas in case you're out of them. There is no "large vs. small sketchbook". Work in whatever size sketchbook you have. The 5 assignments should be as close to the sizes I specified on the Summer Assignments sheet as possible.

Principles of Design

 With thanks to Ms. Chen, from whose blog I borrowed this concise listing of the Principles:

http://practicumjourney.wordpress.com/art-10-drawing-painting/principles-of-design/

Principles of Design

Principles of Design are descriptions of how artists organize the elements of art. List of the principles sometimes varies, but the main points are covered here.

Balance

shows equalizing visual forces, so no one part overpowers, or seems heavier than any other part. Visual imbalance
makes the viewer feel that the elements need to be rearranged.
Two types:

• formal (symmetrical)
• informal (asymmetrical)

Emphasis/Proportion

making one part of the work dominant over the other parts, in another word, making an element or an object stand out.

Movement/Rhythm

Rhythm refers to the way your eye moves throughout a picture. Some pictures move you throughout in a connected, flowing way much like a slow, stately rhythm in music. Other pictures move you from one place to another and give you the impression of movement.
Rhythm in art is created by the repetition of elements. Similarity of elements, or flowing, circular elements will give a more connected flowing rhythm to a picture, while jagged, or unrelated elements will create a more unsettling, dynamic picture.

Pattern/Repetition

shows repetition of an element or elements in artwork

• Random Pattern – a pattern in which the elements are repeated but in no particular way
• Fixed Pattern – a pattern in which the elements are repeated over and over again in specific way

Contrast/Variety

shows difference, for example when combining one or more elements of art to create interest by adding slight changes
Some of the most common ways of creating Contrast are by creating differences in:

• Sizes – large vs. small
• Shapes – geometric vs. organic/free form, real vs. abstract
• Values – light vs. dark
• Colors – warm vs. cool, complementary, intense vs. dull
• Textures – smooth vs. rough
• Direction – horizontal vs. vertical/diagonal/curved

Unity/Harmony

quality of wholeness, oneness or completeness that is achieved through effective use of elements and principles of art, key focus on simplicity, repetition and continuation.
Ways to Create Unity:

• Repetition - By using similar lines, colors, shapes, textures, values or forms, you can create a feeling of unity because of the similar elements being used.
• Proximity - one of the simplest ways to create unity is by grouping objects in a work of art closely together.

• Continuation - A subtle method of unifying a work of art, which involves the continuations of a line, edge or direction from one shape or area to another.

Sources: 

• https://sites.google.com/a/ripon.k12.wi.us/ripon-middle-school-art-studio/elements-and-principles-of-art
• http://www.usask.ca/education/coursework/skaalid/theory/cgdt/designtheory.htm

Claire Lamberg's
"Locks"

The Behavior of Birds - Art 1 Assignment

Art 1 Assignment
Here is a student example of a solution to the problem "The Behavior of Birds."  Each design is a response to one of the following: Feeding, Flirting, Fighting, Flying. The problem encourages students to find non-literal visual solutions using the elements and principles of design. What kinds of lines, colors, shapes, balance illustrate the Behavior of Birds?