Category: Arts Guild

It began back in November with our iModannari after Rothko who  thought that the greatest paintings were the ones that captured a moment of stillness. What better way to enter into the Thanksgiving season.

Rothko painted rectangles. But he blurred the edges so the shapes seem to float. the saturations of color he offers seem veiled somehow, adding to the contemplative nature of his work.

He was born at the dawn of the 20th century in Latvia and when he was ten his family emigrated to America. Later he studied painting at Yale University and then became part of "The Ten"— a group of expressionistic artists who rallied behind abstract art.

After returning from the Thanksgiving break, we didn't have the heart to white out the sidewalk patch dedicated to iModinnari, so artist-in-residence, Taylor suggested we try a mashup.

In steps El Greco—painter sculpture, architect of the Spanish Revolution. Born in crete in 1541, and trained to become a master of Byzantine style art. But, as with all legendary artists, he soon departed from that style, breaking rules to bring shape to a voice that is uniquely his own. His expressionistic, dramatic style influence the likes of Picasso, and reached into the work of Rothko.  

Are you catching the vision? Use the Rothko as the backdrop to host our interpretation of the El Greco.

The result is miraculous! Took my breath away. The students were able to capture something of the El Greco, while simultaneously letting the Rothko shine through.

Chalk pastels, a willingness to get your hands dirty, and the patience to look closely to discover how shapes and lines, and darks and lights work together to communicate an idea—that's all there is to it. You, too, can make a mashup. Step outside and give it a try. And if the weather outside is frightful, find a large piece of cardboard (the size of a refrigerator box works great), prep it with a couple coats of white tempera paint, and off you go!

 And keep Rothko in mind as you do: “Pictures must be miraculous"

Enjoy the miraculous process of making art. 

-Kim

It's December in California, so we took to the great outdoors to tackle a master class. The mentor? None other than Fra Angelico. 

Before tackling this Fra Angelico project, take a bit of advice from Leonardo: "It's easier to resist at the beginning than the end."

Even though this project looks extravagant, you will be able to resist the urge-to-resist at the beginning if you take the time to look.

Look closely at the top of the "canvas" where the profile line begins. Is it directly at the half-way mark, or closer to two-thirds? Trace the profile contour as it gently falls in a curvilinear manner toward the bottom left-hand corner.

When placing the eye, look at where it sits on the "page" in relation to the forehead and nose. How many fractional parts does the eye represent. In other words, how many eyes would fit in a line from the left-hand edge and the bridge of the nose?

What kind of curve is the eyebrow? And what kind of strokes is it made of.

Look at the color of the lips. Notice how the color is used to warm the cheeks with a soft smudge.

Ask and look. Continue to ask and look.

If you do, you will have conquered the most difficult part of the project at hand. Drawing is more about engaging in the process of looking than anything else. Beginning at this beginning will embolden you to press in to the end. 

This work began by students blocking out a great section of our Guild courtyard patio (5 by 6 feet). Next they painted the entire space with white, water-based tempera paint to create a canvas of sorts upon which the drawing could take shape. Next, the students studied the placement of the line that divides the drawing— the great contour of the angel's silhouette. And when they were certain of the line, the laid it down using a flesh-toned soft chalk pastel. They continued drawing and shading the profile, using their hands to smudge and soften details. Once satisfied with the angel, the students painted the great halo using gold tempera.

After three hours of joyful focus, the work took on incredible detail, materializing on the cement with the depth of an oil painting and the essence of the original.

So begin at the beginning and enjoy the persist. Persist straight through to the end!

-Kim 

Celebrate the many colors of Wassily Kandinsky and practice the math of concentricity in the process.

Kandinsky connected color to sound. What an awesome metaphor: "The sound of colors is so definite that it would be hard to find anyone who would express bright yellow with bass notes or dark lake with treble notes." 

For this project, mix up jars of brightly colored paints that would make the treble notes sing with delight. We used Kandinsky's palette as a starting point:

Always remember that the colors you mix will be so much more interesting than the colors straight from the tube. For example, when mixing red, add a splash of yellow to move it towards red orange, then mix a drop of the opposite of red orange, blue-green to tame it down a bit. 

When you are ready to paint, think outside the box. This project could certainly be accomplished on canvas, but we decided to pick up some eucalyptus slices at our local craft store to create a puzzle-like effect.

After the project is completed, step back from the work and you will see, when it comes to art, Kandinsky is right: "Everything starts from a dot."

-Kim

Claude Monet's birthday was a November celebration. Imagine the Impressionist in his garden, over 100 years ago, painting something wonderful.

 After reading A Blue Butterfly by Bijou Le Tord, I set my students free to watercolor butterflies in all shades of blue. Of course I had pre-cut the shapes so that all the focus would be on the blue anticipating poem-making.

Prompting students to write a singular butterfly statement and then to treat that sentence apart we soon created a wonderful kaleidoscope of butterfly line-break poems.

You can too. 

-Kim

For this project, begin with a sheet of watercolor paper or heavy cardstock. Next practice drawing some iconic clouds on scratch paper. When you are happy with your design, draw three or four or five clouds in pencil lightly on the watercolor paper. Be sure to overlap the clouds a bit. Trace the clouds with a black Sharpee. Once your clouds are established in the sky, use your Sharpee to make textural designs by echoing the curves with repetitive lines. Then it will be time for you to use your Sharpee to make little raindrops fall. This is a terrific opportunity to practice patience, one tiny raindrop at a time. 

At last it is time to add some color to your clouds. Choose three watercolor blues and washright over the Sharpee cloud.

Sit back, enjoy your art, and stay tuned. You know that they say, "April Showers bring May Flowers!"

-Kim

Claude Monet, leader of the Impressionist movement, was a masterful gardener. Yes, that's right, gardener. I've been to Monet's garden in France. This artist's garden bursts to life in spring. Spectacular is a small word to describe the grounds. You can read about it in the delightful book, Linnea in Monet's Garden. But you can also experience it through his paintings. 

So, on this first day of spring, why not plan a visit to Monet's garden via a "close reading and rendering" of one of his garden paintings? You can learn so much about the art of painting by copying the work of a master. Here is how we did it:

Here's how to paint this painting in two three-hour-sessions:

Session 1

To begin, cover your canvas with a light hue from the painting. While the paint is still very wet, use a clean brush to draw the shapes you see. Let this stage dry completely before proceeding.

Next, mix up a a limited palette of colors in jars that can be sealed so the acrylic paint will not dry out. When mixing colors to match this painting, you will not only mix primary pigments to find the secondary and tertiary colors (red and blue make purple, yellow and blue make green, orange with a hint of red is red-orange and so on), but you will need to experiment with adding a dash of compliments to discover the subtle complexities of Monet's palette. When you add a touch of orange to its opposite, blue, you will discover a lovely iteration of blue. For Monet colors, once you have the hue, you will add white to each color to achieve the lovely pales familiar to this artist. When you have your palette, seal it up for Session 2.

Session 2

Start with laying down the dark blue-green in the negative spaces. Then, while the background is drying, begin to add detail to the lily pads and blossoms with the medium values, loading your brush with different hues and unloading them onto the canvas. Rinse your brush in between color changes. When the background dries (and acrylic dries fairly fast), give it a second coat, allowing the subject of the painting to dry a bit. Continue painting in this manner, paining the light values last. You may need to step back from the paintings to discover missing details. Be careful not to mix colors on canvas while paint is wet or the lovely colors will turn to mud.  

It's spring. Take a moment to smell the flowers blooming and be inspired by the fragrance. You never know what you might learn. "I perhaps owe having become a painter to flowers," said Claude Monet.

-Kim