Mix it up!

Art Adventures students learned that printmaking takes on many forms. After viewing  the prints from the Museum’s permanent collection they returned to the studio to do a little “experimenting”  and explored some unique forms of printmaking. 

Inspiration for this project came from the painting Abstraction by American artist Rolph Scarlett.  Students sat on the floor in the gallery before the painting and used three dimensional forms, creating a variety of compositions for practice.  This allowed the them to work out their ideas before actually making their plate for printmaking.

Once in the studio, students used foam sheets to create their own version of an abstract composition on heavy cardboard.  After a printmaking demonstration made by the museum educator, they used printmaking tools (brayers) to apply printing ink to their plates.  Next, they ran their inked plates with paper on top through the press resulting in beautiful, abstract prints.  Students were encouraged to use a different colors of both ink and papers to achieve a variety of results.

Another successful Saturday Art Adventures class at the Cummer Museum of Art & Gardens!

Out of Africa Landscapes

This month, my Art Adventure students explored the photographs in the Histories in Africa: 20 Years of Photography by Liz Gilbert exhibition at The Cummer Museum of Art & Gardens then created mixed media African landscapes with animals and plant life. 

Back in the studio, students began by painting the landscape using a variety of tools to apply the tempera paint. They used rollers and brushes to create feelings of movement in the sky. They used sea sponges for applying paint to create the texture of the soil.. and leaves of the Acacia trees.  The project was completed by adding animals typically seen in an African savanna.

Symmetrical African Masks

 Lois Mailou Jones was a successful textile designer.
These students are using geometric and free form shapes made
of felt to recreate the experience that she may have had as a
textile designer in the beginning of her career as an artist.   

This month students in October's Art Adventures class learned about symmetry in art and created an oil pastel mask inspired by the works included in the Lois Mailou Jones: A Life in Vibrant Color and Histories in Africa: 20 Years of Photography by Liz Gilbert exhibitions.

As the students toured the exhibit, they compared the layout of the exhibit to a timeline of Jones' life because the paintings and drawings were displayed in chronological order.  They were able to see that she tried many things during her life as an artist. We focused on a group of Jones' paintings that featured colorful African masks then returned to the studio to create oil pastel drawings of Africans masks in their own design.

Floral Fun

• Saturday, September 15, 10:30 AM to 12:30 PM - Floral Fun! Art adventures students studied examples of floral still life from The Cummer’s permanent collection then returned to the studio to paint their own floral still life masterpieces. They also visited the garden to examine real flowers and study the parts of each plant. Who knew that we could learn science and art at the same time?

Art and Science Learning Together!

My Art for Two students learned the printing process after studying the portraits in Miradas: Ancient Roots in Modern and contemporary Mexican Art: Works from the Bank of America Collection.

With help from their favorite adult, they examined their facial features in mirrors, used their fingers to feel the bones in their faces made gargling and grunting sounds so they could feel the vibration in their throats.  They learned about both art and science as they created self portrait styrofoam prints!

 

 

 

Pop Artist, Andy Warhol!

Art For Two Students  and their favorite adult study works from 

50 Forward: New Additions to the Permanent Collection 

to learn about a world famous pop artist, Andy Warhol.

The exhibition presents a sample of the art objects that entered The Cummer’s collection in celebration of the Museum’s 50^th Anniversary in 2011. After viewing several samples of his work in The Cummer galleries, then finding his work featured on the Art History timeline, my students view a slideshow of Andy Warhols work set to special music featuring the story of his life.  They were so excited to learn how to make Andy Warhol prints by using soft-cut linoleum and real printmaking tools and ink. Here are some images of my students as they create Pop Art - just like Andy Warhol!

 

Salt Brings Art and Science Together

 Students ages 6 - 12 years learned a lesson in science as well as art at the Cummer Museum of Art & Gardens during the children's monthly art class, Art Adventures. 
They learned how salt can be hurtful to our plants and helpful in creating exciting effects in their painting. 

After a visit to the museum's garden, students assessed the damage to the gardens caused by the flooding waters of tropical storm, Beryl when the St. Johns River overflowed the bulkhead. They discussed how the St. Johns River joins the Atlantic Ocean, creating a salt and fresh water mixture or "brackish" water.  Brackish water is water that has more salinity than fresh water, but not as much as seawater. When the brackish water washed up into the lower tier of the garden, it left behind debris and salt causing the damage to the plants. 

After a discussion of the kinds of creatures which live in salt water verses fresh water, the students returned to the studios to draw and paint beautiful creatures from the salty sea. They drew coral, starfish, sand dollars and shells in pencil then added beautiful colors of the ocean with watercolor.  They experimented with a variety of watercolor techniques including adding the very ingredient that caused damage to the garden - salt. They discovered that when they sprinkled salt onto their wet painting, it caused a chemical reaction that left a mottled, textured appearance to the painted surface.