Mark-Making With Ephemeral Materials

Artist Statement

• It’s been a long journey to my fascination for using found, fragile, and ephemeral materials in my art making process; the reasons transition through various life considerations: financial, identity evolutions, and social consciousness. Each of these qualities forces me to let go of the notions of judgements and allow myself to discover hidden meanings and unexpected self-awarenesses in the outcomes. 
• The pure and simple use of ink to make abstract markings caters to my desire to explore different understandings of how the world can be seen through the eyes of individuals.  The art is purposefully open to interpretation to engage the viewer in conversations that reveal parts of their perspectives; they foster the opportunity to get to understand each other better.

Letting Go to Find Spontaneous Selves

Gif: https://media.giphy.com/media/OBqozfgiDayd8NnJwf/giphy-downsized-large.gif

Teaching Perspectives

• Competency 1 – The students will be able to create unique brushes from materials they’ve chosen and then create an image that represents a personal expression.
• Competency 2 – The students will be able to disseminate their  making process through a Slide show.
• Competency 3 – The students will gather an appreciation for the development of tools used in art making. 
• Lesson Timeline: 1) Brief history of mark making – origins of art. 2) Scavenger hunt for materials in nature. 3) Presentation of hand-made brushes and brief demo on assembly techniques. 4) Make brushes. 5) Make images with brushes. 6) Reflection and critique.
• Encourage the students to create a visual journal of the process. They can include samples of materials they will use, expectations of the results they will give, sketches, and additional research done online. 
• The critique can be open discussion of initiated with rubrics and prompts. Eg: What did you think the materials chosen would do? How was your result different? How do you think you might get a better russet in relation to your expectations? 
• Note: I will be building this under an IB Lesson Unit and making a promo video (at PCHS)  for IB certification purposes.

Resources

• Video: El Antsui “Change”, Season 6 of Art in The Twenty-First Century, https://art21.org/playlist/deterioration-and-decay/#/6 
• Kharbach, M. (2021), “6 Ways to use animated GIFS in your Teaching”, retrieved on September 21, 2021 from https://www.educatorstechnology.com/2021/07/6-ways-to-use-animated-gifs-in-your.html 
• “How to create Gifs in 3 easy ways”,  Retrieved on September 21, 2021 from https://techboomers.com 
• Smith, K. (2011). How to be an Explorer of the World: Portable Life Museum. United Kingdom: Penguin Books.

Images