I approached this material a little differently. I told my students to get dirty! (See the pics below) I started with showing them some charcoal sticks, ribbing them on my fingers to shows how easy it was to get messy, then smearing and smudging it on papers. Showed them how to make different lines: thick, … Continue reading My First Graders get into making Messy Charcoal Flowers
Still Life Project 2020 – In Hindsight
This project brought me highs and lows. There were days I didn't want to continue painting and got bored of the subject... That's when I challenged myself the most... first to reconsider compositions and then to reconsider materials (or how I was going to use them). I'm glad this project is over. I don't know … Continue reading Still Life Project 2020 – In Hindsight
A Tree For Judas
Using a handmade marking brush: the handle is made from bamboo and jute twine, with a few threads of coloured yarn. The brush is from cut-up strands of guitar chords. The India ink pooled onto the thicker cords and left drips on the paper, which the finer chords were able to move around. I saw … Continue reading A Tree For Judas
(Home) – Studio Painting – 5th Still-life Project – Subtle Additions
I think my usual approach is to put in strong outlines first, then smooth them out with various brushstrokes. This time I wanted a more watercolour feel and tried watering down the Mars Black to give the subtle shadows I saw... or think I saw. I get impatient when I have to stare at the … Continue reading (Home) – Studio Painting – 5th Still-life Project – Subtle Additions
(Home) – Studio Painting – 4th Still-life Project: A Seven-Colour Challenge – Part 2 – First Layers of Colour
I needed to start with the black, making broad areas over the simple pencil sketch. I really wasn't feeling it at first... I just didn't like my new palette choices. As I let it dry a little I started to visualize the changes I could make... the more I visualized it, the more I felt … Continue reading (Home) – Studio Painting – 4th Still-life Project: A Seven-Colour Challenge – Part 2 – First Layers of Colour
(Home) – Studio Painting – 2nd Still-life Project – Limited Palette – Good, for now…
We had the Zoom-class group critique on this one and I got really great feedback (& kudos... gotta love those kudos!!!). I got the depth, tension, and contrasts... the transitions between the red to yellow worked well and the teacher liked the way I used the in-between tones to capture volume. This was an enriching … Continue reading (Home) – Studio Painting – 2nd Still-life Project – Limited Palette – Good, for now…
Setting-Up A temporary Fibres Studio… ARGHHH
As mentioned yesterday, there are many, many steps in getting to this point and I feel we haven't even started yet. 1 - Watch (and watch, and watch again) a bunch of demo videos about ethical harvesting materials, choosing storage containers, cutting materials into sample bundles, making mordants, and on and on... 2 - Collecting … Continue reading Setting-Up A temporary Fibres Studio… ARGHHH
Back to School – New Adventures in Covid Times
University classes online don't seem like that much of a big deal, except... I'm learning more about my own learning style and my limitations with this digital medium. I have two studio classes, the one that revealed my challenge was a textiles exploration studio class where we will be exploring natural dyes and fabric dying … Continue reading Back to School – New Adventures in Covid Times
Book-Binding While Isolated at Home
Covid-19 has motivated a few changes to my habits and expectations. At the time of writing this (March 18th, 2020), my University (Concordia U. BFA in Art Education) classes are on hold and I'm not sure how this shutdown will delay my progress through the program. I've been able to get quite a few smaller … Continue reading Book-Binding While Isolated at Home
Come get your hands dirty and have some fun at The Dorval Potters Guild!
Hello Pottery Enthusiasts! The Winter Semester of classes is just around the corner! Come get your hand dirty and have some fun at The Dorval Potters Guild! Registration for winter pottery classes will be taking place on Wednesday December 18th, from 6:30pm to 8pm, in our studio (room S014A) located in the basement of the Sarto … Continue reading Come get your hands dirty and have some fun at The Dorval Potters Guild!
The New Renaissance Mindset 