Teaching Artist
Magnificent creations. So inspiring and moving, and such a great group. So supportive of each other, devoted to their creative and artistic expressions, and imaginative ideas and use of materials.Of Polka Dots and Butterflies: Inspired by Yayoi Kusama
In what I am calling my “Girl Power” after-school artmaking class (“Making Art Inspired By Great Artists!), my group of seven power artmakers are hard at work creating polka-dotted butterfly books inspired by Japanese Artist Yayoi Kusama!
First up was to learn the correct pronouncement of Kusama’s name…not familiar to the girrrls. Next they created accordion-fold book spines, added the front and back covers, and finally, butterfly wings to the center fold of the spine
Then it was off to the races to add colorful polka dots to their books, in honor of Kusama’s interest (obsession with?) circles, polka-dots, and their endlessness and thus the expression of infinity the circular shape affords, at least in Kusama’s book (!)
Adding also flowers, butterflies (stickers), ribbons to honor May Day and even using a butterfly shaped hole puncher, the girrrls wowed with their use of materials, their creativity, and imagination to create unique, whimsical, beautiful and stunningly singular works. Just like Yayoi Kusama does with her materials, creativity and imagination!
What a marvelous group. Brava!
Spines folded, covers and wings attached, let the adornment begin!
Weaving ribbons through the holes.
Can there be any more polka dots?!?
Using the butterfly hole puncher.
Deft use of the polka dot (and other) stickers, which she is adding white texture to (overlaying the original orange color polka dot color on the wings) , which she took out or replaced later, to have just the plain orange polka dots. Just amazing!
Girl Power! Making Surrealistic Landscapes Inspired by Salvador Dali
In what I am calling my “Girl Power” after-school artmaking class (“Making Art Inspired By Great Artists!), my group of seven power artmakers are hard at work creating surrealist landscapes inspired by artist Salvador Dali.
They learned about the concepts of horizon , vanishing points, perspective and scale ad used them to establish and landscape then develop it into a personal, surrealistic world. It was fascinating to watch. For our next class, they will be adding images from magazines to complete their works and add another layer of surrealism to them and learning about the artform of collage in the process!
What a marvelous group. Brava!
Intensity, care, creativity, connection, learning, what else is there?
Girl Power! Making Self-Portraits Inspired By Frida Kahlo
My “Making Art Inspired By Great Artists” students all girls aged 7-10, were inspired by artist Frida Kahlo to create their own self-portraits, and I was inspired by their magnificent works!
They learned how to draw a face in proportion working only in pencil, no color, then added color, still using pencil to retain the delicacy of their line work. Finally they added detailed, designed and imagined backgrounds inspired by Kahlo’s use of Magical Realism. They had the fun embellishing black matboard frames which fit around their drawings with an array of paper and gem stickers, attaching them, and seeing how the frames brought together each piece.
Their process, creativity and learning was a joy to behold!
Behold: Girl Portrait Power!
BOYS MAKING BOOKS!
I was thrilled to teach “Make Your Own Books” through the City of Santa Monica’s CREST Enrichment program during January and February 2023!
I had a fantastic class of all boys who worked together beautifully, learned enthusiastically, and displayed great creativity and passion for their book projects!
Here is what one Mom said of her son’s experience with bookmaking:
“Owen is so sad he will be missing the last class this week as we are out of town. I wanted to share how much this class has changed Owen. He is obsessed with making books now and holds his own comic book club…daily…with his Dad and I. He carries them everywhere. He shows everyone.”
This was thrilling for me to hear…it is what a teaching artist lives for!
Below are they boys in action during our after-school program:
