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How Is Your Heart?

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Hurts

Worries 

Hopes 

Joys 

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I started with pink (Joy), this was the brightest colour I had. Last year I purchased my dream home, got married, made the decision to become a teacher and most recently I found out that I am expecting my first child in June 2018. I wanted my heart to reflect the enormous amount of joy that I have in my life. I choose to place my heart in the center of the page to symbolize the fact that I am a grounded and centered person who faces my challenges head on. I made the size of my heart quite large to reflect my openness. I pressed hard to draw a band around my joy to show that I am determined to stay positive in the midst of challenges. It also serves to separate what I show the world vs. my internal burdens.

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Next I added light pink (Hope), radiating off of my joy and surrounding/protecting my heart. I find light pink to be the most calming and encouraging colour. I carry a lot of hopes and dreams with becoming a mother/teacher and I wanted my art to reflect that it flourishes from the joy in my life.

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Then I added purple (Worries), which I diffused inward towards my heart symbolizing the creeping sensation that lingers all around me. As hopeful as I am about all these changes in my life, I also worry about being a good mom or how I will handle everything with being a full time student. I applied the purple nervously to show that my worries are continuously growing.

On top of my joy, I added a deep blue (hurt) – a dark colour that seems to engulf some of my joy. This colour was applied angrily to show the heavy weight that has left marks on my heart. Although I wanted the joy to stand out as my brightest colour, the loss and hurt still show and serve as a reminder to never forget the things in life that made me a stronger person. I drew a dark hole to show the thoughts that I very rarely enter. I also wanted to show that these creep into my joy when entered so I used white to sprawl the colour outward.

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Overall, my heart has experienced a lot of hurt however, it is strong in shape to show that I have an incredible amount of joy and hope in my life. 

Colour Explorations.


I enjoyed learning about colors and how to create different tints and shades by using white and black. Before this class, I rarely played around with paint as I was always nervous I would ruin the picture by placing the wrong colour somewhere, or that a colour would be too dark or light. That being said, I loved creating my own colour on graphic websites and whenever possible, I customize the colour. This class showed me that I can customize appealing colours with paint and use them to reflect my personal feelings. Using bright colours to show joy and happiness or using lighter colours to express calmness. I never thought I would enjoy using earth tones but once I started to mix the colours, I quickly decided that they could be very powerful to express a feeling. 

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To create my colours and tints, I used straight lines which is indicitive of my insecurities around mixing colours. This was my first time exploring with different colours and I really wanted things to be perfect so I thought that I would start somewhere and then re-do an entire image to show how far i've grown. The reality is that I'm still very much in the exploration stage when it comes to mixing colours but I've realized that this is OKAY! 

Art Lesson: Floor Plan ​

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  • Demonstrations can occur at the conference table, teachers desk, on the carpet, or through the projection system.
     

  • The classroom is equipped with a radio – this will help students relax, inspire, focus, or encourage students.
     

  • Large paint bottles, cleaner, and extra supplies (containers) are kept in the secure storage cabinet (away from students).
     

  • Every paint station is equipped with Styrofoam plates, squares of newspaper, and specific paint colour squeeze bottles.
     

  • Towards the end of class, students will be instructed to clean up their spaces. Students will wipe the excess paint off their brushes onto the paper towel, then rinse the brush in their water (stamping motion). Students will place clean (or semi-clean) brushes into the container on their table. Students will carry their dirty water to the water/waste baskets and empty the dirty water into the waste basket. The clear container will then be placed/stacked on either paint station 1 or 3 (depending on the closest one). Students will fold the newspaper covered in paint onto itself and throw this (and the paper towel) in the garbage, and place the Styrofoam plate on the closest paint station. Students will finish by placing their paintings on the assigned drying rack.
     

  • Tables are assigned colours to help organize and manage the room (ex. “Red table head to paint station 1”, “Orange table collect your clean water, etc). 

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Artists As Inspiration: Norval Morriseau ​

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Conventions of Morriseau's work: 
 

Lines:

  • Formlines 

  • Spirit Lines 

  • Lines of Power 

  • Lines of Prophesy 

  • Lines of Motion 

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A planning sketch allows students to evaluate the various conventions of Morriseau that are evident in their own art work. It also provides an opportunity for reflection as students make notes on what they like and what they don't like. In my example below, I initially started drawing a dog and although I enjoyed many aspects of my art work, I wasn't satisfied. I decided to change my design completely and draw an owl. Using the same framework and success criteria, I was able to change my design while providing evidence of Morriseau conventions.

X Ray Vision:

  • A technique used by several aboriginal people around the world in which internal structures like ribs and spines are evident. 

Shape:

  • Most shapes are stylized with oblong and ovoid shapes.  

Colour:

  • Limited palette and stained glass effect. 

Initial Planning Sketch 

Final Product (work in progress) 

Approaches to Drawing .


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Into the Third Dimension with Masks​

  1. What aspects of yourself, (personality), are present in the mask , and in the self you present to the world daily ? (How is it like you?)

    • My mask has a mouth that seems to be smiling which I used to symbolize my own personality. I also wanted to make the lips a natural pink colour similar to the lipstick that I wear. I used a light pink eye colour that shimmers to show my dreams. It is also indicitive of my favourite colour to symbolize that I always try to see the positive things in life. The included rosey cheeks becuase I never leave the house without blush. I also included a crown because I have a queen-like personality; I am very independent, protective and loyal. 

    • I kept the colour scheme feminine because it reflects my personal style. I also used floral paper and included floral earings to showcase my love of flowers and pretty things in life. 

  2. What aspects of yourself only come out in the mask? Any surprises? (How is it different from the person you usually show to the world?)

    • The mask is different from myself as the mask looks flirty. I do not have the confidence to be flirty. There is a certain snobness about my mask that is nothing like my personality. 

  3. How would the persona behind this mask move?

    • My mask would move confidently. Walks with a glide and looks down on others. Toes are pointed out. 

  4. How would they sit?

    • My make would sit very proper, straight back, legs together, head high and with a regal air about it.

  5. How would they stand ?

    • My mask would stand tall, a hand on her hip with a flirty kick. 

Techniques:

Exit Ticket:

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How Have I Grown as an Artist/Art Maker this Term? 

 

I've learned to experiment with colour, line, and artistic expression. This course has given me the opportunity to express myself in many different ways that I typically would not expose. I was able to let go of my comfort zone and embrace mistakes. I learned that not everything needs to be perfect the first time around. Prior to this course I did not consider myself an artist by any means. I not understand the terms "art adventurer" and "art explorer". The artistic process is quite a journey and one that I was happy to partake in! 

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Do You Need to Be an Expert or Is Being an Art Adventurer, (learning alongside your students) Enough?

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Over the past 9 weeks I've discovered that you don't have to be an art expert to teach art. Although this course has taught me various techniques and methods that I wil inevitably bring into my classrooms, I realied that learning alongside your students is the best approach. I've gained so much inspiration from my peers and I am excited to incorporate art into my lessons (i'll be looking for lots of cross curricular opportunities). I want to give my students the courage to attempt new things and make mistakes in a safe environment. At this stage, I consider myself to be an art adventurer looking for the next journey! 

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