Teaching Children Art

There are different schools of thought in teaching art to children. One is that you put all the supplies out for them and let them make what ever they want in what ever way they want. https://www.artsy.net/article/artsy-editorial-teach-art-kids-mark-rothko. The other is to teach methods and skills. I think you need both. Children are more open minded and experimental than adults, however, due to their limited knowledge of form and technique, they tend to get discouraged or frustrated if their finished work doesn’t end up looking the same way it did in their head–like if they want to make the cat orange but have not learned that they need to mix yellow and red together to create orange, or they want to paint dog fur with a certain texture but have not learned how to create that particular effect.

I have found that the teacher may have to adjust expectations or lesson plan mid lesson. I had originally set up a still life of a bowl of oranges but they were not interested in painting them. I printed out a few pictures of flowers, kittens and puppies that they much preferred and they each chose a different picture. We discussed how to gauge the size of the animals bodies relative to the head, the angles of the flowers petals and how the sky didn’t have to be blue. I demonstrated layering of colors, wet into wet techniques and how to deal with edges (let them blend or keep them separate).

I was lucky enough to teach these three students above ages 5-9. They had ideas of what they wanted to paint but upon instruction began to think of how they could translate them using water colors. By the end of a three hour class (with a few breaks for snacks) , their visions had transformed to vibrant artwork.

Meeting Frank Romero

I had the opportunity to meet Frank Romero last night at Plaza De La Raza in Los Angeles for his annual Xmas show and   bought a print of downtown LA and a small original car and heart painting.  One of the paintings I copied of Frank’s was of downtown LA and some of the buildings I have in my copy are in this original print.  See my prior post on Frank Romero Copy. 

“Frank Romero grew up in the culturally mixed, middle-class Los Angeles community of Boyle Heights and was well into his career by the time he developed a consciousness of being a Latino artist. During the height of the Chicano civil rights movement in the early 1970s, as a member of the Chicano artists’ group “Los Four,” he attained a new, high-profile status in the larger art community. It was not until the mid-1980s, however, that Romero could give visual form to some of the emotionally charged political events he had witnessed. “

“Frank Romero grew up in the Hispanic, Asian, and Jewish communities of East Los Angeles. He began painting when he was five years old and as a teenager attended LA’s Otis Art Institute, one of the best art schools in the nation. Romero did not think of himself as a Chicano until he began to work with three other artists in an informal group known as Los Four. Los Four and other Hispanic artists throughout the West used wall murals, graffiti, and street theater to protest America’s involvement in Vietnam and Southeast Asia. The police response to antiwar demonstrations in Los Angeles was part of a larger pattern of violence against the minority communities that Romero experienced throughout his life. It takes years for the artist to think through and to paint these episodes in the life of his community, because, he says, “That stuff is hard for me to do, it hurts, it’s frightening” (Los Angeles Times, July 28, 2002 [online]). Romero’s brightly colored paintings celebrate the Los Angeles culture of lowriders and “rascuache,” the art of making something beautiful out of the ordinary.”

Gestural Abstraction

There is a type of abstract art called gestural abstraction or automatic painting that I tried for the first time and loved.  The idea is that the ego disappears and you express who you really are.  I meditate on a topic and when I feel the energy build up I just let out the gesture onto the canvas with both hands and with my eyes closed (for part of the time).   These will make a few great pieces to frame.

The Latest Muse

This is a  4 week pose – painting from life.  You can follow the model on instagram at #thelatestmuse.  The instructor was Natalia Fabia and she is also on instagram at #natliafabia.

My original sketch included a knee but that got edited out.  When painting from life the painting “grows” and the end result is more a painting of all the mini poses.  I loved the feathers, blue robe and red book.

 

Mixed Media

Had a lesson today from a friend who teaches mixed media.  Great way to loosen up and have fun!  We played with acrylics, water crayons, oil pastel, charcoal, paper, and sand.

Weisman Foundation

http://www.weismanfoundation.org/home/foundation/

The tours are free, guided and last about 2 hours.  Reservations are a must. The Foundation is a rare gift for anyone interested in modern art.

 

Art Wall

I created an art wall in the  cabana area outside my house.  They are all landscapes and include one my great grandmother painted (lower right hand corner).  I’m not sure where is was done but somewhere in Europe.  It is not dated but we estimate circa 1950’s.