A Messy Day With Paint

Posted on April 17, 2014 by Mama Cormier

…..tensions were high and the paint literally flew

After taking Karine Swenson’s class on abstract painting I decided to pass on some of the things that I learned to my grade 5 students. One thing you should know is that this class is huge by today’s standards. There are 30 students in this class and they take up every inch of space that I have for art. The other problem is that not everyone is on the same project and everyone wanted help at the same time.

I put on a Youtube video that demonstrated some abstract techniques that the students might want to try. This kept about half the class busy while I sorted out the problems with the other projects that were still incomplete. Earlier in the week I went to the dollar store and purchased canvases, small, medium and large that the students preordered and paid for.

Once I got most of the problems solved I brought out the paints, brushes, palette knives, palettes and a variety of other accessories that the students could use on their paintings. I took a canvas and in about 5 minutes I created an abstract piece that used a variety of techniques and i let the students dictate what colours they wanted me to use. I’m not sure I would have used those colours if I were making the decision but the kids aren’t afraid to experiment with someone else’s work. I’m glad I was wearing an apron because at one point when I threw the paint from the knife onto the canvas it came straight back at me and right onto the centre of my red apron.

It was actually a very good teaching moment and the kids could see how easy it is the ruin what you’re wearing. When I finished my piece the grade 5s were ready to start their own paintings.

The following paintings may or may not be finished. Next week when we have art class again the students will decide if they need to add more detail or change something they don’t like. A couple of girls have already made that decision and painted out what they’d done and they will start anew in the next class.

Karine Swenson always says that it’s only paint and canvas. Experiment. You can always paint over it if you don’t like it. I love the energy and freedom of these paintings. The kids had a blast and even though they left me with a huge mess some of them did come back at the end of the day to help me clean up.

A Word a Week – Round

Posted on April 17, 2014 by Mama Cormier

….another challenge from Sue Llewellyn

Weaving Our Way to Happiness

Posted on April 9, 2014 by Mama Cormier

….even the boys are enjoying this activity

We’re finally all working on the same project. We started with a paper loom so that everyone could experiment with different materials and weaving patterns. Once the paper loom was finished I gave each student a sturdy piece of cardboard and they each made their own loom. Students were encouraged to bring in yarn, fabric, lace and ribbon to create their wall hangings. I also had a lot of fancy yarns, raffia and trims that they were welcome to use.

The kids are really excited about this project. I’ve even taught a fair number of them how to finger knit. I think there are more boys then girls who are incorporating knitted chains into their weaving. A lot of the projects are about half finished but I thought you might like to see how they’re progressing.

How Grade 5s Interpret Abstraction With Charcoal

Posted on April 7, 2014 by Mama Cormier

…..after some reluctance on their part and some encouragement on my part they really started to enjoy the process

When I introduced abstract art using charcoal I had a few students who cringed at the thought of using charcoal. They thought they had an option and could choose something else. Not so. I told them I wanted them to experience the versatility that charcoal offered. After some hesitation they started to get into it and when I showed them some techniques, such as smudging the lines and erasing some of the dark areas, they started to enjoy the process.

I have to admit I was never really interested in using charcoal myself never mind teaching children how to use it. After taking the course with Karine Swenson I discovered that I really enjoyed this medium. Here are a some of the samples that students produced.

Daily Prompt: Express Yourself

Posted on April 5, 2014 by Mama Cormier

Do you love to dance, sing, write, sculpt, paint, or debate? What’s your favourite way to express yourself, creatively?

People who have been following me for awhile know that I love to paint and experiment with new art forms. I loved drawing when I was in elementary school, especially when one of my teachers took the time to teach us about perspective and shading. It opened a whole new world for me.

The unfortunate part is that once I went to high school I no longer took art classes. There was no room in my timetable for it. I knew at an very early age that I wanted to be a Family Studies teacher. That meant taking a lot of science classes in high school and of course my one and only elective I had went to Family Studies classes.

Once I started teaching I spent the next 17 years working side by side with the art teachers because we shared an open concept space or were only separated by a door. At the time all middle school students took Unified Arts, which included visual art, shop and family studies. I loved watching the creative process that happened in all three disciplines but I didn’t venture outside my own comfort zone and try my hand at woodworking or painting.

Once my own children approached adulthood the yearning to paint grew stronger and in my late 40s I took my first art class. I loved it. I started with folk art and then moved on to watercolour. In recent years I’ve experimented with acrylics and just recently tried oil painting. This year past I also took a pottery class and loved that as well and last week I attended a 6 hour workshop on dyeing fabrics with indigo dye and of course I’m crazy about that too.

As you can see I need to try new things all the time. Recently I took on the job of teaching art to grades 2 to 5 along side my library duties. I have the best job, books and art. What a perfect combination.

Here is a small sampling of some of the art forms I’ve played with:

An earlier attempt at collage.

Share Your World 2014 – Week 13

Posted on March 31, 2014 by Mama Cormier

……crayon colours, aliens, transportation and pets I wouldn’t fancy

Do you believe in extraterrestrials or life on other planets?

The simple answer is yes. How can one believe that only the planet Earth would have living beings when the universe is so incredibly enormous? I definitely believe that there is a parallel universe somewhere out there with intelligent life.

What type of pet or pets do not want to have?

I’m not a big fan of reptiles of any kind. Lizards and snakes do nothing for me.

If you were a crayon, what color would you be?

I would definitely be red. Such a vibrant and warm colour. I love it.

What type of transportation would you be? Why?

I think I would be a luxury train. What a great way to travel. Comfy seats, great views and if you’re travelling business class very good food. Safe and relatively quick without the worries of traffic. Very relaxing.

Bonus question: What are you grateful for from last week, and what are you looking forward to in the week coming up?

I’m grateful for a week of artistic expression. I finished my on-line abstract art class and I participated in a 6 hour workshop on Saturday learning how to use indigo dye to create beautiful fabrics.

I’m looking forward to a week of quiet and catching up on my reading. Maybe I’ll sew something with my new fabric. I’m not looking forward to going to the dentist tomorrow. Last night my molar decided to break apart. Luckily it doesn’t hurt.

Feeling the Indigo Blues?

Posted on March 30, 2014 by Mama Cormier

….only if it’s a feeling of joy and accomplishment

Yesterday I attended a 6 hour workshop on dyeing fabric with indigo at Articulations in the Junction. It was a Christmas gift from my youngest daughter. It was a small class with 8 students ranging in age from their 20s to 60s. We even had one man in the class who came with his partner.

Our instructor, Jane Jacobs, was truly inspirational. She had a multitude of samples for us to look at and an infinite number of objects to experiment with. Everyone brought their own fabric and articles of clothing to play with. There were also white silk scarves and infinity scarves that you could buy for the purpose of dyeing.

I experimented with a technique that involved stitching designs and pulling them tightly. I wish I had more time to make more of these but I think I may try more of these at home. The technique is called shibori and comes from Japan. The secret is to pull the thread really tightly. It will work with any kind of dye. I loved the indigo but it has a few more steps and requires more time to get it to the stage where it’s ready to use. Here is a website that demonstrates how to stitch on the fabric. Shibori from Japan.

The dyeing techniques also included folding and clamping the fabric. I wrapped string around small stones that were buried into the fabric and I pulled fabric from the middle and put elastic bands around it. This created a real retro 60s look that was reminiscent of tie dye. I also clamped buttons and metal squares between folds of fabric. Some of the students wrapped their fabric around large plastic cylinders, then wrapped string around the fabric and kept pushing the wrapped fabric up the cylinder. That was hard work but the finished product was beautiful. If I go back for another class I will try that technique with silk.

I brought a variety of fabrics to play with. I had two 100% cotton samples, one in white and one in taupe. I had a piece of linen and rayon that was also a taupe but with a tinge of green in it and my last piece that I played with was a white 100% cotton knit.

We weren’t sure how the coloured fabrics would take the dye but another student brought a grey fabric and all of them turned out well. The contrast wasn’t as dramatic as the white but the patterns showed up nicely against the blue.

Now I have to decide what I’m going to do with my pieces of fabric. I’ve already decided to make one into a pillow, one will be a table runner and the third I will sew into an infinity scarf. I’m not sure about the fourth piece but I’m sure I’ll think of something.

The following photos are my creations after they dried.

Built Up Enough Courage to Try it Again

Posted on March 28, 2014 by Mama Cormier

….working with oil paints, that is

After my mini disaster with oil paints the first time around I was putting off trying it again. My teacher, Karine Swenson encouraged me to keep trying and continue experimenting with the medium. I was going to wait until the weekend but for some reason at 11:00 last night I was moved to paint. I got out a new 18 x 18 inch canvas and started painting squares. Two and a half hours later I was finished (well at least for now). I posted my piece on the on-line class’s Facebook page and went to bed.

This time I laid my piece flat so when I woke up in the morning there were no drips or runs of paint down the painting. This piece is quite different from the first but I think I am now ready to tackle lesson 5 which involves working really big. I have to go out and buy a canvas about 48 x 48 inches.

In the meantime though I have to get ready for another class that I am taking tomorrow which involves fabric and indigo dyes. I thought that everything I needed would be provided at the class but after reading the course description I think I need to go out and do a little shopping for cotton or linen fabric. I’m taking the class at Articulations in the Junction. Here’s a small description of the class.

From Success to Disaster Within 24 Hours

Posted on March 25, 2014 by Mama Cormier

….finished my first oil painting or so I thought

On Sunday I stayed up very late to finish my third assignment for my on-line course with Karine Swensen. It was the first time I’ve ever used oil paints and I was really enjoying working with this new medium. After two hours I was ready to call the project complete and I took some photographs to share with my fellow colleagues who were also taking the course. I’m almost embarrassed to tell you that I didn’t get to bed till sometime after 2:00 in the morning and I had to get up early to go to work. I usually don’t have problems dozing off but that night it felt like I was never going to sleep. I looked at the clock at 3:00 and then again at 4:00. I guess I fell asleep shortly after that but I had to get up at 6:30.

It is surprising to me that I was able to function with so little sleep. I didn’t check on the oil painting until later that night and to my horror I discovered that the oils had run down the painting and that the entire centre appeared to be crackling. I have no idea how or why this happened. Maybe some of my artist followers can give me some advice so that this doesn’t happen again. I took a rag and wiped away the drips and a brush to remove some of the cracks in the paint.

This morning when I looked in on my painting again I discovered that it had dripped some more and the crackling appeared worse. The perimeter of the painting is fine but the centre is a mess.

Here is a photo of my painting before it started to fall apart. The first photo is the watercolour sketch that I took my inspiration from.

The larger photo is the painting before it literally started to ‘melt’ on me.

Here are a few photos of what the painting looks like now after I tried to fix it. I think that there was too much oil in my paint. Maybe some of my artist followers can give me some advice on how to avoid this in the future. As you can see I’ve lost some of the detail in the bottom of the painting and some of the highlights have disappeared. Oh well, live and learn. I think I’ll let it dry before I do anything else with it.

Time to Choose

Posted on March 22, 2014 by Mama Cormier

….it’s time to choose one of my sketches and paint it onto a large canvas

I’ve enjoyed my on-line course with Karine Swensen and Carla Sonheim but now it’s time to get serious and paint large. I can use my charcoal sketches or my watercolour sketches for inspiration or try something completely different. I can also use them as a starting point and move in a different direction once I get started. It’s getting started that’s difficult. I want to try my earth friendly oil paints that I purchased last year but I’ve never worked with oil before. It’s a bit intimidating.

I made a couple more watercolour sketches after I posted the last ones, Abstraction Using Watercolour, but I’ve also been toying with the idea of taking one of my Charcoal Sketches and using one of them as a starting point. Here are my latest two watercolour sketches. Any suggestions? My husband refused to commit or comment about any of them. Go figure!.