Individual Style

After carefully mixing colors from primaries to pastels, this young artist began her painting with focus and purpose.  She seemed to have a specific image in mind and worked little by little, using a small brush to make certain parts of her image more pronounced.  Moving back from the wall once in a while allowed her to check on how the overall picture was looking, before returning to add more color.  She kept her image localized and contained, before refocusing her attention to the white space that remained on the page. 



 

 In comparison, this young artist worked more spontaneously and enjoyed using a larger brush.  She used the tool to dab big amounts of paint on her paper, which she then proceeded to blob, swirl, and mix into new colors.  In doing this, she was able to experiment with texture and movement.  At one point, the thick shiny medium was too hard to resist and the artist painted her hand.  She then used it as a stamp, literally leaving her mark on the paper before washing it off and returning to use just the brush.

 

Both girls painted side by side, observing the others' work in progress but resuming to focus on their own individual styles.  One worked more slowly, planning out what came next before touching her brush to the paper, while the other worked quickly, following her brush to see where its strokes took her and allowing her to fill her paper quickly with color. 

Meanwhile, this young artist was still working with determination on mixing her colors and getting them just right, to make sure she had what she wanted when she was ready to paint.  This is an important step in getting prepared to make art, so that nothing can impede the creative process once it begins.  She took her time and didn't let anything rush her, as she enjoyed the ability to make her own decisions and experiment with the paints, coming up with new colors that she'd never seen before.

 Soon, all three artists were at the wall, working at their own pace.  Though the girls continued to have their own independent process and style, they were also inspired by each others' works and seemed to try new things in their paintings that followed.  Trying these new methods opened them up to new possibilities and allowed them to incorporate creative experimentation into what had been comfortable for them.

None of these styles were necessarily right or wrong.  They were merely what emerged during the creative process and worked for each individual artist.  At the end of our class today, the girls were very proud of their pieces and had learned a lot, not only about each other, but also about themselves.  Just as individuals grow and change over the years, so too do their perspectives, methods, styles.

Going Mobile

mo·bile  [moh-buhl, -beel or, especially Brit., -bahyl]

adjective

1. capable of moving or being moved readily.

2. flowing freely, as a liquid.

noun

1.a piece of sculpture having delicately balanced units constructed of rods and sheets of metal or other material suspended in midair by wire or twine so that the individual parts can move independently, as when stirred by a breeze. (Compare stabile) 

2. a vehicle.

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Today at Art at the Center, I had the pleasure of observing a lot of adult/child interaction.  It seems that adults/parents are becoming more and more comfortable with working on their own and with letting their young artists choose what they want to do.  Often, it can be easy and seem somewhat natural, for a parent or adult to choose for a child.  At home, parents might decide when kids eat, what they will eat, when to leave the house, what they will wear, when to go to bed, how to brush teeth, etcetera.  It is important that adults make these decisions, so that children can have a structured environment and daily routines.  Both of these things help children to know what to expect and then have more ability to overcome any obstacles and handle surprises more easily.  There is a difference between the rules that are necessary and which keep kids safe, and the rules that are made out of pure habit or in order to maintain control.  The studio is a great place for parents/adults to practice letting go of some of these rules.

Being available for guidance is always important and reassuring for child.  When this turns into constant monitoring and a battle of wits, however, it can hinder a child's growth and exploration.  Seeing a young artist exercise her right to say "no", and choose to stay with an activity that she was thoroughly enjoying today, was quite refreshing.  Seeing her mother welcome this independence and respect her decision was also very rewarding.  Mom offered her daughter the option to move from working with clay to painting at the table.  The young artist was very happy where she was, however, so her mother went on to make a decision for herself as well, and began painting.  While still checking in with her daughter to inquire about her creations, she was available and aware.  Eventually, the young artist did join her mother and ended up becoming very involved and in love with the painting process.  She was ready.  And it had to be her decision to say "I'm ready.  I'll come paint now", or else it wouldn't have been a truly enjoyable experience for her.  Nor would she have learned as much, perhaps, if she didn't make the decision herself.  Thus, because she was able to choose, she was also able to go to that new activity with an open and eager mind, which allowed her to jump right in and immediately experience a positive interaction with her mother, with others, and as an individual.  The young artist might have even found a new favorite activity.  She was very happy with the immediate results of the painting, even though she had very much been enjoying the slow process of mashing, squeezing, shaping the cool clay. 

It is a wonderful thing that artists can be, and ARE, individuals... in thoughts, feelings, behaviors, creations.  It's amazing that artists and individuals can also still come together and work on things with combined efforts as well.  It's even more awesome that separate artists can influence each other and give ideas/inspiration, just by sitting next to others and creating.  In this way, both personal and social growth can occur, without anyone's toes being stepped on or feelings being hurt.  We, as individual human beings, are each responsible for our thoughts and actions, and we each have the ability to make choices about what we want to do.  This is a norm for most adults, but should be common for children too, as they become more and more capable of making decisions, and then understanding the responsibilities and consequences that come along with them.  Art-making is a great way for children to learn these concepts.  Being in the studio and having options can result in creativity emerging in endless ways.  This is not only a great metaphor, but also a great way for a child to practice, making decisions about those abounding options that will come up in life. 

Thank goodness we do have options in life, as artists and as individual human beings.  We should all have the opportunity to be mobile, while also having balance between some guidance and some freedom regarding that mobility.  What is learned in one area can be transferred to another and result in a pattern of continual learning, growing, creating, and experiencing all around.  Props to the mom of the young artist today, and props to those who can relinquish control and allow more opportunities for their loved ones to choose, experience, develop, and enjoy every step of the way, on their own!

Leading, Following, and the Place Between

I have been meeting many new participants and young creators at Art at the Center over the past couple weeks.  Some days, everyone comes in ready to work and share the space, just focusing on their own ideas and inspiration.  Other days, there are power struggles, where some artists may feel like followers and some may feel like leaders.  This past week, a young artist came into the studio and was ready to go!  She knew immediately what she wanted to do and began using pastels to draw.  Smiling and talking, she continued to work hard on her pieces and share her thoughts with everyone nearby.  After a while, she became interested in what I was doing and wanted to join in.  I was happy to work together on a drawing.  My little co-artist was also happy cooperating and having a team approach for a while, but then wanted to be the leader.  She had some specific ideas about how she wanted things, what colors to use, and when to use them.  Being the flexible individual that I am, I went along with some of her requests.  However, I also held my own when I wanted to use specific materials and go with my own ideas.  When I asked my co-creator about using certain colors and making specific designs, she agreed.  But she didn't like when I just reached for the material and started on my own.  She wanted to be in control and say when it was okay for me to act.  I had to remind her about everyone having their own goals for a project and how, when working with someone else on a project, there has to be some mutual agreement, some give and take.  Sometimes you have to pick your battles, but this was a good place for a lesson to be taught about cohesion, cooperation and consideration meshing with creation.

This is an example of how control is very important for some individuals when in the studio.  For me, personally, I do like to have control over materials I am using and a piece that is very important to me, when I'm working from deep within my psyche and place of heartfelt emotions.  Young artists often want to take control of anything and everything that they can, once this possibility is offered.  It may because they don't get to have much control at home.  Or it may be because they were bossed around by someone else earlier that day at school or the park.  Even adults may feel like this at times, and those feelings might end up being projected at other people in other situations then.  As opposed to taking control in areas where it is appropriate, control is then taken over the entire situation and environment.  We are more able to recognize this as adults, but we often need to remind children (and, sometimes, other adults) about this fact.  It is much more stressful to make efforts to gain control over something that is not within reach, than it is to keep in mind what is controllable and to focus on that instead.

Control is also relevant to autonomy.  Children should be autonomous and feel independent enough to do things on their own, make choices about what they are doing and how they are doing it, and to feel secure in those decisions.  However, children still need some direction and guidance from adults, and must balance understanding of this time to follow with their intermittent ability to lead.  It was clear that my young artist friend was independent and autonomous.  She was very skilled at manipulating the materials, expressing herself freely, and coming up with great ideas for her art.  I appreciated her free thinking and determination.  I could also see that she was capable of sharing, cooperating and using nice manners.  So, because I could see that she was capable of many things, I could also see that she is capable of knowing when to lead and when to follow, when working individually will make her more satisfied or working with someone else might lead to new discoveries.  Understanding these various perspectives and finding a balance between the two is essential for all individuals and all artists, and especially so that Art at the Center can remain a fun, comfortable, inviting place to learn, create, and engage!

~Big Chalk Draw~

It's been a great start to the year at Art at the Center!!! We had a good turn out for the Big Chalk Draw, which took place on August 31st, 2012 in the parking lot of our facility.  The weather was nice and cool to start out, then warmed us up nicely as the sun crept in and shone down on our colorful creations.  Many children and family members arrived who reported that it was their first time participating in an activity there.  Positive comments were made by them and many new signatures were added to the e-mail list about upcoming events, classes, and resources in the community.  Along with the new enthusiasts, a number of seasoned members also sat down to get colorful with chalk.  Previous interns, Cassie Meier, Chia-Hua Lu and Anna Goist, came to join in the making of new memories and bringing up the old.  A reporter from the local paper, Patch, showed up and interviewed some of the kids as well, who were happy to give their names and get a chance to show off their artwork.  

You can see the article and pictures here!-->  http://forthunt.patch.com/articles/photos-art-at-the-center-hosts-chalk-draw#photo-11190894

I look forward to having many more opportunities to learn and expand my knowledge about art-making, and about working with children and their loved ones.  I also hope to teach others about techniques that I know and to give them tools to take with them, so that they understand how art-making can be therapeutic, in addition to being energetic, nurturing, imaginative and, most importantly, FUN! 

Don't forget to visit our main site to check out classes, links, and other resources

www.artatthecenter.org

Cleaning up and Organizing- an important part of making art!!!

This week my fellow intern, Courtney, and I helped the delightful owner of Art at the Center, Kathryn, clean and organize the facility.  We spent hours working to make sure that the materials are in working order for the kids and adults who come to participate in classes and art-making activities.  There are numerous books that visitors can use for inspiration with pictures, colors and designs.  Plenty of books are available for story time, when kids just need a break from working.  And how-to manuals are also waiting to be used about everything from printmaking to glass-blowing to paper-mache to pop-up books.  We have gathered the dried up markers to make paint out of them, and resurrected old clay and glazes to be used again.  Ribbons, paper, wires, and fabrics are waiting to be cut, shaped and glued for collage or other 3-D creations.  Paintbrushes are clean and paint is wet.  Pencils are sharpened and paper stacked accordingly.  During our organization time, we even had a girl and her father come by the studio to look around and get a feel for how making art there might be.  She was just as excited as we are!  Please feel free to stop by and peruse the studio, give any suggestions that you might have, and take a look at what classes are still available.  They're filling up fast!!!  We look forward to meeting you and making art with you and yours!

 Here's some inspiration for your art space cleaning!