Storytelling through Art

 

All over the studio today, young artists were telling stories with their work.  Before, during, and after creation, the plots arose and were thickened with enthusiasm and energy.  These girls worked together on a storyline, adding bits and pieces where they felt certain it would compliment what was already there.

A creature was born out of an idea in mind.  Its environment then developed, as more colors and lines appeared in the girls' vision and were put down onto the paper with the pastels.  Working together, the two friends talked about what happened in this environment, what was available for the creature to eat, and where it might go next, after leaving the scene in the drawing.

Showing off their partnership and combination of talents, the young artist and her friend take turns explaining their thought process and how the story came to be.  Bringing up this situational information and formatting it into a visual schema is important for learning how to transform thoughts into words.  Communicating the ideas to others can be the most difficult part, but images can assist with this.

These boys became more and more excited about their art as their stories became more enriched, and their stories went more in depth as they applied the paint to the brush, then putting that excitement onto the paper.  The young artist on the left had been working on this painting for a few weeks now, returning to the studio with a plan and a purpose.  His intentions had remained fairly solid, but today he had a new idea to add and was not hesitant about jumping in to alter it.

The final piece was just one image but a vast combination of thoughts and feelings.  No longer was a firetruck going to ride over the mountains to save a family and put out a fire.  Much more ended up happening, where bombs destroyed the earth and chaos was everywhere.  Yet, things were okay because a rainbow was out and the sun was still shining.  Hearing these parts of the story provoked interest and everyone wanted to hear more!  The young artist reported that he would return next week with even more to depict through his art and accompany with his words.

Here, the artist told a story through the art itself.  He used different sized brushes, moving from big to small, and expressed himself with corresponding strokes and colors.  Words are not always necessary for storytelling.  The overall feeling and general meaning of the story can often be understood just by viewing the artwork, just as one can view a book cover and get an idea of the plot line.

  Stories are often told and retold.  Our artists here connect stories that they may have already heard to their own new creations, or relate their stories to existing images from current culture.  Sometimes they continue a story that they began in the past, adding a twist and surprising even themselves.  Learning to develop characters, environments, and situations is important not only for academic development, reading & writing, or presenting to peers.  It is also a skill that can be used in every day life, for understanding that stories can change and that the characters must adapt to feel comfortable in their new surroundings.

Sharing these stories with others feels good.  It is exciting to create them as ideas and images come to mind, improvising or responding to the wonder of the audience.  The young artists here at the studio are learning so many ways to communicate, tell their stories, and express themselves, both creatively and clearly.