Art Gallery of Ontario: Lake Superior

On Tuesday January 25th we visited the Art Gallery of Ontario. This was an exciting day because 1: it is always fun to explore beyond the walls of the classroom, and 2: the AGO was a really interesting experience. I was excited to learn about art, and had decided early on that I was going to critique a piece of art that I really enjoyed. I knew it could be easy to find just any picture, but I really wanted to find a picture that I would enjoy writing and learning about. For the first 2/3's of the tour I saw a lot of exciting pieces of work and expression, but I knew I had yet to find the right picture. Finally nearing the end of our tour we entered into a room, which Rachel referred to as the "Arctic Room", and I knew I was finally in the right place. I liked almost every picture in the room: I loved the way the pictures were painted, and the feel of the atmosphere. After the tour was complete I went back to the room and tried to decide which picture was "the one". Finally after a couple minutes of deliberation I decided on:

Lake Superior

Artist: Lawren S. Harris

For me this picture is so inspiring. My initial reaction was serenity and happiness. I loved the whole colour scheme of the painting, and I really liked how part of the picture was in shadows and darkness and clouds, but light and brightness was pouring in from above. To me this represents life: there are dark areas and times, but light and happiness can always come through if you just part the clouds. I feel like this is a painting that so many people could relate to and inspires images of hardship and struggle that I've faced in my life and was able to overcome. I also love nature and this picture makes a simple scene of nature look so beautiful. This picture reminds me of life and how every situation can be seen in another light, how you always have a second chance, or can make another choice. Nothing is static, everything is always moving and changing. Weather and nature is a perfect way to connect these feelings because weather and earth is always changing, Sometimes beautiful things can appear such as rainbows and eclipse, but other times disaster can strike with hurricanes and storms and devastation. This picture just reminds me that it's not what happens to you, or the devastation things cause, but how you overcome these situations and the outlook you hold on them. 

The materials that were used for this painting was oil, and oil to me always evokes associations with nature and the wild and beauty. I love oil paintings because of the way the colours can blend together, and the scenes and pictures that can be created. I love that the painting is so simple and crisp, there is not a whole lot of intricate details and things going on, but at the same time it feels complex because of the feelings and emotions that it can raise. 

I feel like to create this painting the artist used a combination of many elements of design: line, colour, shape, mass, design, patter, space, balance, and texture. But for me, the most important element of design was

Colour

I think the ways the colours were chosen and blend together would have taken much deliberation. I love how the picture is in part darkness but is bright and warm at the same time as being cool. It might seem like colour wasn't important since mostly blues and greys were used, but if you really look at the picture you see and understand how many different shades hues of blues and greys were used. It seems so particular how the different lighter shades are placed near the top, whereas the darker colours and shades are near the bottom, lower down on the picture. 

Although all elements of design are important, colour stood out to me as the most important because of the feelings it evokes. The same picture without those particular colours in those specific places would create a completely different feel. Without the subtle divide of dark vs light, and light breaking through the darkness the entire collage of emotions would be entirely different. 

To conclude this blog I really enjoyed visiting the Art Gallery of Ontario, because it really makes you think about how important art is to our history and society, and the changes and feelings and revolutions it has created. It helped me to realize that all art has a purpose, and when looking deeper into the picture and in trying to understand the time period and background of the artist, a whole world of meaning can emerge. 

Picture Reference:

www.joyner.waddingtons.ca

Instant Sculpture: Marshmallow Volcano!

When I found out that this week's blog had to be an "Instant Sculpture" made out of household items I had a bunch of different ideas flashing through my mind: sticks, stones, recycling boxes, hair elastics, bobby pins and more. Searching my mind for ideas I realized I was overwhelmed with the multitude of possible artifacts that I could use. I spent the next several days thinking of all the different things I could use, but was unsatisfied with the answers I was coming up with. Then all of a sudden it came to me while I was drinking hot chocolate and marshmallows... "that's it!" I thought, "I should use marshmallows!". And so I did, I poured my bag of mini marshmallows on the floor along with some toothpicks and markers and began my creation. 


I began creating without a real end idea in my mind. So often I create art knowing exactly what I'm going to make, so for once I decided to just let my fingers guide me. I began sticking toothpicks into marshmallows, and creating shapes and squares and triangles. After creating my original shape I realized it lacked colour... so I started splitting some toothpicks in half and coloured them pink and red. The end product reminds me of a volcanic buildup... with the pennies and pink marshmallows representing the lava building up, and the brightly coloured toothpicks representing it spewing from the top. Lately I've felt a little overwhelmed with everything that is going on in my life, so to me this was a sculpture that kind of represented what I feel like on the inside. It's not the most beautiful creation I have ever made, but it was something different and unusual and unexpected, and I was proud of it. 


After completing my Instant Sculpture I began leafing through our Art & Creative Development for Young Children trying to decide what word I could pick to describe this sculpture. Should I pick lines for the toothpicks, or colour for the volcanic flow? Then all of a sudden it came to me... I should use the word which so obviously is found all over my creation:

Shape

In the text book shape is described as "an appropriate criterion for critiquing two-dimensional art that has length and width" (Schirrmacher and Fox, 2009). My Instant sculpture has both length and width, and it's definitely 3-D so this was a perfect word for it. Just as shape has its own qualities and personalities, so too does my sculpture. I believe that my sculpture is both simple and complex, circular and angular and geometrical and non-geometrical. I have simple circles which can be found in the coins, 3D squares and triangles, and free forms shape found within the "exploding toothpicks" that are coming out from the topmost marshmallow. 

Shape is such an important part of art, because almost anything that you create has some form or type of shape in it. Shape is how children identify parts of their body, and learn about the world around them. They learn to distinguish things as big or little, small or large, open or closed, tall or short, hard or soft, solid or light... all different characteristics of shape. Without shape the world as we know could not function. Without rectangular tables, round cups and balls, and flat surfaces,  life would be very different and very likely chaotic. As important as it is for children to learn the function and necessity of shapes, it is also important that they learn shapes so they can go beyond those boundaries. Children must learn that shapes are important, but it's necessary to create abstract non-traditional things as well. Because in order to be creative, children must learn what can be found within our regular realm, in order to reach far beyond it.

This art activity was a creative way for me to push the boundaries within my self. Instead of creating a table or precise picture I pushed myself to create something abstract, to use found objects to create something that was unusual for me. Because after all, how can I expect to teach children to push their boundaries and become their most creative selves if I haven't first pushed myself? This type of activity is extremely important for children because it helps them to understand the importance of creating new things out of old things. It can help children to see old found objects in new ways, and forces them to use their imaginations. In todays society children are often obsessed with material things and sometimes do not see the value in creating their own things. As a teacher I am excited with my creation, which will carry over into the field and help me to share my excited for creation with children. I hope my dedication to the arts will influence children to see art as an important form of expression and play. 


Reference:

Schirrmacher, R., & Fox, J.E. (2009). Art and creative development for young children (6^th Ed.).Belmont, CA: Delmar.

Creativity: a definition without borders

Dr Seuss

Creativity: it is one word with a whole bunch of meanings and interpretations, but what exactly does it mean? I believe this is a hard question to answer, because to me creativity requires a definition that has no borders. Creativity means so many things to so many different people.  Being creative can involve producing a piece of art work for one person, where to another it could mean performing a dance, creating a new recipe, or acting in a play.  I believe that creativity can be found in all aspects of life, and to each person creativity means and produces something different. 

So, where does all of this creativity come from? The inspiration for creation can come from within ones self, or from the environment around us. Inspiration, much like creation, is defined by the individual. Every  person can find inspiration in their life, but how it is found, and whether the inspiration is harnessed to create depends on the person. I personally feel inspired every day through many different forms: I can feel inspired during a scenic car ride through nature, or after watching a moving film. I can become inspired simply through witnessing another person becoming inspired. 

Picture by Me

Lately though, I feel myself become most inspired through interactions with my one-year old niece Aaliyah.  Watching her take her first steps, say her first words, and learn new tricks (like clapping), opens my eyes to the miracles of life that we witness every day. Watching my little niece struggle to pull herself up onto the couch, or crawl down the stairs makes me realize that we have the ability to accomplish so many things. We have the ability to creative and produce things that may at first seem impossible. In only one year I have watched a little 7 pound blob, barely able to move, become this little human being who can walk, crawl, laugh and talk.  Just knowing and loving Aaliyah has inspired me to create things that I never thought I could do, like designing her new little bedroom. Spending weekends searching for furniture and artwork for her bedroom is not something I had imagined myself doing, but through knowing her, it is now something that I have been inspired to accomplish.

Inspiration and Creation is different for each person but can be found in every person. All you need to do is look for the things that inspire you, and use that inspiration to create things that you find meaningful. Learning and understanding the importance of creativity is important for early childhood educations, because it is important to inspire children to learn about theirselves and their environment through exploring and creating. Allowing children the ability to be creative in many different ways creates a variety of learning experiences in all areas and domains of development. 

Salvador Dali: 

Salvador Dali: 

Picture References:

Salvador Dali Pictures retrieved from: http://www.dali.com/store/free-dvd-catalog-form

Dr. Seuss Picture: http://www.drseussart.com/