Working in Series

Sometimes artists get an idea that is "grabby" for them, one that sticks and is worth pursuing, sometimes over and over. Think Georgia O'Keefe's enlarged flowers, for example, or Monet's bridge.   When this happens, it is said that the artist is "working in series." A series is a group or continuum of artwork, each sharing something in common. The collection of work might share a theme, a subject, or a technique. 

Working in a studio-setting, learners are free to explore themes and interests, and build a related body of work. We recently hung a series of paintings that "M," grade 8, worked on over several weeks. 

"M" has been pursuing faces, large and small, for some time now. Many of his earlier faces were made with marker. 


Sometimes he paints faces on and in magazines, creating a variation on the idea of "altered books."



For this series, "M" mostly used acrylic paint on 18" X 24" paper, although the one below is mixed-media; permanent marker and white gel pen over acrylic paint. 

And the first one in this series, the one above with the yellow hair, is double-sided, with a marker-face on the reverse. Here is the reverse side of that painting: 

Finally, "M" wrote a simple artist statement to accompany his work. The statement give a little glimpse of this artist's process. 

Infinity and Beyond

The Infinity Gauntlet

My students keep trying to make it. 

“Do we have any gems? Do we have any jewels? Do we have any gems or any jewels?” 

They try making it out of clay, papier mâché and paper bags wrapped in masking tape. Some even tried casting their hand in plaster, first one side, then the other. But when assembled, the hand won't fit back into the thing. 

Individual, articulated fingers with Infinity Stones in place. Ready for assembly.

It seems that function is lagging somewhat, and the function (you know, to control the universe...) is key. 

Nothing works. 

Until now. 

5th grader “A” is engineering an articulated glove by manipulating paper “art straws.”  The Infinity Stones are made by arranging the right color pony beads into the correct shapes. This is the first glove created in our studio that can be worn, taken on and off, and has moving fingers. “A’s” one complaint is that he still can’t snap his fingers with it on. 
And, spoiler alert: snapping your fingers when wearing the Infinity Gauntlet, is pretty important.

Finished, articulated gauntlet. Fits like a ...glove!

Closing Centers

It’s mid-May.
I stood in the empty studio this morning and started thinking that maybe it’s time to close the sculpture center. 

But then I had another think coming. 

Tom Sawyer Moment

This chair. 

I saved it in case someone needed something to paint. 

And saved it, and saved it, and saved it...

and tripped over it, and stacked things on top of it, and started to regret saving it. 

FINALLY, there are several student who keep pleading for “something else to paint.” 

So I gifted the chair to an artist in need. 

And then that Tom Sawyer thing happened. So fun to watch friends come by to see what going on only to end up with a paintbrush in their hands. 
Aunt Polly would be amused.