Week 13 Assignment to Self

Use Clay to Play with Surface Design

Explore possible surface decorations for angel wings through a series of rapidly executed experiments –

Roll five slabs, mark four with a grid

Preassemble tools: small ribbon tools, premade clay stamps, rubber stamps, miscellaneous found object tools (pencil, emery board, marker lids…),Timer

Slabs 1-4 Use five minutes and one set of tools per grid marked slab to create as many textures as possible.

Slab 5 Use five minutes and any / all combinations of tools on plain to create as many textures as possible.

 An added benefit to this assignment, while digging through my clay tools, I discovered a small cylinder seal I had made and forgotten about!

I couldn't wait to get started on this assignment. I felt like it would be the perfect opportunity to explore designs for my angel wings.  Traditionally, the wings are painted with two or three simple line patterns.  I was having difficulty translating that look onto clay, and hadn’t been satisfied with anything I’d came up with.  So, I gave myself the assignment posted above, assured myself that I would not be bound to actually use the designs, and began to play.  As I carved and pressed with reckless abandon I enjoyed the freedom to not worry about originality and craftsmanship.  While exploring I found myself thinking of what to try next….how I might repeat something, add something, and omit something.  I discovered new techniques for using my ribbon tools. (I never knew that the round loop tool could work like a melon baller, carving out a near perfect sphere when used on leather-hard clay!)
I particularly enjoy the texture achieved when pressing a screw head into the clay and in the end decided to use it for part of the wing design.

How could I see this experience translating into my classroom practice? As I have mentioned before, in my elementary classroom there is so much curriculum to cover that I feel like I am driven to move quickly from project to project.  I provide far too few opportunities for my students to ‘play’ with a medium prior to the start of a project.  I think that by building some play time into my lessons it would provide valuable chances for them to explore freely, to enjoy that random ‘what-if’ thought process, and then, determine if they wanted to implement those new ideas in their work.

Week 12: Creativity,-Tools, Theories, & Techniques

Week 12: Creativity,-Tools, Theories, & Techniques

Excerpt from Twyla Tharp - First of all, let me say that I loved reading Tharp’s theories on envisioning. I could identify with her notions so much that I kept thinking, “Who are you, crazy dancer lady, and how do you know my mind so well?!” 

 Tharp likens scratching to the act of scraping a lottery ticket. When I think of scratching, I am reminded instead, of chickens persistently clawing and pecking their way through life in search of the next tasty tidbit. Either way, I agree with Tharp, ideas come from the art of doing something physical in your craft.  You may not know what direction you are headed, but ideas will come simply through the act of engaging in the process.  Tharp says that scratching is a wildly unruly process, but offers rules to make it a bit more manageable. (p 105)  While I hesitate to say that I am a person who likes rules, without a doubt, I am a person who follows rules. Thank-you Ms. Tharp!

Tharp’s Rules for Scratching:

Be in Shape - When I began this course I was definitely out of shape in regard to the process of engagement.  I would generate wonderful ideas, but was extremely undisciplined when it came to actually doing anything with those ideas. Consequently, it did take me a good while to feel comfortable working on projects again. I’m challenging myself to maintain a new level of creative fitness!

Scratch in the Best Places – This one was a bit tricky for me, Tharp says to scratch among the Masters for your inspiration, surround yourself with the best…and I couldn’t help but think, “Isn’t it a matter of personal preference? Isn’t one man’s trash is another man’s treasure?”  When I thought of it in terms of craftsmanship and attention to detail though, this rule did make sense.  Now, if I could just impress the idea upon my students!

 Never Scratch in the Same Place Twice – What a great suggestion for keeping ideas fresh.  I tend to be a creature of habit, but how can I argue with the idea that scratching in the same place will give you the same old ideas?

Maintain the White Hot Pitch - This rule is my favorite! I love the exhilarating description of unleashing an idea and running with it, of allowing it to have the potential of being awful, of not seeing an end product, but just allowing the energy to rush forth and go.

Tharp’s book is on my shopping list, I can’t wait to read everything she has to say about the creative process.

Studio Thinking –

When I first started reading the assignments from this book I couldn’t help but think that it was geared more toward middle and high school teachers, however, the more I read this week, the more I realized that all art teachers face the same challenges when it comes to envisioning, engagement, and persistence.  If I can present deeply engaging projects, if I can encourage the habits of engagement and persistence at the elementary level then surely it would be habits which would carry over into every aspect of a student’s life.

Kosslyn 4

There are many days when, especially with my kindergarteners and first graders, I know they generate ideas, it’s just the matter of getting them to f-o-c-u-s and remain at their table long enough to demonstrate the retention of that idea!

I think that having students use mind mapping as a way of working through this process could be a highly effective method of teaching the envisioning process. I used Popplet to create an example…

Scratching

A Collection of Scratchings

I have a fairly clear vision of how I want most of my tiles to look, but I am not really sure about the center tile and the corners.  I think I want to go with a very simple flower (and maybe vine?) design, but am still exploring.  I began observing flower designs all around and decided to collect these “morsels” for inspiration. From the top left you see an illustration from a Tomie de Paola book that I snatched from a student’s hand as they prepared to return it to the library, a rubber stamp I bought but never used, cat treats….strange place to find a 'flower', fabric from a Pottery Barn table runner, and the background it a Tree of Life image I had been saving for a while. Yummy stuff !!!

I did a little sketching after studying my collected images.  This might be a little too busy for the space I have, but I think I’ll hang onto it for future work.

Studio Assignment

I rolled 25 pounds worth of slabs thinking it would be enough to cut the total amount of tiles needed, but unfortunately, it was not quite enough. So, I had to mist these with water and seal them up, hopefully they're still at a workable stage.

I was really anxious to get started on the design, so, while waiting for the new slabs to dry enough to cut, (persistence!) I drew the angel face and transferred it to Mylar for the purpose of transferring the outline to the largest tile.

As I engaged in the process of carving out the rays I decided that I would save the pressed tile design, maybe for the corners.  I envisioned the clay sticking in the rays or other small areas if I went with my original plan.   Instead, I have decided to go with additive relief sculpting for the main tiles. 

  I have been exploring various options for the eyes, these are some images I found on-line, thought I would experiment with this treatment using scrap clay, just to see what I think.  That's where I am right now.

Thus far, I haven't hit any big snags, there have been no difficult problems to work through. I'm happy with the way things are going.  I only wish there were more hours in the day.

Engage and Persist

Motivating and Instilling Passion – In order for me to be motivated and passionate about a piece of work I need an interest, a connection to what I am doing.  About a year and a half ago my husband, being the generous man that he is, offered my painting services to an acquaintance of his.  He presented me with a large circular saw blade and a photo of the man’s hunting cabin and excitedly told me that the poor man had been looking for forever to get someone to paint the hunting cabin scene onto the saw blade.  Augh, inwardly I cringed, never having been a big fan of the painted saw blade.  I tried to explain to my spouse that it just wasn’t my particular expertise, but eventually I gave in and agreed to do what I could.  That saw blade remains in my garage, untouched, I have NO passion, no desire to ever begin that piece.

So, what do I do to keep from presenting my own students with ‘saw blades’? Hetland suggests presenting assignments that are ‘deeply engaging’. I try to make topics relevant and meaningful. So far this year, we have explored identity, celebrations and place.  We engage in much conversation and brainstorming prior to the start of a project.

Cultivating Sustained Attention – As a rule, once I get started on a piece, I have no problem sustaining attention.  I experience greater difficulty disengaging from my work, I am driven to complete as much as I can in whatever time I have available. I don’t know that this is the best way to work, the results aren’t always wonderful, but it seems to be the way I am wired.

As far as my students go, I travel table to table, admonishing students to stay on task. I remind them of how much time remains on a project. Occasionally I will take away the privilege to talk and ask students to focus all of their attention on their work.

Combating Frustration – When I experience frustration I generally take a break from what I am doing.  I like to walk completely away. I review rough drafts and make new sketches.

With my students I don’t have the luxury of allowing them the opportunity to take much of a break as far as walking away. I encourage them to experiment with ideas in draft form.  I empathize with them, telling them I KNOW that the work is hard.  I let them know that some things we do are difficult for me too.

Working Hard to Meet a Deadline – Having selected clay tiles for my studio piece, I am very well aware of deadlines! I have constructed a rough timeline for my project.  Clay tiles need to dry slowly so they do not warp; carving works best on leather-hard clay.  I had to really think through the entire process of what needed to be done, by when.

In the classroom I try to give my students an idea of how long we will work on a project and offer suggestions on how they need to budget their time.  I tell them what point I expect them to be at the end of a class period.  I tell them not to rush their work, and remind them to do their best. I provide opportunities for them to come in before or after school, or during their recess time.

Developing the Ability to Delay Gratification – For me, and this sounds silly to put into writing, I give myself little pep-talks.  I have kind of a running monologue, sometimes out loud, sometimes to myself, describing what I see and how I think it looks and what I need to do in order to complete the piece. I tell myself to “Just keep going” or “Leave that the way it is for now and move on to the next part”. This is probably one of the reasons I like to work alone!

For my little ‘Instant Gratification is my middle name’ students I do pretty much the same.  If we are working on a piece that takes multiple time periods I tell them not to focus on the end piece, but to do the best that they can on it every time they work. 

Electric December

My favorite Electric December video so far.