Speak Against Racism!

Arts Explorer #10: Community Arts Project

Racism is a major issue which I believe is still present in our society today. This topic is related to diversity and social justice as it affects every person in this world. As a group, me and my team decided to present a “big idea” which consists of creating six different “Speak Against Racism” stickers that contain an inspirational quote by various, ethnically diverse, famous pro-activists. A blackberry bar code and website link is provided on the sticker to allow people to share their experiences, thoughts, questions and/or comments to racial acts they have been a part of. Our hopes of creating an online, interactive community for others to help, give advice or even just to let the world know what they are enduring, will raise awareness to the discrimination that still exists today. We have fortunately been sponsored by a printing company who assisted us in creating these stickers at no cost. We have also been supported by Ryerson’s Students Against Racism and hope to have continuous support by other universities as well as well established groups such as Broken Chains. We hope to raise awareness to our growing community about racism and the affects it has on people.

After presenting our idea to the class, we received great feedback from our friends and the professor. We did not get asked any question due to the time limit we had and the other groups that needed to present. We were told that the stickers we have created were very interesting and a great way to raise awareness around the Ryerson University campus. I believe our presentation went very well, as we put forth a lot of time and effort to make our project eye catching, appealing and realistic. We had discussed and covered all areas necessary in making our cause of interest to all. What I could have done differently when presenting our Community Arts Project, would have been to memorize and have a discussion rather than just speaking to our class about our cause. Overall, I believe our presentation went very well and had kept everyone interested in what we had to say.          

Inspiring Graffiti

Arts Explorer #9: Guerilla Art

My most artistic ability is seen in written graffiti and sketched pictures. I enjoy writing particular words and/or quotes that have meaning to me and sharing them with others. The guerilla art which I have decided to leave for the public to see is none other than written graffiti of a quote that someone very important in my life had once said to me, “Happiness is like a butterfly”. Along with this quote, I have also drawn a small sketch of a butterfly. Drawing graffiti does not take as long as it would to sketch a picture, as it has many more details.

After completing my guerilla art on paper, I attached it to a cork board at a school and gave some time for others to notice it. As I waited around the corner, I saw a few students pass by and give a quick look, whereas others stopped and starred at it. Some even touched it and one student in particular said, “wow”. Hearing and seeing these reactions made me feel proud and good about my artwork. I took my guerilla artwork home and left it on my kitchen table, to soon hear my family’s thoughts about it. My family seemed to be impressed with my abilities and told me I had done a great job. This process had made me realize that sharing my artwork with others can make me feel proud, as well as bring amusement to others.          

I believe my guerilla art contains a great deal of originality, as I have a particular unique style of graffiti inspired writing. Originality is technically defined as “a term characterizing thinking that is unique and unusual” (Schirrmacher & Fox, 2009, p. 342). I believe graffiti consists of an artist’s expression of them self, their beliefs, or something which is of great importance to them. With this being said, graffiti artists incorporate meaningful experiences or thoughts in their art work, which illustrate their uniqueness. Future implications to incorporate and encourage children to take part in art activities that allow them to express themselves can include letting children choose their own art activities during free-time, providing various materials to enrich their environment and taking time to address their creations.    

Schirrmacher, R & Fox J.E. (2009). Art & Creative Development for Young Children. Delmar: Cengage Learning. 

Little Walnut Man

Arts Explorer #8: Pretend Play and Magical Thinking

There are a variety of inanimate objects around my house which I could have used to personify and bring to life, but one particular object that I saw in my kitchen, came to life instantly. I have chosen to bring a walnut to life! The idea first came to me when I saw my sister breaking the walnut shell and then attempting to shoot the broken pieces at me with a rubber band. Soon enough the rubber band broke and I had decided to tie it back together. Right then and there the idea came to me of creating a headband for my walnut man! By just putting the rubber band around the walnut, it already started to look like a tiny little person. The only thing left to do was add some eyes and particular facial features. I attached two googly eyes and have drawn a small nose and a mouth made from a pipe cleaner, along with a moustache to give him a funny look. He also has feet made from pipe cleaners which help him stand up and hair which was painted on using black paint. The walnut seemed to be the perfect shape of a head, which made creating a little man that much more fun and interesting.

Mass and/or volume is an important aspect of my “walnut man” as it is a three dimensional work of art “which has height, length, and width” (Schirrmacher & Fox, 2009, p. 142). This particular work of art is light weight but hard and also small, which are some characteristics of an object that has mass and/or volume (Schirrmacher & Fox, 2009).   

I have decided to call my inanimate object the “little walnut man” because he is small and has no legs or arms. The headband on my walnut man makes him look like a ninja and the moustache gives him an Italian look. When all these aspects of imagination come together, the walnut man represents an “Italian ninja” who is strong (hard shell) and powerful! Having the opportunity to bring an inanimate object to life and give particular personality traits, facial features etc., helped me connect with my creative side and imagination. Implications for the future include various art activities just like this one, where a child can explore, experiment and use their imagination to create artwork that reflects their interests. Allowing children the freedom to let their thoughts run wild when taking part in art activities, is the best way for them to engage at their full potential.



Schirrmacher, R & Fox J.E. (2009). Art & Creative Development for Young Children. Delmar: Cengage Learning. 

Fruit Fun!

Arts Explorer #7: Grocery Shopping With a Twist

      Grocery shopping for some can be a chore and for others, can be fun. I believe it all depends on who is paying for the groceries! As a child, I have always had fun going to the grocery store with my mom. I remember always searching for the packaging that is the most colourful and fun looking, and then beginning my mom to buy it for me. The fruits are also what caught my attention, and still persists even today. There are so many fruits which are rich in colour, texture and design that make eating them even better! Here is a list of fruits that I have seen while grocery shopping:

·         Apples

·         Bananas

·         Peaches

·         Oranges

·         Grapefruits

·         Plums

·         Pears

·         Watermelons

·         Honeydew melons

·         Cantaloupes

·         Strawberries

·         Raspberries

·         Blueberries

·         Grapes

·         Pineapples

All of these fruits have a variety of shapes which make them all unique. Shape can be defined in many ways such as “referring to the outside shape of an object” (Schirrmacher & Fox, 2009, p. 140) or “the edge of an enclosed space” (Schirrmacher & Fox, 2009, p. 140) and many more. The shapes of these fruits are very different in comparison to each other, which make them each interesting in their own way.  



Schirrmacher, R & Fox J.E. (2009). Art & Creative Development for Young Children. Delmar: Cengage Learning. 

Gluing With Scissors!

Arts Explorer #6: Painting With Scissors

"Worlds of Cultures"

An art activity in which children can use their creative skills and also embrace their diversity, allows one another to not only understand more about the various cultures, but opens their eyes to a new world of knowledge.

In the art activity which I have created, children will be given various magazines, newspapers etc, and will be asked to cut out objects that represent their culture, traditions, religion and so on. After cutting out various pictures, the children will paper-mache their cut outs onto a small balloon. Each child will have their own “world of culture” and when combined together with their friends, will have different “Worlds of Cultures”. Every child will be able to explore and visually see all the differing cultures of their peers alongside of their own. This activity incorporates the use of many skills such as cutting with scissors, mixing, gluing and pasting. It is a very hands on activity in which all children can enjoy and take part in. When in an early childhood setting, implications such as combining the various fine motor skills, along with an open environment where children are welcome to work together and share ideas, provides them with opportunities to interact on many levels. I have noticed that children LOVE to get messy when working on any sort of creative art activity, so this is a perfect way to let them work hands on with their peers and get right into their work!

Mass and volume are important within this art activity as the outcome product is a three-dimensional figure. Mass and/or volume can have various meaning with some being “open or closed, heavy, bulky, solid, static or dynamic, hard or soft, etc.” (Schirrmacher & Fox, 2009). There are many acceptable meanings for the words mass and volume as they incorporate critiques for height, weight and volume in three-dimensional art (Schirrmacher & Fox, 2009).

Schirrmacher, R & Fox J.E. (2009). Art & Creative Development for Young Children. Delmar: Cengage Learning. 

Eye Catching Movies

Arts Explorer #5: ‘Art Film’

The ‘art film’ “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind”, is a very interesting, yet confusing movie. I can see why this movie would be considered an art film as it has a sort of uniqueness through the idea/storyline. This particular movie, aside from the great actors/actresses, had a very tricky storyline which made me think and wonder what was going on at some points. Aside from the actual story of the movie, the settings in which some of the scenes were shot in were absolutely gorgeous! The feelings which were evoked from these settings were chilling because of the interesting sights, as well as the context. The characters in this movie were also showing their abilities in the art of acting. The role which each actor and actress played was phenomenal. The ability to take on completely different characteristics is very difficult and throughout this movie was successfully done.

Balance seems to come to mind when watching the film “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind”. This is because some of the unique scenery had negative space as well as positive space which seemed to work together in harmony (Schirrmacher & Fox, 2009). The way in which the space was used in each scene, at some points, looked awkward but also evoked a sense of interest in how it was displayed and used. The characters appeared to fit in an asymmetric balance (Schirrmacher & Fox, 2009). In some ways, the different images and characters all equally fit together to form balance throughout each scene. Overall this movie, although gave me confused feelings, evoked interest and amusement.       

Schirrmacher, R & Fox J.E. (2009). Art & Creative Development for Young Children. Delmar: Cengage Learning. 

A City of Natural Art

Arts Explorer #4: Patterns in Urban Settings

The city of Toronto has an unbelievable amount of glory whether it is a part of nature or man-made sights. In my opinion, nature is the most unique and original scenery out there which persuaded me to use this photograph of a large rock, which has many different lines and shades. I had taken this photograph when I was at a park and this particular rock was a part of a cliff which descended into a pond. I have also included another photograph which I had taken of a building that has unique lines and seemed to be quite interesting to look at. Both of these photographs consist of patterns that are made up by various lines. The photograph of the rock up close looks very different then when seen from a further distance. After starring at the picture for a few minutes, it began to look like the bark of a tree or a log because of the vareity of lines. There are a combination of vertical, horizontal, diagonal, curved, wavy etc, lines in both pictures that gives off a texturized and flowing feel, which leads my eyes around the photographs.  

Lines seem to play an important role in capturing my attention because it adds a captivating view to each element of art which is already present such as, colour, texture, shape etc. Although the formal definition of a line is “a visible mark made by an artistic tool” (Schirrmacher & Fox.135. 2009), the impact it has on art is very effective. A line is not only a “mark” but can form many inspiring pieces of art, which effects people in many different ways.       



Schirrmacher, R & Fox J.E. (2009). Art & Creative Development for Young Children. Delmar: Cengage Learning. 

Absolutely Fine Art

Arts Explorer #3: Fine Art Critique

 

Tom Thomson (1877-1917), Canadian artist, Group of Seven

The Art Gallery of Ontario has always been an interesting place to see and learn. I have been to the AGO many times and have noticed some of the same paintings and sculptures which have caught my attention each time. These particular eye catching paintings are those of the Group of Seven. Specifically the Canadian artist Tom Thomson has always been one of my favourite artists as his paintings are very intriguing and visually appealing. In high school I had taken an art course in which I observed various paintings by Tom Thomson and was instructed to sketch a replica of one of his paintings. I had chosen to sketch the painting labelled, “The West Wind”. After sketching it, I had asked my teacher if I could paint over it to try and capture the exact colour and mood of the painting. After doing so, my painting was posted on the bulletin board for everyone to see. That felt really good!

 


Tom Thomson- "The West Wind", 1917

 

Tom Thomson's painting has incorporated many vibrant colours which are used in a unique way to bring about texture in his artwork. Texture can be defined as "the surface quality" (Schirrmacher & Fox.144. 2009) which is seen in any type of atwork. Tom Thomson uses his paint brush to add various textures to his painting, especially in the water and clouds, which give off a smooth feeling. The instrinsic detail within this painting allows the viewer to imagine just how the water, clouds, rocks and leaves would feel to the touch. 

This particular painting has always fascinated me due to the uniqueness of the colours Tom Thomson has used. The water and sky are very detailed in that every wave and movement can be seen. The colour of the tree and the angle at which it is bending shows the severity of the wind, but yet a sense of peace. The warm colour tones gives off a summer-like feeling with a warm gust of wind blowing past. When first seeing this painting, I had noticed the tree leaves as well as the base on which the tree is sitting on. The rocks under the tree also seem to have some leaves on, which I think represent the change in season from summer to fall. Tom Thomson’s painting of “The West Wind” is very interesting in an awkward way. The positioning of the tree and the vibrant, yet warm colours used to highlight the sky and water, show the motion of the weather which is what makes this painting come alive.   



Schirrmacher, R & Fox J.E. (2009). Art & Creative Development for Young Children. Delmar: Cengage Learning. 

Sculpting with Colours

Arts Explorer #2: Instant Sculpture

As I was looking around my house for random items to sculpt with, I came across a box of pencil crayons. For some reason, when I saw them, I stopped and thought about the variety of colours and how interesting it would be to form some sort of multi-coloured structure. I picked up the box and ran to my room and began to stack the pencil crayons. Although they kept rolling and sliding off one another, I kept going so I could build a three-dimensional, multi-coloured, squared structure. It definitely took a lot of patience and stability to stack them but in the end, I was able to get at least four rows of pencil crayons on top of each other.

Colour is what initially sparked my imagination when thinking of which household items I could work with. I believe colour is what gives a picture, painting, drawing, sculpture, etc, its life. Colours catch viewer’s attention and engage them into the artwork. I believe that colour is a very important element of art because of the many creations that can be designed with it. In my perspective, colour adds depth and feeling to any sort of artwork. Colour can be defined as “the visual sensation of light caused by stimulating the cones of the retina” (Schirrmacher & Fox.136, 2009), but can have so many more meanings as to how colour can make us feel. I have also created the shape of a heart using the tips of the pencil crayons.  In my sculptures, I feel that the importance of colour is seen to visually attract attention to the stimulating pattern/design.

                   
             Colour adds life to artwork 




Designs and patterns made with colours are the most visually appealing type of artwork that I am interested in, which is why I came up with creating a shape with the pencil crayons. I think it is eye catching and unique. The use of the just the pencil crayons tips to form the shape, and the rest of the pencil crayon facing the outside of the heart, gives a more defined and stimulating appreance created by the colourful lines. 







          Schirrmacher, R & Fox J.E. (2009). Art & Creative Development for Young Children.
Delmar: Cengage Learning.
 

       
       

Creativity is something of beauty

Arts Explorer #1: My Creative Inspiration

What does creativity mean to me?

Creativity comes with the appreciation of beauty in all its form.

I believe the word creativity can have very different meanings to every individual, but one thing which can be said with confidence is that, creativity is a belief of inner beauty and the ability to portray that in a meaningful way. Whether a person has a passion for painting, drawing, building, creating and/or much more, I believe their inspiration derives off of their inner beauty, as well as their thought and spirit. Creativity is not just having an artistic talent or ability, but being able to draw upon the depths of a person’s inspiration in order to translate that into a product of art. Being able to appreciate beauty in all its form means to accept and embrace one’s unique characteristics. I believe every single person is creative in their own way, no matter how, or in which way they express it. I also believe that children are the most originally creative people by far. Various things can intrigue and spark a child’s imagination, which can then be constructed, drawn, designed etc. Some people can be inspired by a very important aspect or event that has occurred in their life and some can slowly develop an interest, which can turn into a passion.

"Creativity is allowing yourself to make mistakes.  Art is knowing which ones to keep."  -Scott Adams

My inspiration comes from the colour and design techniques seen in the Science of Beauty. Although I did not adapt this throughout my childhood, I have been interested and embraced the uniqueness of makeup artists throughout my teenage years. Not only am I able to pursue this as a hobby, but I can also be my own teacher when experimenting with the variety of colours, designs and patterns. I am known as the “official makeup artist” of my house which feels pretty great! I hope to continue this type of art throughout my adulthood and inspire others in the same way that I have been.