Playing with ideas: The stuff we don't see

Today, the children were impressive story-tellers and inventors of lands faraway.

Our prompt was some works by Salvador Dali. Some of us talked about Surrealism and what we thought the paintings were about. The conversation quickly turned to dreams and 'lands', luring the 'non-listeners' (they were listening) over. Many stories were told before we began work, making surrealist sculptural pieces.

The children invented many strange and wonderful 'lands'- 'Chocolate Land,' 'Zig-zag Land,' 'The Land Where No One Speaks,' 'Mad Cat Land' and lands with treacherous traps and hidden treasures.

One child made the 'Land of Glory and Love'- two islands built in the middle of a lake, FAR, FAR away from the mainland where the wicked ruler lives.

Another made a land of obstacles where clay tools attacked, leaving their marks.

A group of children invented 'funny' characters with pencil- drawn bodies and stuck-on beards, rainbow hair styles and silver jewellery.

Another child didn't feel like using clay and produced a pile of beautifully composed chalk patterns on paper.

I heard lively conversations discussing which Land was the best- all the pros and cons- a lighthearted argument, or rather, an exchange of ideas.

I saw children solve problems- 'how can I carry this?' 'It's falling apart, it's too heavy.' 'How can I build a bridge?'

So what is 'Art'? It's storytelling, imagining, problem solving, teamwork, co-operation, and construction. It's something to get exited about, a time to get your hands dirty, engage your brain and really think for yourself. It's a safe place to PLAY with ideas, and COMMUNICATE those ideas through physical materials. Some ideas don't make the final 'piece' that goes home, but it doesn't matter, it's all part of the PROCESS. There is so much more that is valuable in art than just 'The Art'- it's the stuff we don't see.

Heidi Katajamäki- Praising the Experimental

Last week's Art Play session began with a photograph of Finnish artist Heidi Katajamäki with her installation. Heidi's work is a bold example that the 'process' can be the 'product'. Her work is a statement piece, praising the experimental.

I asked the children, 'What do you think about art like this?' 

'Fun', 'messy', 'crazy', they said. 'I want to go there!' said another.

We discussed how the artist has broken some of art's usual 'boundaries', that the art-work doesn't have to 'look like something' or be 'photo-real' to be 'good' or 'worthy'. We noticed that the edge of the paper doesn't necessarily have to be the edge of the painting and that the painting can even drip down onto the floor, all in a bundle.

To create our own 'experimental' work, we started off with a warm-up inspired by 'The Anatomy of a Pencil' at Access Art. Wallpaper lining paper was spread out across the floor in two long rows which would form the landscape on which we were 'taking our pencils on a journey'. The children were told to hold the pencil with two fingers by its very tip and make marks such as 'flick, stroke, flutter, tap, drip, drop'. 

Then the pencils were gripped by the fist- 'skid, bore, drill, stir, dig, scrape, mix, drag'. At this point, a few of the pencils were broken. It didn't matter, I had plenty more.

The children were then instructed to drop their pencils, then gently pick them up in a horizontal position. 'relax, gentle, zig-zag, flow, around, melt, curl'

Next the pencils were held as if they were extensions to their own finger. 'dig, poke, bore, relax, line, circles'

As the children got more involved with the activity, their creativity flourished- some children started to work standing up, running the whole length of the paper. One child held several pencils in both hands and skidded across the paper making lovely strong marks. Another jabbed at the paper, making many tiny holes. The paper became smudged, ripped and crumpled. It came alive!

When all the pencils were broken, the children, buzzing with enthusiasm, moved on to the giant white sheet that covered the rest of the hall, on which provocatively lay the 'loose parts' of the day- paper, pastels, brushes, sticks, pine-cones, leaves, water and paint. Like in Katajamaki's installation, the children's work didn't end where the paper did. Paints were mixed, splattered and poured. Different tools made different marks. 'My work is so.... DRAMATIC!' someone cried out. 'At first my work was neat, but then I went CRAZY!' said another. Once child experimented by repeatedly wringing out a wet sponge onto his painting, and then tipping out the whole jar.

You could virtually hear their thought processes. First, there were the 'am I really allowed to do this?' looks, to which I just nodded encouragingly. Then like scientists they experimented, discovered and wondered. The more they realised their sense of freedom, the more they excelled into that elusive creative 'flow' where all the magic occurs.

Heidi Katajamaki

Marks from the warm-up

Marks from the warm-up

My work is so...DRAMATIC!

At first my work was neat, and then I went crazy!

The paper is not the edge of the painting

What will happen if I tip the all the water on?

The children were getting really involved with their work

The Art of Loose Parts

In his essay, How Not to Cheat Children: The Theory of  Loose Parts, Simon Nicholson described that 'in any environment, both the degree of inventiveness and creativity, and the possibility of discovery, are directly proportional to the number and kind of variables in it,'  meaning that a child is likely to experience more creative and inventive play or learning if they have, in their environment, a selection of open-ended, multi-use objects such as building blocks and baskets as opposed to 'fixed' toys with 'obvious' uses, an electronic toy phone for example. Nicholson called these open-ended objects Loose Parts. 

I like to keep Nicholson's theory in mind whilst planning for Art Play. Art materials, by their very nature are open-ended ('loose parts'). With them, one could suggest that you are only limited by your imagination, that the degree of 'inventiveness and creativity' is infinite. The problem is, 'loose parts' can close if there is someone trying to direct the play, or give too many instructions. Take Lego, for instance, originally an open-ended construction toy with limitless creativity, it seems to have morphed into intricate craft model-building kits. Same toy, different approach. 

As the person 'in charge' or the 'tutor' at Art Play, I am aware that I could potentially obstruct any 'inventiveness and creativity' with too many instructions or demonstrations, so I try to think of myself more as a 'facilitator'. I don't 'teach' art, I 'facilitate' it. I aim to provoke, to provide just the right amount of inspiration, together with carefully-chosen materials, 'loose parts', that the children can 'invent and create' with. I aim to ask the right questions- get the children thinking for themselves and solving their own problems. It's challenging; a fine balance; an 'art' in itself; a continuous struggle to introduce new techniques, art theory and art history, in a way that doesn't interfere with what they are discovering.

Story-telling is a fantastic spring-board to creative work, inciting the imagination. This week, we read Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak, then using an abundance of 'loose parts'- clay, beads, wire, leaves, sticks, pine cones and whatever else they could find outside, the children created inventive sculptural responses to the book. There were 'Wild Lands' and 'Wild Things', a 'Wild Road', and even a 'Wild T.V.!' Some children chose to work together to make an even bigger 'Wild Kingdom' complete with creatures, paths and fire-pits 'to keep warm.'

A Wild Figure

           

Here, you can see the Wild Road

The Wild Kingdom, a collaboration

The Troll, a Wild Thing

Another close-up of The Troll because he's fantastic!

The Wild T.V. 'Watch Out! Don't touch the wires!'

#artplay #looseparts #art #storytelling #creativity

A Few Brushes and a Cup of Tea

A bonus I get from running Art Play is that I feel more inspired to play myself. 

There's not much I love more than some time alone outside with some thick black charcoal, a sketchbook and preferably some rain. I like to sketch quickly, my work becoming more free as each page turns. When I'm in the 'flow', time passes without notice, work composes itself. Shapes form, marks get stronger, more emotive. I become more creative, maybe rubbing my paper into the wet grass, or smearing in mud and scraping it off. My charcoal eventually disintegrates and I am forced back into reality and off I go home with a full sketchbook and black hands. Usually, the book then lies forgotten in a drawer. Another task on my never-ending to-do list.

Today, I spread my sketchbook out on my dining table along with charcoal, pastels, ink, watercolour, jars of water, a few brushes and a cup of tea and began to work. Into the 'flow' I went and my cup of tea went cold.

Original sketch

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Nature Foragers, Print Makers.

Moving on from the Gatherings, it's that September-time-of-year again. New beginnings, new terms at school and a new term for Art Play, an after-school club I have been running. 

Art Play is a process-based club where we begin with a story and maybe a brief demonstration of a new technique, then the children are free to take their work in any direction they like with the help of a few carefully chosen open-ended art materials. I try to think of the club as art 'yes' space- there is no 'wrong' in art and I love it when the children deviate from my 'plan', when new ideas emerge and exited children make interesting discoveries. What happens if I mix glue into the paint? Can I balance this on here? How can I make it more stable? What will happen if I mix all these colours? Look, I made a new colour! Can I paint the clay? Can I paint with the clay? 

I have always known the magic and value of being immersed in nature. In the past, I have often read the story outside, or had the children draw from the view. As as artist myself, I understand the inspiration you get from working 'en plein air' compared to in the studio. Since embarking on the 'Gatherings', my determination for getting the children outside has bloomed; first-hand experiences fresh in my mind; I have seen how the children come alive in nature, really engaging with the environment. 

With this in mind, I have decided to make this term about using art to explore our connection to nature. The school has a wonderful outside space- a large grass area containing several native trees and a small, but lively pond enclosed by various bushes and woodland (the 'dens') and surrounded by rolling countryside- the children who go here are very lucky.

This week, we did 'clay printing' with natural objects. After the story, we went outside, armed with a large box in which to collect all of our treasures. I told the children to search for objects with different textures, things that feel different. The children ran all over, dashing back with spiky holly,  rough sticks, smooth feathers, leaves of all shapes, sizes and colours, an abundance of hazel nuts and an oak-gall which I said we should leave there for now as it had no exit hole but that oak-gall ink might be an interesting project in a few weeks.

When we got back with our bounty, the children all experimented with the 'clay printing' in their own individual ways. I gave them each black and white printing ink on a palette. One child was exited to see that when mixed, they made a third colour! Some children experimented with all the different marks they could make in the clay, then developed this further by making mini sculptures. 'Look, I can print my hand!' said another. Then there was an exited 'Wow, I can print the clay without any paint!'  

What a lovely start to the term. 

I can print my hand!

Wow, I can print the clay without any paint!

Experimenting with different marks in the clay

Some children made mini-models- this one is the seaside! Look at all the texture they added.

Prints taken from the texture of a rock

This texture came from a pine-cone

Look at the gorgeous leaf veins in this work

This child created a sculptural shelter from the found-objects.

#art #play #imagination #looseparts #open-ended #creativity #clay #nature