This is the last week of our 3rd term 2012.
Next term will start: 16 October, nine week term.
Our drive for this term has been textiles and yarns. It has been very a different approach this time. My trip to Chile has been a great inspiration for art this term. While there, I visited galleries, museums, craft centres and talked to many artists and craft people. I visited a wonderful Wool Expo where I found the most amazing display of colourful 100% pure wool yarns. I brought some yarns for the students and I also brought hand made dolls made by the indigenous people on the South of Chile.
Using old materials like coffee bags and old vegetables bags that I previously washed. The students stitched and decorated dolls, using colourful yarns and small woven pieces that they created with the yarns. It was wonderful to see how the students took time to stitch and decorate their dolls. These days when life is so fast and virtual, it was so rewarding to see young children engaging in their craft with enthusiasm and perseverance.
Looking at designs of blankets of the Navajo People, from America, the students found inspiration to create designs for a basic batik project. This week they are finishing their batik project making a cushion with them. This week we are also trying to finish a clay sculpture involving shape, movement and texture. Following with the idea of textiles, we are incorporating fabrics in this project. Students are adding textured fabrics into their clay project to create textures.
We also did printmaking, mono prints, and students used thick fabrics to create a textured printed background. The idea was again to use fabrics in other areas of fine art projects. The students enjoyed the open and experimental approach of printing using fabrics.
There was also opportunities to draw, we always make time to draw, we draw what we make and many times what is around the studio, a corner of the room, the red bicycle parked outside the studio, anything that inspire children to draw.
Next term we will explore type, I have collected letters, wooden letters, plastic letters, and blocks letters. The students are very keen on working with the idea of an “Altered Book”, they saw the sample I made for my University students and they asked me if they could do one next term. I think it is a good project for them to experiment with type and to think of an idea for their books.
Raquel Redmond
