Painting Van Gogh-ish

Bell Trace elder artists were invited to serve as art-making mentors at a local elementary school in the fall of 2018. This initiative, coordinated by Indiana University Libraries, used the children's picture book "Ish" by Peter Reynolds, to explore the concept of perfection in the process of making art.  In preparation for their role as art-making mentors, the elders adopted the "ish attitude" when approaching their own creative pursuits in an adventure to understand the work of Vincent van Gogh.    

One of the most interesting thing that we discovered is, that although van Gogh is known best for his paintings, he is considered a master draftsman as well. He often did drawings of paintings both before and after he completed a canvas. Therefore, before we embarked upon the painting process, we spent several weeks studying his paintings using pencil, charcoal, and crayon. This allowed the elder artists to focus on the composition of the painting and to better understand van Gogh's brush stroke style without getting distracted by the vibrant colors that he used.

Pallet Paintings

When we paint in the studio, at the end of each class, participants scrape the paint off their pallets and contribute to a shared canvas. These collaborative efforts make clean up time more fun, and it is a great way to introduce abstract painting to beginners who like the security of copying something. I often lend a hand to these collaborative canvases, as abstract expressionism is my style of painting.

Blue Exploration: a journey into abstract art
“Literature not only represents to us our world, but it also shows us ways in which we can change the world or adapt to changes which have already taken place without our realization. Literature's cognitive dimension helps us cope with the current as well as future challenges by changing the way we think about ourselves, our society and those who are excluded from or marginalized within our society.”  
                                                                  ~Michael Mack, How Literature Changes the Way We Think
By the end of 2018, after our experience with Painting Van Gogh-ish, and working with the children at Templeton Elementary School, participants in the art studio had fully embraced the attitude of “ish”. Dare I say that the child’s picture book “Ish” by Peter Reynolds had such a powerful impact on us, that it changed us. It changed the way we approach our art making; it changed the way we deliver art instruction; and it changed the way we look at the art made by others.
 
The original intent for exploring blue, was to somehow mirror the Timeline Project that was simultaneously being launched in the Sunroom, where residents would gather to share personal stories and review significant events that shaped life in America during the twentieth century. And so, with Picasso, being the most dominating force in the art world at the beginning of the twentieth century, our journey would begin with him.
Using a soft blue lead pencil for warm up exercises, we explored the difference between drawing with the intention of one continual line and drawing using quick gestural marks. We tried expressing emotions like joy, confusion, courage, with our blue pencils, and practiced using a one-point perspective.We even tried a visual meditation to tap into our feelings before we started drawing.

The chalk and charcoal drawings on display are the participants first attempt in drawing a cubist style still life. It was at this point in our journey that we realized the lasting effect that the “ish” experience had on us. When the elders dove into the experience head first without trepidation, it was clear that the barrier of “I’m not an artist” was gone. The acrylic paintings on exhibit began with an under painting using only shades of blue, then the following week another layer of paint was added.
 
Finally, as we moved forward on the Timeline Project, we jumped forward in the art studio as well. Reflecting the surge of domestic design and mass production of the 1950’s, we shifted are focus to pattern and print making with a shibori indigo dye workshops facilitated by fiber artist Jean Haley. The photo prints were produced in a workshop with a visiting artist from the T.C. Steele State Historic Site.

Understanding Cubism: cubist style still life

Abstract Expressionism | Week One: blue underpainting

Abstract Expressionism | Week Two: adding color