Art's Explorer #4: Patterns on a Vintage Building in an Urban Neighbourhood

Patterns are present everywhere, so long as there is repetition in objects or events. Patterns also refers to treatment given to a surface, suggests flow, rhythm, movement or motion, as well as repetition and regularity (Schirrmacher & Fox, 2009). These repetitions or regularity can be in the form of colors, shapes, lines, textures that move across a surface in a recurring sequence (Schirrmacher & Fox, 2009). As I was walking along my neighbourhood, which is by the Rogers Centre, I was amazed at how many patterns I could spot. As I walk to school or to do daily errands, it never occurs to me to look around at the different architecture which consist of many patterns. It amazes me how everything is so precise. Every square or rectangle window in a building are all the same sizes, same length and width. Every grate on the ground create a pattern of vertical and horizontal lines of equal lengths. I walked further down to Spadina (China Town) to find more interesting patters other than what I see every time I leave my apartment. I've walked down Spadina countless times and have always found this vintage building to be so interesting. I passed it, and in an instant, patterns that I have never really noticed before popped out at me. I knew then that this old building had to be the subject for my blog on patterns.

The vintage building on Spadina. From this angle, the windows look evenly and equally spaced out

I wanted to focus on the top windows of the the building, which I thought had the most patterns, and was the most interesting part of the building. As you can see, there are several aspects to this picture that illustrate patterns. Firstly, as you can see, the colours show regularity and repetition. While the roof itself is a purplish maroon colour, the top of the windows is an acid green, the sides a bright yellow, then the bottom of the window repeats the acid green colour. Each window is painted like this which gives a sense of repetition.

A picture of the windows that look unevenly spaced out from this angle

According toSchirrmacher and Fox (2009), patterns have their own identity and can be regular or irregular, symmetrical or asymmetrical. In a closeup shot of the windows, you can see that the actual roof itself has some decorative treatment. Diamond shapes are seen and create a pattern across the roof, as well as horizontal lines both on top and on the bottom balances the roof out. The roof has many cracks and is damaged in some places, which further gives it a unique identity and pattern. Moreover, the mouldings on the windows are all the same. The moulding creates a frame for the window, and shows regularity by all the windows having the same moulding. 

A closeup shot of the windows

I believe this picture is a good representation and example of patterns. The repetition of the colours, the position of the windows, the treatment and shapes on the roof, and the mouldings on the window are all elements which make this rooftop a good example for patterns. This activity was a lot of fun and can be easily translated to an activity for children. This will teach children to be observant about nature, and the different architecture. Taking children on a walk where they can spot patterns will be fun, interesting, and educational. Teaching children about patterns, will not only help improve their artwork, but will also help enrich their math and reading skills(Schirrmacher & Fox, 2009). 

Reference 

Schirrmacher, R., & Fox, J.E. (2009). Art and creative development for young children (6th Ed.). Belmont, CA: Delmar Cengage Learning.

Art's Explorer #3: Fine Art Critique

This week for Creative Arts, my class and I went to the Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO) to look at artwork, and to critique a piece of art that made an impression on us. We were given the first hour to wander around the first and second floors of the gallery, then the next hour we were given a tour around the gallery by Patricia Gora.

I decided to approach this task by having an open mind, and by writing down the title and artist of the artwork that made an impression on me. That way, at the end of the day, I could go through all the paintings online and choose one that I want to critique. I was overwhelmed by the vast amount of paintings in the gallery, and I found a number of paintings that spoke to me. I decided to critique a painting that was not just intricately detailed and beautifully painted, but was of a scene that made me ponder what the painting was about. The painting was in a gallery called History and Her Story. The common subject of the paintings that were hung in the gallery were women.

The oil on canvas painting I chose to critique was quite large, and I had to take a closer look to examine the intricate brush strokes and the expressions on the people's faces. The title of the painting is Zeuxis Choosing his Models, so I assumed that Zeuxis must be the man standing in front of the canvas holding out a wreath. The women in the painting are his models that he is choosing from of whom he will use as the subject of his painting. As I looked closer at the painting, I noticed the expression on the women's faces. They looked coy and almost embarrassed, which confused me because they seemed like they were auditioning to be the subject of Zeuxis’ painting. I can imagine that being an honor back then.

Nicolas-André Monsiau (French, 1755–1837) Zeuxis Choosing his Models 
1797 
oil on canvas 
96.0 x 129.0 cm 
Art Gallery of Ontario, Gift from the Volunteer Committee Fund 1988 
© 2007 Art Gallery of Ontario


Design and Composition

According to Schirrmacher & Fox (2009), the term design is used to describe any work of art that children come up with, however, adult artists use design as a part of their overall composition. Design and composition attempt to answer questions such as; "Do line, shape, color, texture, and form blend and work together as a unified whole? Is the arrangement of these artistic elements pleasing and satisfying? Does it make the viewer want to return and admire again and again?" (Schirrmacher & Fox, p. 142. 2009). My answer to these questions is yes. The overall design and composition of this painting is quite beautiful. This painting captured my attention immediately, not just because of its size, but also because of the elements of the painting. I loved how the subjects in the painting are composed. The painting provides a sense of order and organization due to how the people in the painting are organized. My eyes were immediately drawn to the woman standing on the platform, then to the man (Zeuxis) reaching out to give her a wreath, then to the other subjects in the painting who line the perimeter of the room. The painting also has this magnetic quality to it that makes me want to come back and look at it again and again. Not only did I examine it while we were given free time to wonder around, I examined it again when we were given the tour, and the second time I saw it, I noticed other details that I didn’t see the first time. For example, next to the painting, there is a gold stand with smoke coming out on top. Moreover, I noticed wooden carvings at the top left of the painting, which looks like a depiction of a battle scene. There is so much detail and interesting objects in the painting that allows me to find something new every time I look at it. Also, the mere fact that elements such as line, color, and shapes all mesh together to create a realistic, pleasant and interesting painting makes me want to look at the painting over and over again.

The field trip was enjoyable and interesting. I loved looking at the different pieces of art, but I found myself questioning what the intentions of the artists were, but I think that is what art is about. I believe that art is supposed to provoke questions, and is open to interpretation. When Patricia showed us around I thought it was so helpful when she discussed how you can share the different art works with children to get them to think about it more. For example, ask children open ended questions such as, 'what do you think this artwork is about?", then lead with closed ended questions "why do you think she or he looks that way?". You may also want to as children "what is the colour that is most used in this picture?" to get them to think about different colours. I think bringing children to an art museum is a great way for them to learn about different art terms, and to think about the different art forms, and what they consider art to be. It doesn't have to be a painting, but can be a sculpture, a room, or jewelry.

Reference 


Schirrmacher, R., & Fox, J.E. (2009). Art and creative development for young

  children (6th Ed.). Belmont, CA: Delmar Cengage Learning.

Art's Explorer #2: My Calming Instant Sculpture

This week's Arts Explorer was actually quite therapeutic for me. After a hectic first two weeks of classes, I needed the weekend to relax, calm myself, and regain focus away from the hustle and bustle of university, and away from the frigid cold. When I began my instant sculpture, I really didn't have any direction at all. I began with a black glass tray and some tea candles. I always associated tea candles with a sense of calmness, and with that, different memories from past events that I associated with calmness became inspirations for my instant sculpture. I first thought of the beautiful sand gardens in Japan and how balanced and symmetrical the imprints in the sand were. I reached for the garlic powder in the kitchen cupboard and began to sprinkle it onto the black tray to mimic sand. I also found some pink sea salt that I added in for some texture which created a pebbled effect. I then looked around the living room, and found a pair of turtle earrings a loved one gave me. Turtles always seem cool, calm, and collected which are traits I try to hold on to when I am under stress and pressure from school. I then found a black rock with a spiral/ curved line engraved on it, which further reminded me of the sand drawings in Japanese sand gardens, and which also reminded me of continuity and gracefulness. I decided to continue the spiral from the rock onto the powder to emphasize the line. Moreover, I found orange plastic rocks, which added colour and warmth to the sculpture. 

My calming instant sculpture 

Balance

The turtle earrings and black stone 

When I started arranging the found objects onto the tray, I wanted my sculpture to emphasize balance. According to Schirrmacher & Fox (2009), balance is achieved when the forms appear to be in proportion to each other. I made sure my sculpture was symmetrical, which means  that every object on the left were equally balanced with the objects on the right (Schirrmacher & Fox, 2009). I find myself using symmetry a lot in my artworks because I value organization and neatness. Also, I wanted the sculpture to have a sense of equilibrium or stableness, something I also value in my life. I randomly scattered the sea salt for aesthetic purposes, as I didn't want to the sculpture to look too contrived. I also placed the sea salt to symbolize the spontaneous events and experiences that I welcome in my life. The turtles are placed opposite one another facing the black rock. To me, the rock signifies the goals that I am trying to attain in life, while the surrounding candles symbolize the people who support me and act as a guiding light to help me achieve those goals. I then placed the orange plastic rocks around the candles to add colour. I lit the tea candles, stepped back, and looked at my sculpture. I immediately felt a sense of calm and warmth. Just looking at it made me feel relaxed, which was so appropriate for my weekend of rest. 

The tea candles I used 

I found this arts experience to be quite surprising in many ways. Firstly, I did not expect to enjoy it as much as I did. It's funny how my mood affected the sculpture I came up with. Because I was stressed and tired from the first two weeks of school, I wanted to create something to counteract those feelings. Also, I didn't expect to create something that had a deeper meaning other than just randomly placing found objects onto a tray. I thought about where to place the objects, and why I placed them there. When I took a step back to observe what I did, I was very satisfied, and the weight of the world immediately lifted off my shoulders.


This activity would be great with children in Kindergarten. Allow them to express themselves by creating a sculpture. Suggest for them to bring things from home that they can incorporate into it such as a rock, or a small toy. Give them cardboard, cups, string, milk cartons, egg cartons etc to use. Provide paint, glitter, glue, colouring pencils or crayons or markers. As an introduction, you may want to show an example of what you made. Also provide suggestions, and discuss what they think a sculpture is. Correct their erroneous beliefs. There is no one way of creating a sculpture, let them use their imaginations. You may also want to help with with cutting. 

References


Schirrmacher, R., & Fox, J.E. (2009). Art and creative development
 for young children (6th Ed.). Belmont, CA: Delmar Cengage
 Learning.

Art's Explorer # 1: My Creative Inspiration

Creativity is a very broad term, and many people define it differently. When I thought about the term creativity and what it means to be creative, I thought about a number of things that inspires my creativity. What is it that inspires me to cook something I've never cooked before, to draw something from my mind's eye, to hum a tune that I've never heard before? Because to me, creativity is doing or creating something unique, something that no one to your knowledge has done. I then realized that the simple act of living and being present in life and it's experiences sparks my creativity. When I go to the grocery and walk up and down the isles without having a clue of what to cook, I think of different ingredients that go together and that might taste good. I usually don't follow a recipe. When I spontaneously sketch something at a back of a receipt or a napkin, I tend to sketch something I see around me like an imperfect lamp post or a salt and pepper shaker. Children also inspire my creativity. During work studies when we'd have to come up with different activities, I'd have to rack my brain for fun and creative ways for the children to learn new things.

I was born and raised in the Philippines up until the age of 12, and as a young child, my family and I would love to travel around Asia. At a young age, I understood that there are a myriad of rich and interesting cultures out there. My mom would also collect different kinds of antiques and paintings from her travels and display them in our home. I saw that not one painting was alike. There were abstract paintings, still life paintings, paintings of landscapes etc. The artists' creativity is shown in their artwork, and how they used paints and painting techniques to convey what they want to express. Having been surrounded by paintings has definitely sparked my imagination and creativity in art class and in everyday life because it encouraged and inspired me to draw, paint, and create something I thought was beautiful, unique, and sometimes useful.

A painting by my favourite Filipino artist named Oscar Zalameda. I particularly love his use of lines to create this abstract painting

The 8 kinds of smart proposed by Howard Gardiner

I believe that everyone has the capacity to be creative. I think that for as long as there is free thought, imagination, and free will, anyone can come up with something new and unique. I also thought about Howard Gardiner's 8 intelligences. He believed that there are multiple ways of beings smart. As teachers in training, we need to be creative with activities that tap into children's different intelligences. Whether they are linguistic, mathematical, interpersonal etc. By tapping into children's different intelligences, we ensure that they are able to understand and learn something. Not just by reading out loud from a textbook or a slide show, but by giving them different materials and activities that caters to the different types of intelligences. By doing this, we ensure that children become creative thinkers. They will be able to solve a problem creatively, wether it's drawing a chart, acting something out, or using materials to aid them.