I made my mandala out of paint. I love painting, it is probably the art medium I love the most. I placed primary colors and a red violet on a plain, white paper. I then played with the impermanence by simply mixing the paint. The colors all blended together and made a brown, which was totally expected. However, what I did not expect was the original placement of the paint to stain the paper below. After wiping off the paint, I was left with this beautiful remnant of my paint mandala.
Although this is not technically the same as the impermanence of Tibetan sand mandalas of total impermanence with the mandala only to be seen in memory. This experience left me with the reflection on the temporal nature of our lives, but also hinting at the eternal perspective. If comparing the paint to our actions and the blank paper to our lives, then the mixing would allude to time passing. The ending mandala would conclude the mandala's life and could be compared to our eternal identity. We still carry the marks of our past life, the knowledge and scars, but with a new beautiful outlook.
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This article discusses figure drawing in response to contemporary art and its importance in classroom settings. It is so true how students and youths are constantly bombarded with imagery of the human body in all parts of society and media. Unfortunately, majority of the time the body is depicted as romanticize, demeaned, and/or glorified. This article discusses/focus on the point of identity. Figure drawing in curriculum allows the students to gain the experience to carefully study the human figure. They can grow appreciation instead of resentment towards the “perfect” body that society creates.
I have a lot of experience with figure drawing. I think it all began in my teenage years with the cliche obsession with Japanese anime and manga. I began to be obsessed with drawing human figures. However, there figures were definitely stylized and shaped to be this “perfect” human. I took my first formal training class in figure drawing in 2014. I learned a lot! It was the ART 220: Intro to Figure Drawing with Fidalis. It was my first experience drawing a model. I began to be obsessed and interested in the human body. I am currently in the Advanced Figure Drawing, with Fidalis. Again, I am obsessed with the drawing the human body. I love figure drawing and I super intrigued by how there is so much to be learned while figure drawing; such as skills of observation, rendering, and knowledge of principles and elements of art. I would approach this topic by teaching it. I would want my students to understand that the human body is so much more than just what society says/depicts it is. I would want my students to grow appreciation and understand the true identity of it all. I would begin by talking about the human figure found in art history. We could compare/contrast the representations of art history and modern views of the human form. This could then transition into gesture drawing, and then observational drawings. We can discuss lines, shadings/values, and movement. I love the question, “How do these collections represent knowledge?” It is found that the more knowledge you know of a matter, the more responsibility you hold. This might be more if a personal thought. However, I believe it holds a lot of truth. In this reading, Graham states that he collected/gathered crystals, prayer flag scraps, old coins, etc… He later states that objects have their own language and dialects. I find that the collection of such objects provide this allusion to accepting the knowledge and appreciation of said culture or place. You are an advocate for what you witnessed, told through the objects. Objects definitely tell a story. A story about the culture history, about meaning, nature, art, etc... Most importantly, the object tells of your experience and connection. You would not have collected it, if it did not have some sort of value to you. They are a memory!
Spirituality is such an interesting and fascinating concept. There are so many ways one can stay in tune with the spiritual side. I find it interesting that so many people tend to ignore the idea of spirituality. Society has this notion that spirituality is deeply connected with religion. It is like you have identify with both in order to be accepted. However, that is not the case! There is the common phrase that describes how all squares can be rectangles, but a rectangle can not be a square. I find it the same to be with religion and spirituality. Being religious can have spirituality, but being spiritual does not mean you have religion. Also, being religious does not mean you are spiritual. My spiritual rituals are a bit specific. First, I find beauty in all things. I believe I have a deep, inner connection with a lot of things, thus I feel a spiritual awakening. Second, I am not ashamed to admit that I have mental illnesses. They definitely cloud my spirituality most of the time. However, I have found hope and balance in the fact that I have a religion and the knowledge of having a loving God. I would say my meditation is through art and through finding beauty in all things. I think everyone wants to find something that gives them peace, harmony, and balance in life. Whether it be through a religious devotion or a spiritual outlet. In schools, it is typically avoided all notions and topics of religion. Mainly because we can not push religion. However, I find it appropriate to teach about religion appreciation and advocacy, then letting students sit in the dark. By that I mean, we need to educate students about the religions in the world, not push them into taught religions, but allow them to understand what is out there in the world. I also think by teaching spirituality, it teaches students great values and principles. I love how the article states “By neglecting the spiritual dimensions of our students’ lives we ignore a vital part of culture and identity as well as an essential part of many artistic traditions.” Through a spiritual investigation, we allow students to gain culture appreciation and understanding. I also find the Mandala route a great way to incorporate the arts into teaching. I wanted to focus on the question "What is Art?" I began the exploration allowing students to place different items on a scale from "Art" to "Not Art." We discussed their thoughts on what made art, Art. We then discussed the Marcel Duchamp's "Fountain." How was this art? What made it art? Ready-mades? How does this tie into more contemporary views on what is art?
1. Analyze and evaluate your handbook of art and design teaching methods. What works for you? What does not work for you? Write a response and post it along with examples from the book.
I choose Keri Smith's "Living Out Loud: An Activity Book to Fuel a Creative Life."Keri is an author, illustrator, and guerrilla artist. Smith's writing is usually on the topic of creativity. This particular book reminisces those childhood days spent playing make-believe, running around in the sun, and living life with imagination and wonder. "Living Out Loud" is the perfect handbook to jump start creativity and discover who you are and what you love to do. This book includes games, projects, crafts, activities, projects, stickers (my personal favorite) and playful ideas that will start your adventure of living out loud! I love Keri's simple and easy to understand/read descriptions of the different projects and activities to do. I found them to not be overly limiting on the imagination or creativity, but still setting specific parameters. I love how for some of her thoughts it was written like a recipe, a to-do list, or just a step by step instruction. Keri definitely knows how to design her book with playfulness but perfectly designed for easy reading. She used an appropriate amount of images and illustrations. I never felt like it was too cluttered or too unorganized. There was not anything that did not work for me in this book. I believe Keri Smith to be a great artist. I choose her because I find some of our designs and styles to be very similar. I enjoyed her book and I enjoyed her desire to make the world more adventurous and creative. Textbook : Living Out Loud, by Keri Smith
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April 2018
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