Welcome back to art with Caren at The Studio for 2024.
Here is what we have been up to so far.
We began the year with beautiful nature drawings of seed pods, cones , seeds and the like. Children often really enjoy a pencil drawing experience and these are no exception.
What pencil to use for drawing?
Find any good quality B pencil - 3/4/5/6/8 will do. A good quality sharpener and eraser is also helpful in the drawing process.
The art we engage in at The Studio is traditional , observational artworks as a starting point. Much like gathering information for any work, even works of imagination, we gather and use resourses to create artwork. Very young children have excpetional observational skills and create wonderous works. As do older children and adults , however the older we get the more self critical we tend to become.
This term we have focused on self-portraits.
We learnt abut the proportions of a face.
Where do we put our eyes?
Where does the nose turn around at the end?
What abou the position of ears?
and then, there is the mouth?
For the background or negetive space, we looked at North American artist, Kehinde Wiley. This well know artist was asked to paint the portrait of Borack Obama. he has turned the way portraits represent people today, right on its head. :)
Link to his work. https://zeitzmocaa.museum/artists/kehinde-wiley/
Kehinde Wiley paints orate, highly decorative backgrounds full of nature including meaningful and thoughtfully chosen flowers.
We hope to finsih of the term with these amazing self reflective works.
Adult Class- Thursday morning
This year we started off adult art class with all things giant. Each artist is working on their own work of art and idea. The way I like to work with adults is to provide a project idea and then let the artists fly. Some or working on enormouse flower works while some do works in watercolours and chalk pastels.
Follow Art at The Studio on social media. This year I am focusing on encouraging us all to draw every day. Spending 10-15 minutes every day creating art will change your perspective and really improve your art skills.
Art at The Studio has 2 family art sessions. This work below is from one of the art sessions. The idea is that children and their parents enjoy an art session together, while working on the same project. It creates a space for beautiful conversation and sharing.
Art in Cape Town
This year we have enjoyed The Cape Town Art Fair once again. Each year this exhibition is held in the CTICC and is a real celebration of many South African and African artists.
Highlighting - Esther Mhlangu
Dr. Esther Mhlangu is a national treasure of South Africa. 98 year old Esther has an exhibition on at The National Gallery. Her familiar and beautiful Ndebele art pattern works can be enjoyed by the whole family. I don't know about you, but I long to be creating in my 90's.
Art with teens
Art at The Studio works with teens. On Friday afternnon we have our wonderful teen art class. T Shirt painting is the order fof the day to begin the year of 2024.
We are learning all about how paint works on strtchy fabric. The works are not yeat completed. lookout for them next term in the newsletter 2.
I work with teens in Mitchels Plain too. These beautiful teens are also creting T shirt art and this is a safe and relaxing place to express and explore.
