Starting our first painting together

It would have been October 15th that we last met. Last week we didn't have class. I missed my girls and my teaching time with them!

For this project we are working with acrillic paint on stretched canvas. (How can you not feel like an artist when you paint on canvas?!) We talked about the theory of gestalt as it applies to artwork. It is the idea that the sum is greater than the parts, or that when a shape or form is repeated into a pattern or group, the piece as a whole is what makes the statement. A big concept to grasp, but these girls impress me with their understanding and willingness to dig right in and experiment artistically.

This painting will take several classes I am guessing, but here are some photos of the girls at work. (Alyssa we missed you ... hope your wrist is feeling better! You'll catch up though, no worries.)

Here is Kylie. She has primed her canvas and is tracing the stencil she created to design the pattern she will paint.

Here is our little set up in my craft room. It's cozy and the girls always have good stories to tell as they work ...

Here is a (very poor quality) photograph of a section of a painting I did in college. It was a study in gestalt and color. Like the painting I have assigned for the girls, I used a template in creating the design. Thought I would share it as it was partly inspiration for the paintings we are doing in class. (Wish I had a better image though - the colors in the original are much more vibrant.)

Stay tuned for more work-in-progress updates on this one!