Modular Unit Repetition

Modular Unit Repetition

Objective: Use toothpicks to create a modular sculpture. Create a series of modular units and combine 20 together to make a free-standing, 3-dimensional form. 

Key Vocabulary: 

Modular: employing or involving a module or modules as the basis of design or construction.

Modular Sculpture: created by joining together standardized units (modules) to form larger, more complex compositions. In some works the units can be subsequently moved, removed and added to – that is, modulated – to create a new work of art, different from the original or ensuing configurations.

Repetition: The Art principle of repetition simply means the reusing of the same or similar elements throughout your design. Repetition of certain art elements in design will bring a clear sense of unity, consistency, and cohesiveness.

Unity: refers to a set of compositional strategies used by an artist to make the parts of the artwork work together as a whole through visual relatedness. Unity always expresses a shared commonality within a painting or sculpture or textile. 

Non-objective art is not meant to look like anything (so don’t turn your toothpicks into a flower or cat!) but it also shouldn’t look like a random hot mess, either! •

ARTIST: Bean Finneran (1947-     ) 

American artist who was born in Cleveland, OH
Their work has featured in numerous exhibitions at key galleries and museums, including the Crocker Any Museum. 

Attended Goucher College, Baltimore, MD, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, Museum School, Boston Museum of Fine Arts, MA, Massachusetts College of Art, Boston, MA

The constructions are abstract rings, lines, cones, circles but often evoke real things: sea anemones, coral reefs, haystacks or wind-blown grasses.   

“I work with a simple elemental form, a curve made from the most basic natural material, clay. I make and build with hundreds or thousands of these forms. The clay curve connects me to time, the earth, the elements, and human culture.” —Bean Finneran

The sculptures cannot be moved without taking them apart and reconstructing them. 

sculptures are built curve-by-curve and disassembled one by one. 

This process of continual and possible change and transformation connects me to the natural world along with the ordered chaos that comes from organizing thousands upon thousands of individual elements into a form. 

CA Art Standards: 

1.5 Analyze the material used by a given artist and describe how its use influences the meaning of the work.

2.1 Solve a visual arts problem that involves the effective use of the elements of art and the principles of design.

3.3 Identify and describe trends in the visual arts and discuss how the issues of time, place, and cultural influence are reflected in selected works of art.

4.4 Articulate the process and rationale for refining and reworking one of their own works of art.

5.0 Develop competencies and creative skills in problem-solving, communication, and management of time and resources that contribute to lifelong learning and career skills.

Project Requirements: 

Sketchbook: Complete observational sketches in your sketchbook. Revisit the work of by artist Sol Lewitt and research the artist Bean Finneran.

Final Project: You will construct 20 of the same modular unit BEFORE combining all 20 into one sculpture. View the modules from several angles as you build. Consider the space created in between the toothpicks. How do light and shadow affect your module?

Students will need a 100 (or more) toothpicks (flat or round) in plain wood. Wood glue ONLY. Hot glue is not allowed as it leaves blobs.  

Sculpture must be at least 4”x4”x4” and be free-standing. 

Can be attached to a base (such as wood, cardboard, or foam core) 

Can be painted one color 

Units should be glued on hard movable surface (book, sketchbook) covered with wax paper. 

Crumpled Movement Landscape

Lesson Objective: Observe, identify and create movement in a landscape work. 

Key Vocabulary: 

Rhythm: Principle of Art: Art elements (line shape, value, color, texture) recur regularly. Like a dance it will have a flow of objects that will seem to be like the beat of music. 

Movement: Principle of Art: Art Principle:  the path the viewer's eye takes through the artwork, often to a focal area.

Watercolor: is a painting method in which the paints are made of pigments suspended in a water-based solution. Watercolor refers to both the medium and the resulting artwork.

Landscape is ANY picture of the outdoors

Foreground: The part of the picture that is closest to you.

Perspective: things look bigger when they are closer to you.

Middleground: The part of the picture in the middle.

Background is up by the Top of your paper. 

“Rule of Thirds” can be key to creating balance in landscape painting

Opacity: (O-pa-city):the condition of lacking transparency or translucence; opaqueness. 

Materials: 

Drawing Supplies: Colored pencils, drawing pencils, oil pastels

Watercolors

Watercolor Paper

One scrap paper per student: crumpled

Focus Artist: Van Gogh

CA Art Standards: 

1.4 Analyze and describe how the composition of a work of art is affected by the use of a particular principle of design.

1.5 Analyze the material used by a given artist and describe how its use influences the meaning of the work.

2.1 Solve a visual arts problem that involves the effective use of the elements of art and the principles of design.

2.4 Review and refine observational drawing skills.

3.3 Identify and describe trends in the visual arts and discuss how the issues of time, place, and cultural influence are reflected in selected works of art.

4.5 Employ the conventions of art criticism in writing and speaking about works of art.

5.0 CONNECTIONS, RELATIONSHIPS, APPLICATIONS: Students apply what they learn in the visual arts across subject areas.

Project Requirements: 

Sketchbook: Practice drawing a crumpled piece of paper on a blank sheet of your sketchbook. 

Turn that drawing of paper into hills on the horizon. 

Draw in the background and foreground. 

Use oil pastels and watercolors to create movement. 

Final Project: Student used blind contour technique to draw crumpled paper mountain range.

Student added interest, rhythm and movement to create landscape using oil pastels and watercolor. 

Student followed landscape procedures to add interest in foreground and background. 

Student used the “rule of three” and color to create emphasis.

Direct Instruction from Power Point: 

Landscape is ANY picture of the outdoors

The Foreground: The part of the picture that is closest to you. 

The foreground is at the bottom of the paper. 

Things in the foreground look big, have more detail and are darker

Perspective: things look bigger when they are closer to you.

The Middleground:

The part of the picture in the middle. 

The middle ground is part way between the foreground and the background.

It is that part of the picture that  is farthest away from you. 

The Background is up by the Top of your paper. 

Things in the background look smaller, less detail and lighter because they are farther away. 

Overlapping is when one thing seems to cover up another thing, even just a little. When this happens, the thing that looks like it is on top is the thing that’s closest to you.

COLOR and Landscape: Warm and cool – Use the power of warm and colors to add even more depth. 

Add a red highlight in the foreground to bring your viewers gaze forward and to heighten the effect. 

Warm in the foreground cools in the background

Color becomes less and less saturated (intense) as it disappears into the distance.

Everything gets lighter in value as the distance from the viewer increases

As the landscape hits the horizon line it is often very similar in value to the sky.

Balance in three’s 

The nature of something’s ingredients or constituents; the way in which a whole or mixture is made up.

2. The action of putting things together; formation or construction.

3 is the magic number: Balance

Composition is about variety just “don’t make any two things the same”

The “Rule of Thirds” can be key to creating balance in landscape painting

Divide your page horizontally into 3.

2. Decide whether to have your horizon on the top third or the bottom third 

(the bottom third is always easier to balance, it helps to make the sky look vast and imposing).

3. Split the vertical into thirds.

4. Align areas of focus at the intersection between the lines.

Vincent  van Gogh 

(1853 – 1890)

Dutch Post-Impressionist painter 

His work had a far-reaching influence on 20th century art

Known for his  vivid colors and emotional impact.

Van Gogh did not begin painting until his late twenties

Best-known works were produced during his final two years. 

He produced more than 2,000 artworks, consisting of around 900 paintings and 1,100 drawings and sketches. 

His work was a strong influence on the Modernist art that followed. 

Today many of his pieces—including his numerous self portraits, landscapes, portraits and sunflowers—are among the world's most recognizable and expensive works of art.

Known for his paint application creating texture and movement.

He suffered from anxiety and increasingly frequent bouts of mental illness throughout his life,

died largely unknown, at the age of 37

Sold only one painting while he was alive

Rhythm: Principle of Art: Art elements (line shape, value, color, texture) recur regularly. Like a dance it will have a flow of objects that will seem to be like the beat of music. 

Movement: Principle of Art: Art Principle:  the path the viewer's eye takes through the artwork, often to a focal area.

Watercolor: is a painting method in which the paints are made of pigments suspended in a water-based solution. Watercolor refers to both the medium and the resulting artwork.

Opacity: (O-pa-city):the condition of lacking transparency or translucence; opaqueness. 

Oil Pastel History: 1947 Picasso Convinced Henri Sennelier, a French manufacturer who specialized in high quality art products, to develop a fine arts version. 

In 1949 Sennelier produced the first oil pastels intended for professionals and experienced artists.

Oil Pastel TECHNIQUE: Press hard, Should look like paint, If your hand hurts, you are doing it right

Tint Wire Sculptures with Elizabeth Murray

Day One: 

Prep: Create a 24” in wire circle for each student in class: Easier to work with, prevents eye pokes. 

DISCUSSION: 

Form: What is form? 

What is sculpture? 

How is sculpture different from a painting? 

3d vs 2d

Show Elizabeth Murray’s work again

How is it like s sculpture?

How is it like a painting? 

ARTIST: Elizabeth Murray (1940-2007):

Inspired by Abstract Expressionist Jackson Pollock’s work, as well as Pablo Picasso’s Cubist works, American painter Elizabeth Murray’s oeuvre span styles from a Minimalist use form and color to bold, cartoonish Surrealism. 

Her works push the boundaries of a two-dimensional medium;

The irregular triangles in the “Giant Maiden” series (1972) strain against the edges of canvases painted in high relief, 

While the explosive colors on an intricate collage-like canvas in Do the Dance (2005) lend the Painting a kinetic, almost optical quality.

Project: 

Step1: Using your wire circle, create an organic shape

Step2: Using plaster strips, cover wire with plaster

Step3: To Identify: put your name on the paper plate your wire sculpture is sitting on to dry. 

Materials: 

Bowl for water

Plaster wrap http://www.dickblick.com/products/plastr-craft/?clickTracking=true

Paper plates

Wire 

Day two

 Discussion: impressionism

Value

Making colors lighter

White

Light

Art Movement: impressionism

Impressionism is a 19th-century art movement 

originated with a group of Paris-based artists. 

Their independent exhibitions brought them to prominence during the 1870s and 1880s, 

Harsh opposition from the conventional art community in France. 

The name of the style derives from the title of a Claude Monet work, Impression, soleil levant (Impression, Sunrise)

Impressionist painting characteristics include relatively small, thin, yet visible brush strokes, open composition, emphasis on accurate depiction of light in its changing qualities (often accentuating the effects of the passage of time), common, ordinary subject matter, 

inclusion of movement as a crucial element of human perception and experience, and unusual visual angles. 

The development of Impressionism in the visual arts was soon followed by analogous styles in other media that became known as impressionist music and impressionist literature.

For additional information: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Impressionism 

PROJECT

Step1: students  receive one pure color and white

Step2: mix their color with as much or little white as they like

Step3: paint the wire sculpture with their new color

Step4: add movement lines in black around the edges

Materials: 

Paint in many colors and white

Black paint

Paint brushes

Water containers

Paper plates for palettes. 

Post Project Week one and two: create the large sculpture by glueing the smaller works all together. I used Loctite All purpose Adhesive Caulk in Clear. 

Collaboration: Mixed Movement Dot Circles with Sonya Delaunay, Elizabeth Murray and Seurat

THREE WEEK COLLABORATION PROJECT

Final Project at the end of third class 

WEEK 1

Discussion: 
Primary Color
Secondary color
Mixing colors to make new colors
Show a piece of Delaunay's artwork
Discuss color and shape

Artist:

Sonia Delaunay
(November 14, 1885 – December 5, 1979) 
Jewish-French artist 
Married to  Robert Delaunay 
Co-founded the Orphism art movement: noted for its use of strong colors and geometric shapes. 
Her work extends to painting, textile design and stage set design. 
She was the first living female artist to have a retrospective exhibition at the Louvre in 1964, and in 1975 was named an officer of the French Legion of Honor.
Her work in modern design included the concepts of geometric abstraction, the integration of furniture, fabrics, wall coverings, and clothing.

Project: Create mixed color circles for colloboraration canvas
Step1: Studenst mix two colors together in a small cup
Step2: studenst paint large circle on canvas

Materials: 
Tempura paint: primary secondary black and white
Paint brushes
30x40 canvas


WEEK 2

Discussion: Movement
Talk about movement and music in art work
Show Elizabeth Murray's work and ask if they see music
iPAD: Use the MOMA art app to add music to Murray's work and let studenst here the noises
No iPad: Study Keith Haring and talk about black movement lines

Artist: Elizabeth Murray (1940-2007):
Inspired by Abstract Expressionist Jackson Pollock’s work, as well as Pablo Picasso’s Cubist works 
American painter Elizabeth Murray’s oeuvre span styles from a Minimalist use form and color to bold, cartoonish Surrealism. 
Her works push the boundaries of a two-dimensional medium; the irregular triangles in the “Giant Maiden” series (1972) strain against the edges of canvases painted in high relief, while the explosive colors on an intricate collage-like canvas in Do the Dance (2005) lend the painting a kinetic, almost optical quality.

Project: using medium brushes have students add lines to circles
Step1: grab a brush with black paint and add one curved line 
step2: add a few straight lines

Materials: 
Black paint
Brushes
Circles canvas; see above. 

WEEK 3

Discussion: Dots
Mixing colors with your eye balls
Look at the Seurat work: A Sunday on La Grande Jatte—1884
Ask students what they see (make sure they see the monkey) 
Have a close up of one spot on the final work that shows the dots. 
How does  the view mix the dots? Is this science? 

Artist: Georges Seurat 

(1859-1891)

French Painter

Invented pointillism

Took informal art lessons as a teen

Attended art school in Paris

He studied the relationship between lines and images and the effect light had on color

He wanted to know more about the emotional effect of color

He influenced science with his studies of colors

Project: add dots to the movement circles

Step1: using q-tips add put color dots to the final work

Materials

Tempura Paint

Q-tips

Movement Color Wheels with Elizabeth Murray

Discussion: 

Primary colors, RED YELLOW Blue 

What are they? Why are they so important? 

What does Primary Mean

Why are they so important/what do they do? 

Secondary colors ORANGE GREEN PURPLE

What are they

Create a color wheel

Show the colors mixing

Show Murray’s work

Discuss color

Discuss shape 

        If you could go into the artwork, where would you travel first?

Discuss Music

Discuss movement

Bring MoMA app on Ipad if you have it. 

ARTIST: Elizabeth Murray (1940-2007):

Inspired by Abstract Expressionist Jackson Pollock’s work, as well as Pablo Picasso’s Cubist works, American painter Elizabeth Murray’s oeuvre span styles from a Minimalist use form and color to bold, cartoonish Surrealism. 

Her works push the boundaries of a two-dimensional medium;

The irregular triangles in the “Giant Maiden” series (1972) strain against the edges of canvases painted in high relief, 

While the explosive colors on an intricate collage-like canvas in Do the Dance (2005) lend the Painting a kinetic, almost optical quality.

Project: Create Murray inspired shape drawing and mix primary and secondary colors

Step1: draw a circle on the left part of your page, the size of your fist

Step2: Draw an organic shape/circle next to the first, lower and on the right side but have it touching the first

Step3: Draw a third organic shape/circle next to the second, below and in the middle of the two but have it touching both

Step4: draw a line from each shape to an edge

Step4: Color the shapes in primary colors

Step5: in the background behind the red and blue shapes mix the two to make purple

Step6: in the background behind the red and yellow shapes mix the two to make orange

Step7: in the background behind the yellow and blue shapes mix the two to make green

Step8: add music and movement line line Murray. 

Materials: 

Oil pastels in Yellow red blue and Black

Tag board

pencils

Organic shape and geometric shape movement figures with Keith Haring

Discussion: 

Organic Shape VS Geometric shape

Geometric shapes: 

Name some....Square, circle, rectangle, 

Can they be solved with MATH: Yes!

Organic Shapes: 

Name Some....Bird, Tree, you and me!!!

Can they be solved with Math??? NO!

Movement: 

How does Haring show movement? 

What color does he use when the figures move

ARTIST: Keith Haring

Born 1958

Age 19 first show

1978 went to school in NY

Created subway drawings on blank ad space

Worked with children

Wanted everyone to be able to have his work

Worked with causes

Died young in 1988

Wanted everyone to make art especially kids

Show Keith Haring’s work

Project: Create a haring like art work with primary colors and shapes

Step1: in pencil: using Geometric shape: Draw  a circle head

Step2: using a square, draw a body

Step 3 using a rectangle draw two arms (show movement)

Step4: using rectangles, draw two legs (show movement) 

Step5: using ovals, draw hands and feet

Step6: Using organic shape, draw around your figure two times

Step7: paint your figure in red

Step8: paint your first organic shape in yellow

Step9: paint your next organic shape in blue

Step10: outline your figure in BLACK

Step11: create at least one set of movement lines 

Materials: 

Brushes

Water

Card stock

Red blue and yellow paint

Black paint

Value and Movement with Van Gogh

THIS PROJECT IS MEANT TO CREATE THE MOVING NIGHT SKY. A successful project will have blue colored in in circular motion and a change in value in each color used. 

Discussion Value

What makes Colors lighter? 

What makes colors darker?

Why do we need colors to be lighter or darker? 

Does green grass look the same at dinner time as it does at lunch time? 

Artists have to show that color change

What if we have red roses and pink roses? But no pink paint? 

Movement Show Starry Night

When we look at Starry Night, does it look like the the clouds are moving?

Do you think Van Gogh moved his hands slowly or quickly when he was painting the night sky? 

Why is movement or rhythm so important in artwork? 

ARTIST: Vincent  van Gogh (30 March 1853 – 29 July 1890)

Dutch Post-Impressionist painter 

His work had a far-reaching influence on 20th century art

Known for his  vivid colors and emotional impact. 

Van Gogh did not begin painting until his late twenties

most of his best-known works were produced during his final two years. 

He produced more than 2,000 artworks, consisting of around 900 paintings and 1,100 drawings and sketches. 

His work was a strong influence on the Modernist art that followed. 

Today many of his pieces—including his numerous self portraits, landscapes, portraits and sunflowers—are among the world's most recognizable and expensive works of art.

Known for his paint application creating texture and movement.

He suffered from anxiety and increasingly frequent bouts of mental illness throughout his life,

died largely unknown, at the age of 37

sold only one painting while he was alive

PROJECT: 

Step1: on left hand side add black triangle

Step2: on Right hand side add in yellow and orange moon

Step3: between the moon and the black tree add 5 stars in yellow and orange 

Step4: now color your sky blue but avoid the stars by going around them in circles. Keep you hand moving in a circular motion while adding all the blue.

Step5: Now add white on top of each of the colors in the artwork. Does white change the colors? 

MATERIALS:
Chalk Pastels

White paper

water