Monoprint Reflection landscapes with Gregory Kondos

DISCUSSION:

Landscapes from a new perspective

Artist and the artwork: Sacramento River, 1981 Crocker Art Museum, Sacramento, CA

Washes

graded washes

centered horizon lines

reflective water

monochromatic

value

Mono prints

Artist: Gregory Kondos

1923-

Painter Gregory Kondos executes thickly painted landscapes known for their buttery spread of bright, warm color. Even the cool tones of the color blue in a Kondos painting are heated, evoking sun-warmed expanses of summer sky and waters. Perhaps this is because of the intense light that drenches the Sacramento and Napa Valleys that he likes to depict. Heat also plays a role, causing the regional landscape to shimmer in a veil of heavy air that mutes the intensity of color and broadly flattens detail. This, of course, is common in Sacramento, home to the artist, where he has painted and taught for half a century. 

In his use of high-keyed color and broad paint handling Kondos shows an affinity to artists such as Wayne Thiebaud, with whom he shares an abiding friendship, Roland Petersen, and Bay Area artist Raimonds Staprans. Unique to Kondos, however, is his verity to subject. Arguably, Petersen and Staprans overtly generalize the landscape, while Thiebaud’s landscape forays are about pattern and its role in establishing illusion. Kondos’s compositions are balanced in order to express not only the tranquility of the scene, but also the pleasure of solitary communion with nature. The artist offers, “If you look at my work, you will find qualities of quietness and cleanliness, but, above all, you’ll find that I’m a loner.” 

PROJECT: 

create a reflective landscape using the mono print method

Step1: Fold your paper in half horizontally

Step2: Using liquid watercolor Paint a tree trunk

Step3: fold your paper to print the tree trunk

Step4: continue painting and printing tree trunks until you have 3-7 trees

Step5: add a tree top on one of your trunks, fold and print your tree tops

Step6: continue until all of your trees have tops

Step7: add land under your trees, grass or hills, etc. and fold your paper to print them 

Step8: add your sky behind the trees, remember to print them before they dry you might print several times during teh painting process

Last: using wet brush with clear water pull the reflection slightly to give it a more real reflective quality

MATERIALS: 

watercolor paper

watercolors

Horizonless Landscape with Wayne Thiebaud

three hour class

Discuss landscapes

Practice: create three practice pages of washes and techniques that will be used in a later project.

horizon line,

Foreground, middle ground, background, perspective

Touch on these important art topics that will greatly enhance this final piece

         Line, shape, contour drawing pattern, warm color, complementary colors purple and yellow, blue and orange

PRACTICE: WATERCOLOR: Use practice papers in upcoming watercolor collage opportunities.

Practice and discuss many watercolor techniques

Wet-on-Dry watercolor

wet on wet watercolor

graded washes

lifting out

Dropping in color

adding white with oil pastels

Tour of the museum play ISPY to find all landscapes.

Look at the artwork Mr. Theibaud’s River Intersection

What do you notice first? Color? Shape? Line? Pattern?

What is this painting of?

Is it a landscape?

What is missing from a traditional landscape?

What perspective is this from? ant, airplane?

What colors do you notice?

where have you seen ideas like this before?

Take a moment to sketch anything you want to remember about this piece. 

Back in the classroom

Stretch and talk more about initial impressions

PROJECT: Create a watercolor landscape using the many ideas we have discussed

contour drawing with pencil

(REMEMBER TO DRAW LIKE A COLORING BOOK you will fill in with color after)

Step1: using curved line draw a line from the top of the page to the bottom

Step2: using straight line draw a line beside but not touching the first

Step3: draw a half circle along either side

Step4: draw in three horizontal lines from the vertical line to the sides 

Step5: draw in two diagonal lines on the opposite side

Step6: draw in one thick line from the straight line to the side 

Step7: draw in circles that get smaller from the foreground to the background

Step8: draw in patterns or rows of things in one of your square patches

Step9: pick a diagonal pattern and add in stripes

Step10: add in any additional information that you enjoyed from the original piece

Fill in with watercolor: remember some of the techniques you explored earlier

Step1: fill in your washes of color first (remember colors and techniques)

step2: Fill in your piece with color 

Step3: decide if you want to glue on any of your earlier practices pages as part of your final piece.

MATERIALS:

watercolors and Several watercolor papers for each student

pencils

glue

Art Show at Sutterville Preschool

Art Show at Leonardo Da Vinci School

Art show for VSA

Under the Sea Murals with Wyland!!!

Discussion: Murals: what are they?

Where might we see a mural in our town?

What can be on a mural

Why would an artist paint a mural

Look at one or more of Wylnads pieces.

What do you see?

How do they make you feel?

Do you want to be a fish?

Do you feel like a fish?

Robert Wyland (born 1956), known simply as Wyland, is an artist best known for painting large, outdoor murals of whales and other ocean life.

Wyland has earned the distinction as one of America’s most unique creative influences, 

he is a leading advocate for marine resource conservation. 

An accomplished painter, sculptor, photographer, writer, and SCUBA diver, 

he has traveled the farthest reaches of the globe for more than twenty-five years, capturing the raw power and beauty of the undersea universe.

PROJECT: 

Step1: first, using foam paint brushes, add one beautiful coral along the bottom of our coral reef mural in Pink, Brown or lime green

Step2: Next add one small fish in blue or orange using the side of your paint brush

Step3: last using a straw, BLOW like milk, and make bubbles. Take your cup to the mural, place it against the mural, and blow the bubbles onto the mural. add them all over to make our mural look like water. Use Dark Blue, Turq and light blue.

MATERIALS: 

Paint and large brushes in Brown Pink and lime green

Paint and small brushes in orange and yellow

Cups with liquid paint in white, light blue and dark blue

Straws

Large blue paper for mural

Spring Happy Accident Flowers with Raoul Dufy

Discussion: Look at Raoul Dufy’s Flower II 

What do you see in the picture?

How many different flowers

What shapes make up the flowers

When combined what does it look like?

How about the color he chose? is it a rainy day?

Background Color: the color AROUND The flowers, what color is it? Yellow

How did he make a rose? Swirly

How did he draw the irises? Heart

How did he draw the babies breath? just dots.

Raoul Dufy

(3 June 1877 – 23 March 1953) 

He was a French Fauvist painter. 

He developed a colorful, decorative style that became fashionable for designs of ceramics and textiles, as well as decorative schemes for public buildings. 

He is noted for scenes of open-air social events. 

He was also a draftsman, printmaker, book illustrator, a theatrical set-dresser, a designer of furniture, and a planner of public spaces

He worked with Matisse and was influenced by Cezanne

Project Create watercolor wash flowers over black line

ALL STAY TOGETHER TO CREAT FINAL PROJECT. STUDENTS WILL FOLLOW A SERIES OF INSTRUCTIONS:

Step1: working from the top of your page to the bottom

Step2: top left: make a series of small circles

Step3: in the middle top make the letter v and put a circle on the top

Step4: repeat same shape again on the right

Step5: On the left middle draw larger circles in two rows and add a line between

Step6: next to that add in a organic leaf shape and add a line down the middle and veins

Step7: in the center of your paper add a diamond, create more and more lines around until it looks like a flower

Step8: Draw a heart and add the letter v underneth

Step9 on the bottom add in a v with a circle on top

Step10: add a few leaf shapes

Step11: color in any flower you want to remain WHITE with a white oil pastel

Step12: using clear water paint your first flower

Step13: drop in color

Step14: add clear water to your second flower and drop in color

Continue with your bouquet until it is complete

Fill in the background yellow last

MATERIALS: liquid watercolors

watercolor paper

Brushes

Water

sharpie pens

white oil pastels