Today's Class- Today the class began a new graded project, creation of a figure piece (human, animal, or combination) made completely from the type of natural materials that would have been available to artists of the stone age. I showed a few slides of work from that era, then had students work on such an artwork of their own using pieces of shells and bamboo that I had brought from home, along with stones, natural woods, seeds, leaves, and other materials that they had brought from home or had foraged from the college campus. We also critiqued the foam core relief projects that were due today, and these were returned graded by the end of class.
How to make this up- Above is a life sized figure made entirely of sea shells glued together, seen in a recent group exhibition in Belmar. This would qualify for the project, but is much larger than you need- we'll settle for something that is at least 6 inches long. Excellent student examples from previous semesters can be seen at the end of last week's post on this blog. Using guide lines based on the kinds of art created by stone age artists, students had to complete a sculpture utilizing natural materials- wood (from natural pieces or milled solid wood, but not manufactured plywood), shells, rocks, seeds or seed pods, bones, and plants, with glue being the one modern substance allowed. Because it was also a part of typical cave art, students may use paint on their completed pieces. The subjects must be human, animal, hybrids (mythological creatures), or a significant piece of such a thing (such as an animal's head, etc). Also possible is a small creature(s) that are part of a complex scene that meets the 6 inch minimum size standard. In the ancient world, subjects were often dictated by the size and shape of the materials (inspired by a specific rock, stick, or bone being used to make it), not required for this project, but something you might find helpful.
Homework- The completed stone age inspired sculpture is due at the beginning of class on October 20, 2015.
The Make 100 module project and the Foam Core relief projects can still be turned in for partial credit.
For next class 10/13/15- We will be starting something new related to the concept of proportions. What is done in class next week will be considered a portfolio exercise, but the completed piece will be used later in the semester as part of a graded project. It will require materials similar to the recent car project, so foam core and bristol board, scissors and/or x-acto knife, and glue. I'll provide the subject.
