Painting and a Splash of Color

We are finally ready to begin our painting on the mural.  Jeremiah started introducing the different colors to the students.  We ordered both the standard colors (red, yellow, blue, orange, green and violet) and neon and glow-in-the-dark colors; to add some dimension to the color palette.  Students are using their sketches to create their final drawings on the Pellon.

All the cut-up Pellon or better known as our mural, all in one handful!

Jeremiah is mixing the paint and getting it ready to apply to the mural pieces.

The neon colors!

Jill is charging the glow-in-the-dark blue to test it out.

*Colorful art to follow in additional postings:)

Cutting the Pellon

Yesterday and today students were busy cutting up the large pieces of Pellon into smaller 10 inch by 10 inch squares.  This process has been a loooonnnngggg arduous process that the students are very happy to be finished with!

The Gessoing Factory: WAHS Art Room

We have been running our gessoing factory in the art room for about 5 days now.  The kids have been applying several coats of gesso to the pellon on each side.  Today, we finished the gessoing process and are now ready to start cutting the large pieces of pellon into smaller 10 inch by 10 inch squares.  Each student will then be given a square to create their artwork on (maybe several squares, if they wish). 

Gessoing the Pellon

Today we started preparing the mural surface.  We wanted the students to be able to work on their part of the mural individually, so we are using a material called Pellon.  Pellon is fabric-like material which, when Gesso is applied, can be used with a variety of two-dimensional art media.  Students applied the first of several coats to the Pellon today.  After all the coats of Gesso have been applied and have dried we will cut the Pellon into 10" x 10" squares.  Students will receive a square to create their piece of the mural on.

 Shaking the Gesso!

 

The girls are ready to paint!

Painting our Pellon white.

Project #3 Who inspires you?

Some classes have taken a break from the Mural project to tie up some loose ends on the upcoming PA High School Computer Fair.  Due to Jeremiah's schedule the classes involved are working at slightly different rates.  Today will be an introduction to the project for Ms. Crossley's 2D/ 3D classes while my Visual Communication Classes and Intro to Visual Art Class are on Project #3.  Currently we are all moving at a different pace, however, we should catch up or equal out with one another when we get into the real "meat" of the project.

Project #3 involves Inspiration and Portraits.  Students are asked who inspires them or rather who have they inspired, themselves.  They are also asked to create a portrait, either of themselves or of someone who has been an inspiration to them.  The portrait does not necessarily need to be literal.  Today we talked about some alternative ways to create a portrait that will capture the essence of a person.  Some ideas were: 

      -Collages of person's interests

      -Tissue Paper portraits

      -Digital Portraits

      -Text Portraits

      -Symbols that represent a person

To help student's get started they were asked to complete Project #3 worksheet.

_________________________________________________

NAME_____________________________________________PD_____BOSCH

Project #3

Make a portrait of someone that is an inspiration to your life, or a self-portrait.

Answer the following questions in 5 lines.

1. What does it mean to inspire?

____________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________

2. Who do you feel has been an inspiration in your life, how/why?

____________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________

3. PORTRAIT: a work of art that represents a specific person, a group of people, or an animal. Portraits usually show what a person looks like as well as revealing something about the subject's personality. Portraits can be made of any sculptural material or in any two-dimensional medium.

What is an alternative way we can create a portrait other then literally drawing their / your appearance?

____________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________

4. What alternative media (art supplies) can you use to create your portrait, other then paper and pencil? *Remember, it must be two-dimensional.

____________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________

*Use your answers from the questions above to create a portrait.  You can do this in your sketchbook or on a separate sheet of drawing paper.

____________________________________________________________

This week is also PSSA testing week, therefore, the daily schedule has been changed and classes will not be consistent.   We will be starting to prepare the material that we will be creating the individual mural pieces on.  The Pellon Material will be painted with Gesso to start the process.

Day #3: Symbols

sym·bol/ˈsimbəl/

Noun:

A thing that represents or stands for something else, esp. a material object representing something abstract. A mark or character used as a conventional representation of an object, function, or process, e.g., the letter or letters standing for a...

Symbols are part of communication just like words and sounds.  A symbol stands for things like thoughts, commands, or feelings.

People run across symbols every day of their lives. A smiley face sticker means "Good job" or that someone is happy. A street sign with people walking in a crosswalk means a school crossing. Some symbols are made through body movements instead of being written down. A person standing across the room swinging their arm in a circular motion with their palm moving back towards their body is probably trying to say "Come on." Someone holding their arm straight out with their palm away from them is trying to say "Stop."

Schools and various organizations have special symbols of their own. Some schools have school colors or a school song. When these colors are worn or the song is sung people think of the school.  Some athletic teams have symbols, such as the K State Wildcat or the KU Jayhawk. When people see these symbols on shirts, banners, and signs they think of that team.

Project #2

Develop a Symbol for Education is Knowledge or Knowledge is Power.

Create 12 thumbnail sketches of symbols for the Mural title “Education is Knowledge and Knowledge is Power.”  Use the list of statements from project #1.

Day #2 Developing Ideas: Project #1

Today students starting developing ideas for their mural piece.  We completed Project #1 today to help us generate ideas about creating our piece of the mural.  Here is what we accomplished today...

Project #1

Written Story

What does education mean to me? What is the value of knowledge?

Some answers that were given are:

Education…

            helps you advance in life.

            is the key to the future.

            is gained knowledge from personal experience.

            is institutionalized.

            is the future.

            is beyond school.

            is the things you learn.

            can be helpful or bad, at times.

            is the freedom to control your future.

            is knowledge.

            is developing.

            is everything.

            comes from everywhere.

            is everywhere.

            is years of experience.

            creates a path.

            is a gateway to success.

            is opportunity.

            is application.

            is a process of shaping and creating your life.

Knowledge…

            is greater than anything.

            is different for everyone.

            is something everyone wants.

            is freedom.

            is wisdom.

            helps you make up your mind.

            is something you are born with.

            is creating.

            is the flame that burns inside you.

            is judgment.

            is everything.

            is what one person carries with them throughout their life.

            is something you cannot put a number on.           

            is gained from life and the people around you.

            makes you, you.

            is a valuable resource.

            learning from our past.

            is sacred.

            is special.

            is good.

            is a language.

            is communication.

From the ideas generated in Project #1 students began to develop ideas through some quick thumbnail sketches.

Day #1 Artist Presentation

Artist Jeremiah Johnson revealed the plans for the mural today to the art students.  Overall, they were excited to have the opportunity to be a part of a permanent piece of public artwork in their school.  The students are anxious to start their designs.  

They also shared some good questions:

How long we work on their mural? A. The proposed time line is 3-4 weeks from start to finish.

Can we make more then one piece of the mural? A. Yes, you will have the opportunity to work on as many pieces as you would like to contribute.

Can there be a 3D aspect to the mural? A. Somewhat depending on what material is going to be used and where it will be placed (generally up high is better due to it being vandelized).

Will the mural be permanent? A. Yes, the mural will have Nuva Gel applied over it as a finished making it a permanent piece of the wall.

 
Jeremiah speaking about his art and the proposed mural project.

What we are planning.

The Space.

Local artist, Jeremiah Johnson, will be working directly with approximately 250  WAHS art students and teachers, Carrie Bosch and Lori Crossley to develop and execute  a permanently installed mural at the Williamsport Area High School. The project will take approximately three weeks to complete from beginning to end. The title of the piece will be Education is Knowledge and Knowledge is Power. Students will illustrate their ideas of knowledge and the value of knowledge in their lives. Student's personal stories, family histories and the idea of "the more you know, the more you can do to change the world" will be the central themes throughout the mural. Students will work on individual artworks in the art room that will form a whole as the individual artworks are arranged together to make a mural forming a giant grid creating a democracy of images. The mural will be installed in the centrally located stairwell in the HUB of the Williamsport Area High School. The finished mural will begin on the walls leading to the stairwell on the first floor and wrap around and fill the space leading to the second floor HUB. This stairway also serves as a metaphor for the ladder to success in life.

Students will be directly involved with learning the entire public art installation process, such as making the artwork, installing the artwork, photographing and videotaping student progress, writing artist statements, writing press releases and writing thank you notes. The process will allow students to understand  and practice creative thinking, and will also help them experience project development from start to finish.  Students will learn about the artistic process and the thought and organization involved with making public art.  With this knowledge students will begin to understand how they too are capable of developing their own creative projects. 

 The overall design is based on transitional color; color that subtly changes from one section to the next as your eyes move across the surface of the space.  Students will develop the images, both individually and in groups.  The majority of the mural will be painted with acrylic paint, with a variety of other mediums to be used by different classes. Various painting, drawing, and printmaking techniques will be explored in Ms. Crossley’s classes.  Digitally manipulated images and photographs printed directly on canvas will be made in Miss. Bosch’s classes. 

One of the most innovative aspects of this mural is how it will be constructed.  The mural is painted on a primed canvas-like parachute material and then adhered to the walls using a newly formulated, non-toxic acrylic gel medium.  Once dry,  the material becomes part of the wall itself, even exposing the shape of the bricks; just like it was painted directly on the wall.  There are benefits to this new process.  The material actually strengthens the wall and adds more protection than if the wall was simply painted.  The colors will never peel or flake off, because they are embedded in the material and acrylic clear coat.  The mural is fully washable once protected by the varnish and repels most stains, markers and spray-paints.  The primed parachute material is worked on in the studio or the classroom in small sections and then adhered to the wall. It can be run through a printing press, a laser printer, drawn on with a variety of materials, cut into, screen printed, and even collaged with paper or fabric. 

Once the mural is completed, there will be a public reception to unveil the completed artwork to students, parents, teachers, administrators, staff and the community at large. This will also serve as the culminating event to display student photographs, video documentation and written accounts of the entire mural making process. When completed, the mural will be a visual testament to t he importance to knowledge and what can be accomplished with the power of knowledge. The mural will be a great visual success in the promotion of the Williamsport High School and  for the community.

Students will be directly involved with learning the entire public art installation process, such as making the artwork, installing the artwork, photographing and videotaping student progress, writing artist statements, writing press releases and writing thank you notes. The process will allow students to understand  and practice creative thinking, and will also help them experience project development from start to finish.  Students will learn about the artistic process and the thought and organization involved with making public art.  With this knowledge students will begin to understand how they too are capable of developing their own creative projects. 

 The overall design is based on transitional color; color that subtly changes from one section to the next as your eyes move across the surface of the space.  Students will develop the images, both individually and in groups.  The majority of the mural will be painted with acrylic paint, with a variety of other mediums to be used by different classes. Various painting, drawing, and printmaking techniques will be explored in Ms. Crossley’s classes.  Digitally manipulated images and photographs printed directly on canvas will be made in Miss. Bosch’s classes. 

One of the most innovative aspects of this mural is how it will be constructed.  The mural is painted on a primed canvas-like parachute material and then adhered to the walls using a newly formulated, non-toxic acrylic gel medium.  Once dry,  the material becomes part of the wall itself, even exposing the shape of the bricks; just like it was painted directly on the wall.  There are benefits to this new process.  The material actually strengthens the wall and adds more protection than if the wall was simply painted.  The colors will never peel or flake off, because they are embedded in the material and acrylic clear coat.  The mural is fully washable once protected by the varnish and repels most stains, markers and spray-paints.  The primed parachute material is worked on in the studio or the classroom in small sections and then adhered to the wall. It can be run through a printing press, a laser printer, drawn on with a variety of materials, cut into, screen printed, and even collaged with paper or fabric. 

Once the mural is completed, there will be a public reception to unveil the completed artwork to students, parents, teachers, administrators, staff and the community at large. This will also serve as the culminating event to display student photographs, video documentation and written accounts of the entire mural making process. When completed, the mural will be a visual testament to t he importance to knowledge and what can be accomplished with the power of knowledge. The mural will be a great visual success in the promotion of the Williamsport High School and  for the community.