Manifestations: mixed media with kids

Medieval Musings or Mayhem?

“Most risks we might not take if we could see what we would have to go through to reach our goal. Yet, we would never not take most risks if we knew the great learning experience and soul enrichment they would bring.” - Linda Eyre

As a teacher of ten year olds with limited exposure to art materials and techniques, I am regularly faced with the challenge of promoting risk taking. Thankfully, children are much less inhibited, in my opinion, then adults. However mixed media projects usually incite a bit of anxiety even for the most daring. My guess is that the given project at first seems too different from what they expect to be doing as "art." There are always a handful of real "scaredy cats," but with enough TLC even they can be coaxed into tackling the blank canvas.

My school teaches the history of the Middle Ages, Renaissance, and Reformation in the 4th grade. That means a treasure trove of art history to integrate! A few years ago I was privileged to take a work shop in NYC with Lynne Perrella. See this great post about the workshop at Broken Heart Art: http://broknheartart.blogspot.com/2009/10/medieval-manuscript-workshop.html. It was a jam packed day of wonderful instruction from Lynne with a Medieval theme. Although the techniques, wisdom, and insight given by Lynne can translate to any theme, she unwittingly inspired our next 4th grade endeavor. Why not teach the kids some of Lynne's techniques and have them make a Medieval style banner? And so we did! That is not to say we were without the challenge of running from kid to kid answering questions and helping them shmoosh this and that this way and that before this and that dried! Mayhem? YES! And how very grateful I am to have an assistant!

4th Grade Banner

The student works were selected for display at a teacher's convention!

4th Grade Banner

We had to solve some unexpected display challenges. The 4th grade work flanked a very large, encaustic, clip art Medieval "dude" made by an older student. She, too, was a little daunted by the risk of deciding on a palette and using a quilting iron to melt cast off crayons. And gold leaf? I whole new animal!

Encaustic Clip Art Image on Foam Core

In the end, even the scaredy cats learned that taking a risk doing something new and "strange" gave them a sense of freedom and made everyone a winner.

“One of the most important things I've learned is that creating a vision ... is the beginning of making it happen.” - Linda Eyre

Renaissance Reconstructed, ReMixed, and ReDone

A portrait does not merely record someone's features, however, but says something about who he or she is, offering a vivid sense of a real person's presence." - Metropolitan Museum of Art website

The ancient Greeks and Romans depicted important people in profile on coins. As time past this individual likeness became a one size fits all in the figure type. Then in the 15th c., Eureka! Portraits that actually showed a likeness to the sitter were reborn! This was a reflection of the humanist interest in man-each individual man, woman, girl, and boy!

Approx. 54-68 AD

Most portraits painted during the Renaissance followed a conventional format. The profile view of the ancient past was again employed in the 15th c.

Portrait of a Man and Woman at a Casement, ca. 1440-44, Fra Fillipo Lippi (Italian, Florentine), tempera on wood

Often the sitter is in the foreground and in the background we are presented with an enchanting Italian landscape which properly diminishes in space! Check out that true to life blue mist!

Battista Sforza and Federico da Montefeltro, ca. 1465-66, Piero della Francesca

Renaissance artists soon began to use the three quarter view as well, allowing the viewer to be more engaged with the sitter. Sometimes a window sill was included with items or objects that symbolized something about the subject. And keep noticing that gorgeous landscape!

Portrait of a Lady, c. 1490, Domenico Ghirlandaio

My 5th grade Renaissance scholars needed a new challenge this year. So I got to thinking, why not roll all these concepts into one long art history and studio lesson? First we learned the art history basics. Then the students were instructed to come up with a thoughtful question on the topic. Next, technology! A Face Time date with "Mr. Martinez" from Ars Opulenta (ars-opulenta.com). By the way, you too, can contact him for a technology instruction date. Each student used my i phone to ask him their pre-approved questions and each answer invoked hearty discussion and often many giggles as the students learned about clothing laws and hair dying techniques among other things!

Next the studio part. The kids selected printed images of Renaissance portraits by the masters. They were asked to use them as a jumping off point to sketch a landscape on water color paper. We spent several classes getting acquainted with water color painting.

5th Grade Student Work 2011-2012

Next the kids made "complicated paper" a la Anne Bagby www.annebagby.com. This involves designing and cutting EZ Cut ( http://www.dickblick.com/products/blick-e-z-cut-printing-blocks/) and printing paper. This paper became a new set of Renaissance clothing for their figures. To finish off the "edited" portraits they added faux wood, scrapbook paper frames reminiscent of the casements sometimes depicted during the Renaissance.