Wind Sculptures

For most students Sculpture is an interesting and challenging aspect of the Visual Arts. Working in three dimensions to create a form is not easy, particularly if you are working with lightweight materials such as wire and you’re also trying to make it look good and move at the same time. This was the case when my grade 10 Sculpture class was given the challenge of creating a kinetic sculpture that moves from the power of the wind. They had just learnt some soldering skills and were keen to build abstract forms (inspired by the works of Calder and other artists), but this task would require considerable research and planning. Initially they investigated a range of ‘wind capturing’ forms before developing their own unique design. As well as building the wire structure, the students applied tissue paper, which was later painted with primary colours for effect. There was considerable testing and design modification throughout the construction process, which was assisted by having a portable fan continuously in operation in the room. The students had to consider the balance between aesthetics and functionality, but particularly enjoyed seeing who could get the most dynamic movement from their sculpture.

Surrealism Inspired Painting

In looking at the wonderful world of surrealist painting my grade 11 Painting class began to investigate at the works of René Magritte and in particular ‘Les Valeurs Personnelles’ (Personal Values), 1952. Technically this piece is beautifully painted, but what was of particular interest was Magritte’s sophisticated use of scale and composition. With this in mind we headed to the computer room where students were given a list of 10 random objects to Google. Each Image was saved then the students were asked to use Photoshop to crop and position a number of them into a desirable composition. Emphasis was not only placed on the positioning of the image on the page, but the students were also encouraged to adjust the scale to suit the overall composition. By the end of the lesson the final composition was printed to become the basis for a painting on canvas. The random and somewhat disjointed nature of the photos and compositions certainly resulted in some interesting surrealist inspired imagery. It is also fair to say that the careful and realistic painting style provided its own challenges, allowing the students to acquire their own appreciation for Magritte’s talents as an artist.

Hockney-style Portrait Painting

With this painting project my students where looking at the photographic works of David Hockney in order to find inspiration for a self portrait. We were also investigating the way Cubism and Futurism provided a totally different approach in depicting the human form through the process of compositional deconstruction . With this in mind they used a photograph of themselves taken from a front and three quarter angle. Each of the photos were divided which into an even grid format then cut into pieces. Pieces were chosen and rearrange into a desired composition on a blank grid template. This then became the basis for their painting, which was easily enlarged because of the use of the grid. Their choice of colour and painting technique was based upon how they saw themselves and what they considered was most appropriate to the composition.

Tumbling Letter Sculpture

This is a fun piece completed by my grade 10 sculpture class, where they were aiming to convey the sense of movement and energy through the repetition of a familiar form. In order to focus on the composition of the sculpture a simple alphabet letter was chosen which was then repeated on cardboard six times. Using a template of the selected letter form, the shape was overlapped to appear to be linked together. Once the composition was finalised the layout was extruded into a three dimensional form. A wire spine was added running through the form for strength. The final consideration was the use of colour and how this might also be used to convey movement or change in the sculpture. The final three dimensional form was then stood on end and the spinal wire drilled earlier was attached to a small base.