visual storytelling

Very pleased to announce that the PT Public Library has invited me to create and facilitate a workshop for their homeschool program.  And, here it is!

VISUAL-STORYTELLING WITH COUNSEL LANGLEY

Homeschoolers are invited to attend a Visual-Storytelling Workshop
with local artist and art educator, Counsel Langley. The focus of
this workshop will be the use of visual art to communicate
information, ideas, and feelings. Using collage and drawing in
various media, homeschoolers will explore approaches to organizing
space, and techniques for achieving a pleasing composition. This
workshop is appropriate for all skill levels.

Please, join us Friday, February 11, from 10:30am until noon at the
Port Townsend Public Library.

For ages 7 – 12

This program is free thanks to the Friends of the library.

For more information call 385-3181

[It feels wrong to post with out visual aids!  But, for the time-being I've chosen to keep related imagery underwraps.   I want participants to be free from expectations of style, skill level and theme; they may come prepared to communicate and idea or feeling or their choice.  I promise pictures post-workshop.]

blow, splash, move

Today marked the closing of a truly great twelve week series of art classes.  I’m proud of my part, but it was the students, age range 5 to 8 years-old, that made it great.   I am so proud of them.   With this final class we celebrated freedom, the sun, and all they have learned and created with an explosion of color.  Taking cues from the beauty of natural processes the kids mimicked wind, splashes and movement (centrifugal force to be precise).  We worked inside and out, had a party, and shared our work with one another.  It was lovely.

responding to music

Two things about last week’s art class:  Last week’s art class had a play list.   Last week’s art class might have been the best art class ever.

Play list:

Serenade #13 in G, “Eine Kleine Nachtmusik” Allegro, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Ragged Wood, Fleet Foxes

Into the Labyrinth, Trevor Jones (Labyrinth soundtrack)

Weeping Wall, David Bowie

Team, Bon Iver

Keep the Car Running, Arcade Fire

It is Accomplished, Peter Gabriel (Last Temptation of Christ soundtrack)

With this music my students finished out an exploration of storytelling with visual art.  Listening to each song two or three times, limited to only black and white:  white clay, black paint thinned to inky consistency on white paper, white conté crayon on black paper, they responded directly to what the music made them feel.  We worked fast and furious for over an hour.

Into the Labyrinth

It is Accomplished

Eine Kleine Nachtmusik

Ragged Wood

Keep the Car Running

Then they selected the pieces they found most interesting and pushed those further–refining the lines and working color into  the image.

tell me a story

We are in the midst of classes based around the idea of story telling.   Last week students invented a story.  Then used drawing, painting, cut silhouettes and some modest book making techniques to express that story.  The class was amazing, uplifting, and the richness of these kids’ stories kind of blew my mind.

This lesson was in large part inspired by this:

Explaining how his “cover” painting relates to his story:

The one story that had, as put by the artist, “a not so happy ending,” given that the young traveler ends up in the witch’s pot (also shown is the bookmark she made based on her story):

A sequence from Journey’s work (I love how appropriate her name is to this project):

The beast is leashed for eternity.

They pass through a town with no people.  They meet a dragon and its child.

A joyous reunion.

Next class is going to be even better; I can not wait  . . . .  One of my students, who won’t be there bemoaned the fact that she won’t be able to be there next Friday when we “ruin books.”  She’s got the concept down.  We will be closing in on the act of story telling by un-telling a story.  I’ve collected a bunch of damaged hard-cover childrens’ books which will be our material to create abstract sculptures from.  Examples will include to gorgeous work of Georgia Russell.

via

Evolution and Natural Selection, Georgia Russell2009 | Cut book in circular acrylic case,  22 x 4 inches

a sense of place

A favorite moment from a recent art class:

nature awareness through art

Rather than business as usual, PTSD’s ICE Program kicked-off 2010 with an experiment:

Cancel all regular classes in favor of a week of intense focus on a particular subject.

As part of this amazing Project Week, I teamed up with teacher/consultant Daniel Molotsky to lead students, K through 12, in a concentrated look at Patterns in Art and Nature.  For four straight days we worked inside and out to explore environmental art and visual concepts, such as, pattern and line, accumulation, repetition, symmetry.  (All the images in this post are rad student work.)

Our days began with an introduction of a new concept, some discussion and a look at examples of the days’ idea from both visual art and nature.   Students then spent time working on projects indoors.

Most indoors works encouraged independent thought and work, but we also got an all-ICE collaboration started (see image below).  This is a 4 foot by 8 foot glass mosaic; using the idea of nature’s rhythms it features our solar system framed by the phases of the moon and trees representing the four seasons at each corner.  We hope to have this completed and hung by the end of the school year.

Around lunch time we bundled-up and went outdoors to work on-site.  This was the time for students to get their hands (and knees) dirty and express what they were learning about environmental art.  My take on it is that environmental art improves the artist’s relationship with nature.  It is artwork designed for a particular place and is created entirely from available natural materials.   And, most importantly, it is ephemeral; made to change and eventually disappear.  The kids embraced these ideas.  Moving with grace and confidence they took their time getting to know the places–woods, meadow, beach–we ventured to.

Without exception, the students were gentle and respectful in their interactions with the natural world.  Granted there is some impact when taking twenty-some kids out into the wild to make art.  With this in mind we were sensitive to select work sites that were near trails or other spaces already frequented by people.

That said, I feel strongly that the future of the environment depends largely on this generation having a healthy relationship with the natural world.   Environment-based education education expert David Sobel puts it this way:

“It’s good to have streams where kids can and obstruct the ecosystem; the nature of that play is more important, and worth it to the environment in the long term,” he says.  . . . . “You can make the same argument about tree houses, which undeniably damage the tree, but that occasional damage to a tree is not as important as what children learn when playing in that tree.”

I came across this David Sobel quote while reading Last Child in the Woods, by Richard Louv.  Louv’s view is “Passion does not arrive on videotape or on a CD; passion is personal.  Passion is lifted from the earth itself by the muddy hands of the young; it travels along grass-stained sleeves to the heart.  If we are going to save . . . the environment, we must also save an endangered indicator species:  the child in nature.”

I am happy to think the environment might benefit from kids who know it well.  As I watched my students at their play/work/interaction with the natural world I see in them respect, understanding, and love.  These children are the ones who grow up desiring to protect the environment.  My even greater satisfaction, though, came of witnessing the effect the great outdoors had on all of us–making us happier, more-tolerant, creative and playful.

Again from Last Child in the Woods:

“Natural spaces and materials stimulate children’s limitless imaginations and serve as the medium of inventiveness and creativity observable in almost any group of children playing in a natural setting.”  [Louv is quoting Robin Moore, a play and learning environments designer.]

I am so fortunate to have worked with these awesome kids!

studio time: art experiences for youth!

art experiences for youth
• open ended discovery of various mediums, techniques and concepts
• engaging projects seen through from beginning to completion
• exposure to art history and contemporary movements

Next session begins January 29th, 2010.
More information available at STUDIO TIME with Counsel Langley

Earth by Emerald Honor Bailey (age 4), acrylic on board, 5 x 5″

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PRICING

THIS YEAR GIVE THE GIFT OF ART EXPERIENCE.

SPECIAL SEASONAL DISCOUNTS!
DON’T WAIT – ENDS DEC. 24TH!

3 classes for $39
6 classes for $72
9 classes for $99

Seasonal class punch card comes in the form of a pocket booklet with some cool shapes to color, cut-out or use in a project . . .

Regular rates (after Dec. 24, 2009):

Single class/drop-in rate $15
Half-Pass: 6 classes for $80
Full-Pass: 12 classes for $150

A note about materials: Generally materials and tools are included in the price of the class. Now and then, I may suggest bringing something from home to fit a particular project. And, occasionally there may be a suggested donation of a few dollars if materials for a project run high. I aim to keep costs down, but access to high-quality materials and tools are what make an arts education truly enriching.

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CURRENT CLASS SCHEDULE:

The following classes are geared for ages 7 through 12. Those 5 and 6 years of age who show particular interest and focus will also benefit. All classes stand alone or can be taken in sequence of 3 or full session of 12.

Identity
Who am I? What do others easily see? What do I see?

Jan. 29 Artist’s Journal (2D Focus)
Feb. 5 If I Were a Robot?! (3D Focus)
Feb. 12 Bits-and-Pieces Art Box (Learning from the Masters: Louise Nevelson)

A Sense of Place
Think about a place you like to be—where you feel particularly happy . . . How does the place smell, feel? What sounds do you hear there? What colors do you see? Textures? What is the light like? Why is that place important to you?

Feb. 19 Textured House: A Portrait of My Home (2D Focus)
Feb. 26 A Place to Play (3D Focus)
Mar. 5 NO CLASS
Mar. 12 Scenery Mural (Learning from the Masters: Marc Chagall)

Stories
Many artists tell stories—autobiographical, fictional, fantastical—in their work.

Mar. 19 Illustration: Telling a Story (2D Focus)
Mar. 26 Triptych Panel with Story Book Cut-outs (2D Focus)
Apr. 2 Responding to Music (Learning from the Masters: Various Artists)

Plants
Spring! What a great time to observe and think about growing things.

Apr. 9 You’ve Discovered an Edible Plant! (2D Focus)
Apr. 16 NO CLASS
Apr. 23 An Island All My Own (3D Focus)
Apr. 30 Spin Garden (Learning from the Masters: Damien Hirst*)

*Hirst deals with many themes and imagery not suitable for the age and scope of this session. This will be a highly edited and age appropriate exposure to the artist; taking inspiration only from his series of spin paintings (the ones with kiddo friendly titles).

Classes are 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. on Fridays.

Drop-ins are welcome, although class sizes are limited, reserving a spot ahead of time is recommended. To reserve for a particular class, sequence or session email me at contact@counsellangley.com with your request. You will receive a confirmation when your reservation is set.