Papermaking at Caretaker Farm

Teresa led papermaking in the garden at Caretaker Farm in Williamstown. Flower petals and leaves made lovely designs pressed into the wet paper pulp.

What an inspiring setting for creativity.

Mosaic Making - A Community Project

On July 21 we hosted an open house asking members of the community to join us in creating a new mosaic sign.

Participants worked side by side to piece together the design.

We also had a team outside breaking tile into smaller pieces.

As the spaces filled up, it became more puzzle-like to find pieces to fit in-between others and to fill in background space.

The mosaic so far - a combination of our logo surrounded by invented free form designs. Can you find a turtle, a star, and the word Art?

Adding more designs at a second work session in August.

Piecing in the background - our progress so far.

An Evening of Printmaking

Our evening printmaking workshop began with playing with paint using different tools on sheets of plexi-glass.

A freshly pulled print (above) and monoprints laid out to dry (below).
Here the print on the left was created from the plate on the right, a collograph. A collograph is a collage that is later printed. This collage included a variety of textures and the print included two color applications.

The plate above created the print on the lower right below.

The prints take on a new interest seen on the light table.

Resourcefulness and Inspiration

Ideas and inspiration come from many sources. Here, L looks at the shape of her temporary tatoo, a carriage for a princess.

She suggests her friend use the tatoo as inspiration for a carriage she wants to add to a large group story drawing.

The drawn carriage borrows from the round shape of the inspiration.

Mandala Design

This mandala is created from the inside out, using the oil pastels to create unique shapes of color that fit together adn fill the space, building from the center.

The outer edge of the mandala form provides a guide for the outer most shapes. This sort of building with shapes of color is often attributed to the "design stage" of drawing development.

The design stage typically precedes the representational stage. However, the stages are non-linear and tend to mix and overlap. Here, the artist adds a flower, a representational image.

In the finished image, the flower also becomes part of the design, a sort of hidden picture. The shapes around its form are filled in to add to the overall design.

Exploring Tools in Clay

E began by exploring flattening the clay, pressing it into a slab. She used a stick to create a collection of caterpillars.

A close-up of the caterpillars.

Tracks in the slab from scraping out the pieces of clay to make the caterpillars.

E noticed my camera as I took pictures of her process and improvised a camera of her own.

Working Together in a Studio

In the studio children generally mix colors in a group, sharing discoveries as they watch the magic of stirring colors together. They spread out to have more elbow room when they are ready to paint. Here, is very intent on his work on his painting.

A couple friends come over to see R's work, pointing out parts they notice.

It is delightful to have others come see your work, R tells them it is a city.

The friends now notice more, picking out parts of the city. One of the joys of working in a group in the studio is the opportunity for peer feedback and learning. Sharing artwork, ideas and strategies enriches the experience. As the teacher/observer, it is lovely to stand back and watch conversations develop.