IT's so FLUFFY!!

Okay so that is one of my favorite lines from Despicable me.  And at the same it is a perfect way to describe stuffed animals.  Did you have lots of stuffed animals when you were a kid?  I had quite a few, but I think my oldest son had the most.  Do you still have those stuffed toys?  What are you thinking of doing with them if you do?  Have you ever thought of using them to create art?  I'm sure that never crossed your mind, but it did cross the mind of Hirushi Fuji, a Japanese contemporary artist.

Now I am the first to admit I don't always understand contemporary art, but I did think that these images are pretty cool.

What do you think of these toy sculptures?  Would they be something that you would like to see in person?  Do you think they would have a bigger impact if you could see them up close and personal or do they impact you on the computer.  What toys would you use to create a work of art, and what would you create?

Shards of Art

Have you ever looked at your old CD collection and wondered "What could I do with these?"  Okay so most of you probably don't have a CD collection, but your parents might? If you say your grandparents have one, then that will really hurt. OUCH!

Anyways, what if you took those old CD's and broke them?  Well now what could you do with them?  Would you consider making art with them?

What do you think of this CD dragon?  I think the details are amazing (especially the eyes) but maybe you have different ideas.  What would you make if you had to do this project?  Would you make a known animal or a creature?

Natural history art

What if you combined plants and animals and modern techniques to create amazing works of art?  What if you could see the world in a different light?  That is exactly what artis Ellen Jewett is doing with her sculptures.  She is combining the natural world, with our historical world into breath taking sculptures.

So what do you think of Ellen's sculptures?  Can you see what she is making them from?  What animal would you create and what materials would you use to create it?  Is there one that you would love to see if person?  Why do you like that one?

Leaf Art??

Art can be made out of anything even items from nature.  I couldn't find the name of the artist that created these natural works of art, but I still thought that they were clever.

What do you think of these works of art?  Would you pay for any of them, and if so how much do you think they are worth?  Is there one that is your favorite?  Do you think you could create any of them?

Art of Illusion

Optical illusions are the artist playing with your eyes and what you think you know.  While they are often the most intriguing art they are also the most difficult to create.  You need to be able to think of not only positive space, but what the shapes of the negative spaces look like and you need to figure out how to put the two together.

Here are a few examples that have been created by several different artists.

What do you think of these illusions?  Which one is your favorite and why?  Which one is the most intriguing or confusing?  Which one made you do a double take or question how it worked?

Do you have any ideas for a great optical illusion?  What would that look like?

Majestic creatures of paper

Paper is just not a thing you can write on, draw on or use for your homework.  Paper can be turned into majestic works of art.  The artist Robert Sweeney recently showed us that in an art installation that he created for Lincoln Cathedral.

These horses were created with sheets of white paper.  What do you think?  Would you go to see them?  What would you like to see up close about them?  What questions would you like to ask the artist if you could meet him?   Do you think they should have been made out of a different medium?

A penny's worth of art

Painting on copper and miniature works date back several hundred years, but the modern artist Jacqueline Lou Skaggs has found a unique way to combine the two.

So what do you think of her works of art?  If you happen to have a penny in your pocket I dare you to pull it out and look at it.  Can you imagine putting a work of art on a canvas the size of a penny?  Which picture from the ones above do you think would be the hardest to paint?  Which one would be the easiest?  What would you paint if you could do what she does?

Look what paper can do

I was introduced to the artwork by Sher Christopher through an image I saw on pinterest.  You will quickly learn this is where I find lots of my inspiration for not only these blog, but many of your assignments.  What did we ever do before it?

Anyways, I really liked the complex works of art that she creates with different types of paper.

What do you think of her work?  Would you like to see more?  Can you you see all of the little details that she has created in the paper or did you miss it?   Would you like to try to create something like this with paper, or would you use a different medium?

p.s. medium is what you use to create art?

Welcome to Art 1!!

I would like to be the first to welcome you back to a new school year!!  Let's make this the best year that it can be.

The first thing I would like you to write about is... Either what you are looking forward to in art this year, or what is the most creative thing you did this summer?  You're going to find out fast, that this class is not an easy A, and that I require you to step out of the box and push yourself.  So that is why I want to know what you are looking forward to, and/or what is the most creative thing you did this summer.