How To:
Studio Art 2009
Unit 3 and 4 Studio Art provides students with a framework to work within and experience the trials, tribulations, stresses and joys of creating a complete folio of art works. This process starts with an idea(s), through a folio of creative meanderings and experimentation, culminating with the creation of two final works of art. Studio Art provides students with an experience albeit a snapshot of what it’s like to be a practicing artist.
At Penola units 3 and 4 are the student’s first experience with working on a theme of choice for a prolonged period of time. For most this is the first hurdle of many that they must overcome. This year’s classes worked with a variety of themes. Although the students were all interested in their themes, it was those that were truly committed and passionate about their theme that excelled and created a cohesive body of work. They all described Studio art as the place where they could be “self expressive” and escape the rigors of their other classes in an environment unlike any other within the college.
Mary Faith Cristoria was one of our top students this year at Penola. She was a student who we as staff felt took full advantage of all that the studio art study design offers. Mary reinvented her art making through a process of self development, trialling and experimenting and ultimately completed two very strong folios and final artworks. For me it was her passion, dedication and work ethic that enabled her to have such a successful year.
Starting point/ choosing a theme
Although as staff we encourage our students to choose a theme that they are passionate about, they often choose themes that are too complex, broad or just too simple for them to sustain.
Choosing a theme that you are “passionate” about is essential. Understanding and getting the most from that theme is the hard part. “The biggest difficulty I encountered in terms of developing a folio was probably the topic I picked. (Individuality) is a very broad topic, and it was hard for me to narrow it down so that the viewer could clearly understand my message, as well as for me not to get totally lost in such a broad topic. Because of this, I had to redo and rethink many of the starting points I had created, just so I could make sense of my theme.”
Student /Teacher dialog. Often Mary would discuss her theme and through a series of brainstorms we were able to establish what it was about “individuality” that Mary wanted to focus on. We discussed her artistic inspiration and aspirations, possible materials and some techniques that she could start trialling. Mary was able to successfully use her mind maps, inspiration and annotation to form what would be the base for her work brief. A clear and attainable work brief is essential to creating successful folios. Mary completed many drafts of her brief before being satisfied that she had clearly identified the focus aspect of her theme, the materials and aesthetic qualities she wanted to develop. The work brief becomes the framework and timeline for all further development. “Creating a clear work brief has definitely been a challenge. I haven’t been doing art for a long time and I only really discovered that I was interested in painting last year. This year was all about discovering what art really is. I wanted to try new things, take on other mediums and try to gain a better understanding of art theory”.
Look widely. Students don’t often have a wide understanding of, or repertoire of artistic styles or influences, and in Mary’s case, a broad knowledge of historical or contemporary artists to help guide her own artistic development. Using Mary’s initial concept development drawings and paintings, together we were able to quickly establish similarities or links to other contemporary artists and or particular artworks that she should research. Keeping a box of books in the class room that were chosen specifically for like content or techniques were invaluable. Importantly though students were encouraged to continually use their own images to complement printed resources. This enabled the students to create images that were original and more personal, rather than appropriating found imagery.
Distinctive style. “When I started off, I was drawing on previous experiences and inspiration created around an impressionist style” Mary was developing images that were being painted using a small brush and a dabbing technique to layer colours and build surface. This technique was time consuming and providing a minimal surface texture as the acrylic paints would shrink as they dried. Mary was trying to develop high relief surfaces with a material and technique that was satisfactory but not providing the outcome she was hoping for. It was at this point that Mary’s artistic development and understanding of what studio art was about clicked. She was shown some Ben Quilty images. We discussed his materials and technique and devised a plan to try and create a similar surface aesthetic. “After seeing some Quilty images I became more interested in impasto painting. So in terms of technical development, I went from short brush strokes to longer more expressive strokes with thickened paint, to using modelling paste mixed with my paint and a pallet knife”. Mary did not use another brush after this point to create her final works of John, a series of four paintings.
Folio of works
Mary’s theme of individuality developed into a folio of conceptual development and materials research that was varied and far beyond anything she had attempted before. She had decided very early on that she wanted to experiment with more sculptural and 3D mediums. Mary’s theme focused on two characters, a friend’s image as a portrait and Cheetah man as a sculptural piece. Throughout Mary’s first folio she experimented with clay as a building material and acrylic paint. These mediums would be consistently and extensively experimented with throughout the year. Such was the clarity and resolve of Mary’s concept.
“In one of my first trials I painted each colour layer by layer. Once I became more comfortable and skilled at applying paint with a knife instead of a brush I was able to apply my colours with out layering them individually. I was able to plan the strokes that I was going to make. This allowed me to apply a complete surface of multiple colours”. While Mary was developing her painting skills she was also experimenting with clay and modelling compound to create several masks and Cheetah man. Like many of this years students Mary was willing to experiment and trial a variety of materials and techniques for a range of potential solutions. “I had an idea in my head what I wanted my finals to look like. In order to achieve the best possible solution I had to develop certain skills”. For me this is what studio art is all about, solving visual problems to attain a certain aesthetic quality and image that fulfils the work brief and focus statement.
Some tips for creating a successful folio of work
- Be prepared, come on the first day back with some ideas, brain storms and inspiration, be flexible, ideas and concepts change.
- Pick a theme that you are very interested in- that way you will be more dedicated to your work. Try to be very clear about the topic/ theme.
- Communicate, get used to using correct terminology
- Organisation and planning, utilise the technical skills of others (staff/ students) where needed to get the finals realised.
- Research artists, art forms, techniques, materials – good research will help you with your art making.
- Trial and experiment as much as possible – the more potential solutions you have, the more choices you have for your finals.
- Plan and organize a detailed timeline and try to stick to it. Know when SAT’s are due.
- Avoid getting bogged down / stuck when you are unsure. Communicate with your teacher and other students.
- Document everything and do it regularly – saves time and stress.
- consider the final presentation, look at how works are presented
- Love what you are doing.
