Studio Art: Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) Masks

In studio art we are working on our 3d unit and this week we're going to be creating small masks inspired by Mexico's Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) holiday using celluclay.  Above are a few examples but each student will create their own design and color pattern and draw it out before you begin.  The video below shows you how celluclay works and we're going to mix it in groups then create our masks on wax paper so it can dry without sticking.



Once the mask drys you'll sand it then use acrylic and tempera paint to add you design.  The drawings will be due today and then you can begin molding you mask.  Next week, after the final, we'll be painting our masks when they are completely dry.

AP Art: The 2014 Junior Show

Wednesday our four Junior had a group show which opened with a range of work and media from figure drawing to photography to painting.  Andrew, Lisa, Erica, and Juliana presented work form their AP portfolio which was just completed.  The show will be up for a week so make sure you stop over and check it out.

Media Arts: Global Nomads Group Drug and Alcohol PSA

In Media Arts class we've been working with Global Nomads Group to collaborate with a class is Islamabad, Pakistan in order to create something for our community.  Today we will present the resulting public service announcement shown above in our final class video conference.  The Drug and Alcohol PSA went through a series of changes over the course of the semester but everyone participated in it's creation and we will be sharing it worldwide via social media this week.

We will also be sharing our environmental photographs and statements (such as mine below) with the G-9/4 class on Google+ for their upcoming walk for the environment.

Art Honor Society: Spring Field Trip to the Hamptons

The Art and Media Art Honor Society's annual spring field trip to the Hamptons was Friday and we had a great time visiting galleries and the Parrish Museum in Southampton despite the mediocre weather.  We had a chance to see art from notable Long Islanders such as Chuck Close, Dennis Oppenheim, Roy Lichtenstein, and a terrific exhibit of Jennifer Bartlett's work along with works from street artists such as: Banksy and Faile at Keszler Gallery and works by: Alex Katz and Ross Bleckner at Mark Humphrey Gallery.

 

 

Studio Art: Matisse Cut Outs

In Studio Art we learned about the cut out images Henri Matisse created later in his life and how influential and different they were.  There is a show at London's Tate Museum this summer which looks at these works and examines them in detail as seen in the video above.  It's the first time I can recall so many of the cut out works being shown together in one space so it's quite an exciting show!

Studio Art: Advanced Paper Bead Making and Extra Credit paper vases

Now that we all know how to make paper beads we'll get a little advanced in Studio Art with more ornate paper beads and a challenge to create a paper vase.  Above is a tutorial on how to make the paper beads more decorative with different varnishes and color combinations. 

Below is a simple tutorial on how to make a paper vase or pot.  If anyone wants to try it'll be this month's extra credit assignment so find some magazines to recycle and get started!

Studio Art: Beadmaking for Africa

In Studio Art we will be creating paper bead bracelets which will be donated to Students Rebuild and Charitywater and the proceeds will bring people in Tanzania, Africa clean, healthy water. Every 20 handmade beads will provide access to clean water for 1 person in a village.  We'll be working in groups of 4 (creating at least 2 beads per person in a production line style).  Take a look at the video below to see how a paper bead is created.



The artist Vik Muniz, who we studied earlier this month, is also participating in this project creating a poster from paper beads with his technique that we observed in is Oscar nominated film Wasteland.  After you assemble into your 4 person group use this template with step by step instructions to create your first beads.

AP Art: Shows and Contests

The Brooklyn Museum is currently showing a terrific exhibition on the Chinese artist Ai Weiwei that I would highly suggest visiting (along with the installation by street artist SWOON).  The video above shows some of the scope of the show and the difficulties putting it together with Weiwei not being allowed out of China at the moment.

Also any undergraduate students who are taking AP Art next year show check out the video below of a Masterclass artist and director Julian Schnabel for the Young Arts program because the contest is now open for next year. There are categories such as: photography, fine arts, writing, and film so whatever your strengths are I'd really highly suggest you submit work now!

Art Honor Society: Spring Field Trip to the Hamptons

Next week we will continue our printmaking work and next Friday we have our annual summer field trip to the Hamptons where we will be visiting the new Parrish Museum of Art and seeing a range of work from Long Islanders such as: Fairfield Porter, Roy Lichtenstein, and April Gornik along with a visit to the The Dan Flavin Art Institute in Bridge Hampton shown in the video clip below.

 

Art Honor Society: Kevin Doria

Yesterday in our Art Honor Society meeting we were creating monoprints and we had a special guest Kevin Doria join us and participate.  Kevin is an alumni from Smithtown East's first AP Art class and he spoke about his current position as a photographer and graphic designer in New Mexico and about his college experiences at the Art Institute of Chicago.  Below are some of the prints Kevin created.  

Media Art: Begining to Animate

In media arts class we are now ending the pre-production phase of our animation and beginning to animate using 3"x5" white index cards in pencil.  The short animation above is a great example of what we're looking for because it has mostly simple backgrounds and limited color but uses a good variation of techniques and motion and the animation is neat and smooth (incorporating the hand is the difficult part but goes beyond what were doing in class).

We are going to begin with a 5 card pencil test on index cards that I provide (look at the examples below) but to save time make sure your pencil test is part of your animation so we can use it in the final film

Studio Art: Monoprinting and stencil printing

In Studio Art class we will be working on a new printmaking technique- Monoprinting along with a variation on stencil printing using Gelli plates and acrylic paint.  The nature of monoprints is that each print is different and totally unique so you'll be creating a few and choosing your best from each of these methods to submit for a grade on Friday.

AP ART: Art Attack

Now that the AP Studio Art test is over it is time for an Art Attack so this week we will be watching clips of films on artists and exploring techniques which we didn't have time for while preparing for the test.  We will also be creating a project collaboratively so we'll look at some of the possibilities such as the great time-lapse film above of a mural painting by Eric Skotnes in the theme of "awakenings" for Soul Pancake.

AP ART: The AP Test is TODAY!

Today in AP ART we are taking the AP Test so make sure all of your work is prepared are ready to submit.  The test begins at 7:20am!

AP Art: Online submissions

Today in AP art class we will be uploading the AP Studio Art Submissions for the AP test tomorrow, on May 9. Below is the information you need to know to "forward your portfolio to teacher":

School Code: 335001
School: SMITHTOWN HIGH SCH E CAMPUS
Teacher Key: xwt0100

Make sure all the work is sized and the media is stated and the concentration statements are set before submitting your work to me.  Additionally you need to have your 5 quality pieces prepared to send in the AP portfolio case.  Good luck, we're almost there!

Studio Art: Maya Lin

In Studio Art we are studing Earthworks and organic sculpture so today we will look at a very well known memorial which was designed by Maya Lin when she was a 21 year old undergraduate student at Yale, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.  Above is a video about Maya's most famous work and below is a video on one of her most recent shows in NYC after Hurricane Sandy from ART21and another from the New York Times about her piece at Storm King.





Here's an interesting side note about Lin's Vietnam Memorial, people began leaving items in memory of soldiers and the US Parks service responded by archiving them, take a look at some of what was left and how it's been arranged below.

Studio Art: Organic Sculpture

Today we will begin looking at sculpture specifically the earthworks (or land art) and organic sculpture movements with artists such as: Andy Goldsworthy, Maya Lin, Mel Chin, Christo and Jeanne Claude, Walter De Maria, Vik Muniz, Dennis Oppenheim, James Turrell,  and Robert Smithson. 

Well look at a local sculpture destinations such as Calder Court in the Smith Haven Mall and the Dia Art Foundation upstate in New York along with the Storm King Art Center which showcases works from sculptors such as: Alexander Calder, Mark di Suvero, Henry Moore, Isamu Noguchi, Richard Serra, and Louise Nevelson.

Below is a great video from Tommy Kane, a terrific artist at Storm King who had fun renaming the sculptures after popstars.



Also just for fun here's Tommy Kane drawing Barcelona, one of my favorite cities!

AP Art: Senior Show- Zach

This is AP Testing week and our final senior AP Art solo show from Zach who exhibited his figure drawings and concentration pieces along with a few older pencil drawing and his poster design for the Fall play.

Friday is the AP test so make sure you are uploading all 24 of your pieces on the AP Studio Upload page and preparing you 5 works to mail in! It's almost time! Your AP scores will be release on July 9 at 8am here's some additional information: AP Scores.



Studio Art: Stencil Portraits

In Studio Art we have been working on creating Stencil Portraits on a mixed media background like the excellent example above from our international student from Thailand Jan.  The finished portrait is due on Tuesday so make sure you finish cutting the image today so you can paint it next week and finish on time.  Below is a video showing a professional version of a stencil portrait of actor Christopher Walken, pretty cool!

Media Arts: Our video conference with Pakistan

 

In Media Arts class we held our 4th Global Nomads video conference with Pakistan's G9 school this week and showed clips of our public service announcement.  We also spoke with a guest from the American embassy in Pakistan who observed our talk and our debate topics which we exchanged.  We have just 1 more video conference on May 29 where we will present our completed PSA and share photographs with G9 of Long Island for their environmental PSA and our project will be complete!