Therese Lydia Joseph

DOODLE OF THE WEEK (17)

2012-02-01T00:21:00.000-08:00

MIXED MEDIA ART LESSONS FOR KIDS Class #18: "Splatter-Skins"

2012-01-24T07:00:00.000-08:00

Painting with

SPLATTER-SKINS

What are they?

Every time the students splatter paint on a painting they are asked to do it over a large sheet of plastic on the floor in the corner of the studio. The splattered paint that lands on the plastic beyond the canvas is left there to dry. Once the splatters have dried up they are usable for the mixed media art process. They peel off in lumps and bumps. Some hang together and some break apart.

I asked the students to collect as many splatter-skins as possible at the beginning of the class.

Each student collected the peeled off skins on a cardboard.

Look how colorful they are and each piece differs from the other.

Next the students painted the canvas with their choice of colors. Once the first coat was dry they added the skins and glued them down with medium. The medium dries transparent and will not dull the vivid colors of the skins.

Students were asked to create a path with the skins.

After the paths was created the canvas was brought back to the splatter place. A few more splatters in a variety of tones closer to the background were added to give the painting a more integrated feel. This way the skins do not appear to just sit on top of the canvas.

Here are the finished masterpieces

Hope you enjoyed this post.

Stay tuned for more artwork with kids.

MIXED MEDIA ART LESSONS FOR KIDS Class #17: "Musical Paintings"

2012-01-10T06:00:00.000-08:00

Painting the Music vs Painting with Music

The girls brought an iPod to class and asked if they could listen to their favorite songs. Surly I was not going to say "NO". We all know that painting with music enriches the process, frees the soul and slows down the busy brain… The girls are quite a “chatty” bunch and I thought that music would keep their usual chitchat to a minimum. To my surprise the talking dwindled while a favorite song filled the studio. But… the “chatter” got louder even intense when a song came on that was not liked by all. A quick debate whether the singer was lame or cool broke the calm in the studio. Activating the FF (fast forward) button usually cleared the air quickly. I did not interfere with the opinions that were voiced as long as they kept the brush in hand and the hand engaged in painting. The girls were without a doubt in a happy mood. They kept on task with both the talking and the painting. I am not sure to this day whether it was the music on the iPod or the new paints I provided that influenced the girls to not only paint with music but actually paint the music.

One of the girls painted “headphones” with “music notes” and was particular about the background colors.

Another student used the splatter paint technique in combination with traditional painting for the “piano keys”.

Here are some other paintings created that afternoon.

At the end of the day photos were taken of the finished works.
This time we displayed them with actual instruments.

Some weeks later I browsed through the photo file and was surprised to find out how many paintings this group of students has produced so far. To capture their passion for painting, their creativity and unique expressions I created the following video.

Hope you enjoy it.

This is my way to say thank you to the parents for sending their girls to art class on Sunday afternoons. I am convinced that great art is created when the creator is unhindered to express whatever needs to come forth. If popular music, bright colored paint or chit-chat helps to open the minds and hearts of the students - then I am all for it.

These days, on Sunday afternoons the studio is never silent.

MIXED MEDIA ART LESSONS FOR KIDS Class #16: "Cheese Cloth in a Sunset"

2011-12-20T07:00:00.000-08:00

No "cheesy" sunset!
This 8 year old student came to class today and said: “I wanna do a sunset!” Great! I love it when students bring their ideas to class with such excitement. I noticed a high degree of anticipation with a sense of urgency in her statement.
We chatted about how she would like to start, what colors she would like to use and what the first coat should look like. My student called it: “showing the mood”.
Here is the ”mood”

At first glance I was surprised to see nothing but dark purple lines brushed on in a vertical fashion. I thought to myself that maybe she had abandoned the sunset idea. But the student simply explained that this is how she wanted it in the background behind the sun. I never argue, disagree with the artist or try to influence him or her in any way. I praised her for her array of tones and shades in her work. She was eager and ready for the next step and so was I. The student declared that the sun “had” to be massive; and that the color "pink" had to be represented in the sky.

I always have a large selection of drawing tools, mixed media supplies, textiles and tons of odds and ends laid out for the students to choose from. Students are free to pick as many or as few, even none of the materials. This student discovered the Caran d’Ache Crayons I had brought with me from a previous trip to Switzerland. She was immediately attracted to the colors and just went for it. What an amazing effect!

Later she decided to add some cheese cloth for texture. Why not!

The cheese cloth was carefully manipulated into the desired shapes and sizes.
This is when the rock was created (bottom right of the painting)

The student started painting with her fingers and used a cloths rather than the brush… fabulous!
She blended, added, fluxed, scribbled, painted, rubbed, sprayed, washed, glazed…

A true Mixed Media Artist who was proud to take home a masterpiece.

Paining: Mixed Media/Acrylic, 16x20 inches, by Tara

The Gift of Life

2011-12-14T21:10:00.001-08:00

The Gift of Life

Trees in Shades of Green

– a Wonder of Creation

Sunrise to Sunset

– a Recurring Miracle

Birth, Death and Beyond

– the Gift of Life

Paintings and Poem by Therese Lydia Joseph

THINK AGAIN

2011-12-12T07:03:00.000-08:00

I think I wasn't thinking straight when I thought that I could think about great things before I learned how to think at all. Now that I learned to think great things, I think thinking is not that straight at all.

WHAT DO YOU THINK?

MY JOURNEY TO THE HUMAN FIGURE (7)

2011-12-06T01:21:00.000-08:00

Previous posts in this series

1 - The Sensuality of a Tree

Relating the organic shapes of tree branches to curves and lines of the human figure

2 - From Sticks to Figures

Evolution from tree to human figure - Learning from the masters - A can of worms
3 - Time to make up my Mind
"Reverie" and "Shangrila" Semi abstract painting - Bigger is better

4 - Don't touch that paint

Can I do this? Let the drawing begin - Learning my lesson
5- Just couldn't resist
I was left with my books, my sketches and my notes. What now?

6 - On the Road again! Up-hill or Down-hill is the question?
Full speed ahead - Attacktion Process - Don't waste your money on a Shrink

Always Draw the Model

Time has passed, the Shrink has been shortchanged and my art journey was once again taking a curve. Only this time the going was slow. I had no direction and was mostly just pottering around the studio. I did not know where I was going. I just knew that sooner or later I would have to stop and gas up. Unexpectedly and very timely a fellow artist approached me and invited me to join their weekly in-house "life drawing session". I accepted the invitation wholeheartedly. Little did I know that these weekly art-gatherings would become my fueling station. Week by week I look forward to the challenge of drawing the models, capturing the temperament, training the eye to see... I discovered that it is not the hand that leads the pencil, but that the hand must blindly trust the eye to be the lead. Only then will the lines and curves, the shadows and light, the near and the far magically merge together to become a whole.

I have added some sample sketches of some poses I found to be very challenging because the models were in a "lying down" position with a deep perspective.

"Drawing the human figure is the key to all art. No other subject is as complex and challenging, nor more rewarding and meaningful. Because the human figure is so demanding it exercises the full range of artistic skills while also requiring subtlety of perception and understanding of what is being seen. To draw the figure regularly stretches and develops the artist. There is no time when it cannot be beneficial to the sensitive soul."

Article by: Diary Of An Artist In A New World

I could not have said it any better.

These weekly sessions have been enjoyable and beneficial but also tiring and frustrating at times.

Above all no matter how great the challenge - it is what gives me great satisfaction. The journey is a never ending one but every time I put the pencil on the paper to draw or paint the model I move a little closer inwardly toward myself.

We are having a great time!

Take a peek!

Life Drawing Sessions at 195 Pemberton, North Vancouver.

Join us on FACEBOOK

Check out the Studios at 195 Pemberton

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Stay tuned - for next week's blog post:
"Who Cares!"

MY JOURNEY TO THE HUMAN FIGURE (6)

2011-11-29T16:53:00.000-08:00

Previous posts in this series

1 - The Sensuality of a Tree

Relating the organic shapes of tree branches to curves and lines of the human figure

2 - From Sticks to Figures

Evolution from tree to human figure - Learning from the masters - A can of worms
3 - Time to make up my Mind
"Reverie" and "Shangrila" Semi abstract painting - Bigger is better

4 - Don't touch that paint

Can I do this? Let the drawing begin - Learning my lesson
5- Just couldn't resist
I was left with my books, my sketches and my notes. What now?

"On the road again!

Up-Hill or Down-Hill is the question?"

For about 8 months I left my sketch pad on the shelf. I painted just one more figure.

"Out of the Deep".

I really struggled with the proportions, the masses and volume. You can see what this poor women had to endure before she emerged out of the deep.
Click here: OUT OF THE DEEP
I love this painting and am not selling it at this time.
It was the last figure painting I did.

My art journey took a turn and lead me down the road of what I call “Attacktion”. In other words” Don’t waste your money on a Shrink – PAINT !!!” I produced close to 20 paintings in a relatively short time. Some of them you can find here on my website: Recent Works. Attacking the canvas with all you got and all you feel without holding back, is what I “had” to do. Spilling my gut through abstract, non-figurative work was the therapy I needed. Having said that, I must confess that I carried a silent wish throughout this “Attacktion Process”: How liberating and climatic it would have been if I only attacked the subject of the human figure with the same unhindered, expressive vitality as my abstract work. Just thinking about it sends goose bumps down my spine and makes me sweat. Surly it is possible – may be I should have just tried it. But I felt unskilled and inadequate.

Time has passed, the Shrink has been shortchanged and my art journey was once again taking a curve.

,

Stay tuned - for next week's blog post:
"Always draw the Model!"

A Cut Above

2011-11-24T18:56:00.000-08:00

A Cut Above

Across the Landscape’s Scarcity

Throughout what lies below

Beyond Horizon’s Destiny

Dominion to bestow

Painting and Poem by Therese Lydia Joseph

MY JOURNEY TO THE HUMAN FIGURE (5)

2011-11-22T05:47:00.000-08:00

Previous posts in this series

1 - The Sensuality of a Tree

Relating the organic shapes of tree branches to curves and lines of the human figure

2 - From Sticks to Figures

Evolution from tree to human figure - Learning from the masters - A can of worms
3 - Time to make up my Mind
"Reverie" and "Shangrila" Semi abstract painting - Bigger is better

4 - Don't touch that paint

Can I do this? Let the drawing begin - Learning my lesson

Just couldn't resist

During my Life Drawing classes at Langara College in Vancouver BC I came to the realisation that my knowledge about the anatomy of the human figure was very general and somewhat limited.

It was helpful to learn:

WHERE WHAT is

WHAT makes WHAT move and WHY

WHO is formed WHICH WAY

All excited about the new things I was learning, I took my pencil and pad to the mall and started drawing people standing, sitting or walking. I even drew the manikins in the store windows. I got inspired by an Artist who sketches random people right on to his iPhone: ART Magenta (see them here)

This was all good and fun but I missed the painting process. I could not help it but reach for the brush and paint between the weekly drawing sessions. Our instructor was encouraging his students to bring the work we created at home to the next class. So, that is what I did.

"Out of the Blue" was born in one afternoon. I love to use mixed media in my paintings. Here I added cheese cloth, yarns and threads to create interest and a sense of mystery.

"Induglance" took two weeks to create - contrary to "Out of the Blue". I brought this painting to class and it was very well received. Just had to make a couple of small adjustments. Pleased with the results I posted "Indulgace" on my website. About a month later the painting was discovered by a friend of a co-worker. I brought the painting to her office and it sold ... I was in my GLORY !

The weeks that followed changed things around. Drawing classes ended and I was left with my books, my sketches and my notes. It was like that burning desire for the human figure went up in smoke. I did not draw a thing, not even a stick figure... What happened? I thought I was on a roll. But instead - figure drawing and painting rolled right off the map! Where is this road leading to?

Stay tuned - for next week's blog post:
"On the road again!

Up-Hill or Down-Hill is the questions?"

MY JOURNEY TO THE HUMAN FIGURE (4)

2011-11-15T05:19:00.000-08:00

Previous posts in the series

1 - The Sensuality of a Tree

Relating the organic shapes of tree branches to curves and lines of the human figure

2 - From Sticks to Figures

Evolution from tree to human figure - Learning from the masters - A can of worms

3 - Time to make up my Mind
"Reverie" and "Shangrila" Semi abstract painting - Bigger is better

Don't touch that paint

After a few flops of trying to paint the human figure it became apparent that I needed to start at the beginning - and not at the end as I was doing. I signed up for my first figure drawing class at Langara College in Vancouver BC for a duration of 8 weeks.

Off I went to purchase all the materials I needed for the course. It was time to put the paint aside for a while.

Each class was 3 hours long and was divided into 3 parts. Each class we studied a different part of the body.

1. Anatomy of the human body
Skeleton - names, size and location of bones and joints

2. Anatomy of the human body

Muscles - names, function and location of large and small muscles
3.Practice - sketches using a variety of drawing tools

Life Drawing - female and male alternating - 2 hours each class

Please note the above posts and video is not from the course I attended, just find that they describe the ambiance and materials covered.

Here are a few sketches of the female models I did during this course

I know that these drawings are not brilliant. Some areas are disproportionate, some parts are too small/short or too fat/elongated and some are not even where I wanted them. The instructor walked around the room and pointed out areas which did not measure up or were well done. He also mentioned the "good" parts. It was a relaxed, comfortable and noncompetitive environment. Poses lasted from 5 - 15 minutes.

Oh yeah I wish these were my drawings - have a long way to go to even come close to Klimt's quick sketches. Klimt's wish was to have these drawings destroyed but they obviously surfaced. These sketches reveal the artist's work of passion rather than a the technical interest in form and anatomically correct measurements.

Here are some sketches of poses from our two male models .

I found it difficult to capture the maleness, unlike Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo, true head masters of the human figure.
In general masculine curves are as we all know hard edged, bulky and heavy and represent strengths, power and stature, contrary to the female figure which symbolizes sensuality; and that is what I’m after.

So lets leave it at that - It is not my place to talk about the ins and outs, the do's and dont's about the male figure and the human figure in general when it comes to "Art". I leave that to those who have dedicated a life time to the subject. My purpose is to tell my experience, my struggles and my thrills while exploring the drawing and painting of the human form.

I hope it will encourage others to try it. If the figure is a topic you feel drawn to as an artist, if it is something you always wanted to try but never dared - I say to you: DON'T WAIT - GO FOR IT - follow your inner desire - pay attention while you hear the calling.

Stay tuned for next week's post:

"Just couldn't resist"

MY JOURNEY TO THE HUMAN FIGURE (3)

2011-11-08T09:47:00.000-08:00

Previous posts in the series

1 - The Sensuality of a Tree

Relating the organic shapes of tree branches to curves and lines of the human figure

2 - From Sticks to Figures

Evolution from tree to human figure - Learning from the masters - A can of worms

Time to make up my Mind

I thought it would be easier for me to draw or paint the figures in an abstract way using mixed media in the same fashion I did for my abstract artwork. So I bought myself some abstract figure drawing/painting books and looked at blogs. Here are some of the books and sites I found:

Expressive Figure Drawing and Drawing the Figure

Bill Buchman Blog and Nancy Standlee Art Blog

After reading books and posts about the figure I hummed and hawed whether I was able to do this or not. For some reason I felt this 'gut-wrenching boost' coming over me and I went for it. Out came the paints and a 24x48 stretched canvas. I thought bigger must be better. I kept the details to a minimum and concentrated more on texture and colour. I wanted the figure to portray sensuality in a semi abstract fashion.

Reverie - mixed media - 24x48 on canvas

Looking at the painting now (2 years later) I would work some more on the left side of the painting. Well, I can always do that - never too late to change or improve a painting... why not. It was fun painting "Reverie". So I kept going and did another one - this time half the size.

Shangrila - 24x24 - mixed media on canvas - sold

Don't think for a minute that this came easy.
There are at least 2 other ladies hiding behind her. I felt quite pleased with this work and thought I was on a roll. Comfortable with the size of a 24x24 canvas I attempted to paint 2 figures for my next project... Sorry I cannot show a picture because I never liked it, never finished it and never will.
I was pretty humbled by the result and came to the conclusion that I needed to figure out the "figure" before another figure flop occurred.

So I took a look at some of the Masters.
When it comes to abstract figure drawing or painting
Matisse's work and The Women of Picasso came to mind.
I like Matisse's and Pcassos' work - however it is far removed from the route I wanted to take. The women I desired to create should to be sensual not sexual, curvy not boxy, gentle and soft not bitter and stern... I think you get the drift. Well where does that leave me know?

Stay tuned - for next week's blog post:
"Don't touch that paint"

MY JOURNEY TO THE HUMAN FIGURE (2)

2011-11-01T07:00:00.000-07:00

Previous posts in the series

1 - The Sensuality of a Tree

Relating the organic shapes of tree branches to curves and lines of the human figure

From Sticks to Figures

As I shared in my previous post (The Sensuality of a Tree), I relate the organic shapes of tree branches to curves and lines of the human figure.

Gift of Life - Triptych - Sold

The figures in the painting "Gift of Life" are shadow figures as I call them and they are nothing more than a sophisticated version of stick figures. The gift of life is my first painting that includes human figures.
Painting people began to fascinate me and over time trees, branches and roots more and more evolved into lines and shapes resembling the human figure in full or in part. having done some pocking around if others relate trees to people ( the human form) I found out that there are a multitude of artists using trees in art - in so many different ways.

Ali Murphy connects the trees and human form this way.
The legs, feet, arms and hands are the trees.

This artist take actual tree parts and puts together a public art installation of tree people in their natural environment

P. Cook and B. Northey began shaping plum tree suckers into living art they call Pooktre. See their Amazing Living Art: Pooktre Tree Shaping

On the other hand why not let the trees create your art for you like this artist who attached 100 pens to the branches of a willow tree. The movement of the tree over time creates amazing results.

Artist, Clark Vandergrift and Michelle Thurgood take the two realities (trees and human) and literally marries them to make them one.

So here I am exploring and creating shapes, lines and curves that are tree like but flow into the human form.

Colours of Sensuality - acrylic/mixed media - 24x24 - sold

This painting (Colours of Sensuality) got me hooked. It sparked curiosity about where this could take me as an artist. Surly I am no figure painter. I know that the figure is the most talked about, controversial and difficult subject to master for any artist. Here I am at the very beginning of something so colossal and possibly beyond my reach - wondering... "Will I ever be able tangle with this giant?" It's like standing face to face with a gigantic can of worms debating "whether" to it or not...

No wonder I felt intimidated - the Internet, book stores and libraries are packed with images, studies, courses, lectures, debates about the topic of "The Human Body in the Art Scene" - an endless journey. Images of paintings by those who mastered the recreation of the human form are readily available in art books all over the world. I did not know where to start in this complex jungle of information accessible to me. I poked my nose into the history of figure drawing and started reading online articles, borrowed books and videos from the library and even ordered some to add to my collection of art books. Here are the masters who's figurative work I admire:

Modigliani Degas Gauguin Klimt

Now what?

Should I dive in and give it a try?

Stay tuned for next week's post:

"Time to make up my Mind"

MY JOURNEY TO THE HUMAN FIGURE (1)

2011-10-25T07:00:00.000-07:00

The Sensuality of a Tree

I have always been fascinated with organic lines, shapes and forms.
The first few paintings I created featured trees - all sorts of trees as well as elements of trees like roots, leaves and branches. I was especially attracted to trees with lots of bent, crooked and gnarly branches.

The End of the Beginning                               The Beginning of the End
mixed media - 20x20                                        mixed media - 20x20
Therese Lydia Joesph                                      Therese Lydia Joseph

As I explored the lines and curves of tree branches - the tree as an object became more and more irrelevant to me.

The organic shapes of branches took on a distorted and unrealistic look.

The Gift of Life - triptych - 16x48 - Therese Lydia Joseph - sold

I focused more on the movement and the feeling it provoked in me while developing the paintings. It was apparent that sooner or later I would make the connection that tree branches and figures have a lot uncommon.

How so?

For me, branches and figures are pleasing to the senses. They evoke a sensual movement and rhythm revealing both feminine curves and masculine lines. It's like they speak the same language. That is when I began to incorporate my first figures into my work.

Some people might find this a far fetched idea. Holly Friesen surly does not feel this way. She created a beautiful blog post on the sensual language of trees. You can see it here.

Take a look at the triptych above and see how the shadow figures take on the shape of the branches and how the branches curve in harmony with the figures. In this painting both branches and figures are singing the same tune from sunrise to midday to sunset or one might say from birth to prime to retirement.

Where to go from here?
my next blog:

"From Sticks to Figures"

The Story about my Avatar

2011-10-18T07:00:00.001-07:00

Three years ago, (October 2008) I started painting my first portrait. I had no specific person in mind and was not thinking about a self portrait. But I was particular that the painting process had to be spontaneous with a loose brushstroke and vibrant colours. The character of this mystery person had to appear strong in personality and expression. I remember clearly I was upset and mad about something that had occurred the day before.

Here is a shot of the work in progress.

The colour scheme I used during this stage of the painting was supposed to calm my fury. But I recall that instead of soothing the heat I began fighting with the painting and ended up reaching for fuel to feed the fire.

I was paying no attention to the conversation between my two colleagues who were painting with me in the studio. Totally taken by surprise I was abruptly rescued from the war zone to the safety of reality when my friend exclaimed: " O my gosh - she looks more and more like you!" I took a step back to see for myself if this face was me or not. After a sigh and a pause I calmly said: "Yes and No! Actually this is what I would like to be". To me the portrait showed a gutsy person with a mind of her own. A woman who dares to reflect her "inside" on the "outside", is not influenced by what others think or say about her - but embraces her uniqueness, originality and creativity. Nothing is holding her back. She lets her nature shine and be seen.

Looking at the portrait for a while I saw the soft and dreamful side next to the stubborn and courageous side of me. The face was fished but I felt it needed a final statement - the "Amen" of the prayer. That is when I grabbed the drawing tool and swung my arm over the hair and around the face. Now the painting was finished and "So Be It”!

Little did I know at the time that I would actually change my hair style to fit the painting. When I decided to go for a lop-sided hair cut I was not at all thinking about my portrait. But when it dawned on me that NOW I did look like her - I made her my avatar. No, she is not for sale and yes, she has a name: "Untamed".

MIXED MEDIA ART LESSONS FOR KIDS Class #15: "Sew your Painting" - Can you do that?

2011-10-11T09:00:00.000-07:00

What do you get when you put a group of girls, textiles, yarns and notions together in a painting class?

A STITCHED PAINTING !

Today we took painting to a new level.

The students were free to pick materials and incorporate them into their art work. One student asked for a needle and of course they all wanted a needle... so off they went fusing “sewing”and “painting”.

They started out with random stitching right into the stretched unpainted canvas. Instead of the pencil doing the drawing they took the needle and thread to create the lines they wanted on their paintings.

That was a lot of fun but hard work. Once the students were satisfied with their stitched drawing they were ready to paint. I let them get acquainted with the process, gave them time to experiment and explore.

They realized that painting over the stitches while pushing hard they became part of the background and were not noticeable. On the other hand, by brushing over the stitches lightly they came to life and started dancing on the canvas.

Some students painted many layers, others were particular on how the stitched should be noticed and some just ignored them altogether.

Here are the finished works of two students.

Painting: 16x16 inches by Betsy (12 years old)

APPROACH: Paying no attention to the stitched lines, painting them away into the background to create the emphasis on the blended horizontal lines
RESULT: A calm composed scene conveying a sense of serenity with a hint of inquisitiveness

Painting: 12x12 inches by Mina (12 years old)

APPROACH: Emphasis on the stitches, bringing them to the foreground to create a focal point
RESULT: A vibrant cheerful painting with a lively decisive brushstroke and freedom of movement.

The Beginning and the End

2011-10-04T09:53:00.000-07:00

The Beginning of the End

The Beginning of the End -
Warmness wanders weary
Last leaves linger
And daylight dims

The End of the Beginning

The End of the Beginning –
Coldness catches colour
First feathers flutter
And darkness dawns

Artist: Therese Lydia Joseph
Paintings: Mixed media on wood panel, 16x16 inches
Poetry: Therese Lydia Joseph

DOODLE OF THE WEEK (16)

2011-10-04T08:57:00.000-07:00

DOODLE OF THE WEEK (15)

2011-10-02T21:08:00.000-07:00

MIXED MEDIA ART LESSONS FOR KIDS Class #14: "Using Tape"

2011-09-27T08:00:00.000-07:00

The kids in this workshop were 5-8 years old.
They were given paper and masking tape in various widths. Children were asked to tare off pieces of tape and rip them any way they likes. With these pieces of tape they created a drawing, a patterns, a design or anything else they felt like. It's kind of like drawing with tape instead of crayons.

With acrylic colours of their choice they gave the paper a wash. Next they coloured the paper with crayons and pencil crayons. Then they ripped the tape off the paper.
Some students started to outline the taped shapes, some wanted to leave them white and some gave the whole thing another wash. (last step not shown)
Here are the wonderful paintings of these young students.

Kristina Botha - Abstract Artist

2011-09-20T17:45:00.000-07:00

Happy Hour

Let me tell you that I had my very own "Happy Hour" when I stumbled upon Kristina's artwork.

I discovered the images of her work through another artsit's facebook page.

Thanks Social Media!

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City in Flames

This painting describes the emotion well I felt while viewing this artist’s first painting...

"My heart was in Flames".

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The Red

I had no choice but to go on and feed the fire..

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Red Passion 1

I could see and feel the passion. Lot's of red.

But must go on... Hungry for more!

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Red City

Can you feel the heat?

OK! So let's cool it a bit.

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Keep Looking for Water

Water is good.

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Green Light

Feeling cooler?

Oh, did you know that green is the most restful color?

Green is the color of balance. It also means learning, growth and harmony.

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Green

Add growth,balance and rest together - you get sleep.

And after a good night sleep the waking is just like a ...

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Morning of Delight

Yes, I could go on another day and another...

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No Name

Yeah, me too... I am speechless!

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No Name

Another breath-taking piece - Words cannot express!

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Launch of Balloons

Great! Let's celebrate this awesome blog post with the launch of balloons.

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The Next Pill

Take my advise: If you are upset that this is it - take a pill.

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Hope you had fun reading this post and were able to indulge in the wonder of Kristina’s works of art. It truly was a “Happy Hour” for me creating this post for you.

Contact the artist

Kristina Botha

WEBSITE

MORE PAINTINGS ON FLICKER

ONLINE GALLERY GERMANY

TWITTER

FACEBOOK

MIXED MEDIA ART LESSONS FOR KIDS Class #13: "Using Markers"

2011-09-06T12:07:00.000-07:00

Here the students painted colourful objects, patterns or landscapes on paper with acrylic paint. Next they outlined some of the painted areas with a black permanent marker and drew more things on the paper if desired. Last they gave the entire paper a wash. Very simple but effective.

The Grade 1 - 3 students were proud of their work - and rightfully so.

LineArt - Gesture Drawings by ArtMagenta

2011-08-30T19:20:00.000-07:00

Quick sketches of people made at train stations, bus stations, airports, shopping malls, events and other human gathering places. The Gesture Drawings are drawn on an iPhone.

Come on, where did I put my purse? This is the longest shopping list ever.

I need a glass of orange juice. I am so angry I can kill my boss

I am gonna get a glass of water. Today I can overcome any proplem.

Gruesomly cold tonight. If I could only remember where I was going.

Those youngsters behave discusting. Bad company on the train this morning.

Nice to take off the backpack. That is a beautiful ceiling.

To view more gesture drawings and lineart please

visit ArtMagenta's blog or website.

Bloom

2011-08-23T08:35:00.000-07:00

Larger than Life

Boasting lightly - vim and vigour

Destined to be bold and bigger

Better than Bliss

Blooming brightly – free and fragrant

Rich and regal – somewhat vagrant

Softer than Silk

Blushing slightly – red and rosy

Crafted to be kind and cozy

Taller than Time

Budding tightly – bloom and blossom

Never wilting – always awesome

Poetry by Therese Lydia Joseph

Amongst Pines

2011-08-21T12:13:00.000-07:00

Walk between the pines and

Gently touch the fragrant spaces

Stand beside the branches and

Taste the breath of such enchanting places

Look below the pines and

Calmly feel their earthly basis

Reach beyond the treetops and

See the dreams each and every tree embraces

Poetry by Therese Lydia Joseph

DOODLE OF THE WEEK (14)

2011-08-20T11:11:00.000-07:00

DOODLE OF THE WEEK (13)

2011-08-16T22:27:00.000-07:00

Sonia Tamer

2011-08-16T01:27:00.000-07:00

ARTIST Sonia Tamer

I found Sonia

through twitter.

I recently took

another look

at her artwork

and checked out

her website/blog.

I could not help it but feel a stillness, a peacefulness and safety coming over me as I immersed myself into the mysterious places her paintings invite me to visit.

Sonia Tamer was born in São Paulo.

At the age 18 she left her country to fulfill a dream; an Degree in Arts, in Paris, France. Once in Paris, she got enrolled at Ècole National de Beaux Arts de Paris, Sorbonne and had the opportunity to study with artists and masters like:

Joel KERMARREC and Daniel LACOMME.

She graduated with “High Honor” in 1986.

Later she moved back to her origin where she resides today, São Paulo, Brazil

In her work, Sonia expresses her doubts as well as a new perspective of the present world, emphasizing humanity’s opulence in a spiritualistic abstractive way.

“The world we will leave as a bequest to our children will depend on new values about the future, ourselves and the way we face life”.

Sonia says:

"The world we leave to our children depend on new values about the future, about ourselves and how we view our lives. "

Her work tries to unite reality and dream.

“I tried to find inside myself the harmony that can exist within all human beings. In these canvases there are feelings and images from a world in constant transformation, visions of the future and reflections on what we will be”, she emphasizes.

With positive and humanistic expectations, her canvases display the melody of life and dreams that can come true.

Her strokes are free, frequently in open spaces, expressing freedom as the initial condition for all creative work. Her paintings show her free strokes and the use of colors that enter and leave the paintings like a promenade.

Each person sees and notices various images depending on their imagination. This freedom in her work comes from the gathering of feelings that were put into it.

“The artist is never alone. He carries the impressions of his reality as well as the seed for possible changes. From dream to reality, all artists try to follow this path in each work they do”, says Sonia Tamer

I feel like I want to visit this place and stay there for a while.

Its where I find myself again.

If you like to see more of Sonia's work you can visit

her BLOG

her FB PAGE

her online gallery ARTAVITA

get in touch with her via TWITTER

MIXED MEDIA ART LESSONS FOR KIDS Class #12: "You are the Boss"

2011-08-11T22:31:00.000-07:00

This was our last class before the summer vacation.

Students picked the same size canvas - 24 x 24 inches. They were asked to come up with an idea and a plan. It was entirely up to the students what they wanted to paint as long as they had a plan or a story to tell. Here are the results of our last session.

Student 1

Student 2

Student 3

Student 4

DOODLE OF THE WEEK (12)

2011-08-10T21:56:00.000-07:00

Gold-Mine at Handsworth High-School Part 3

2011-08-09T08:51:00.000-07:00

GRAFFITI-SCAPE 3
Zooming in on the metal monster was a mindboggling treasure hunt! Hundreds and thousands of students, parents and teachers walk by daily but have no clue it’s there.