COURSE
SMÖRGÅSBORD
It's a weird word. Rolls interestingly off the tongue. Say it with me: "Smörgåsbord..." The word is derived from the Swedish words smörgås ‘(slice of) bread and butter’ (from smör ‘butter’ + gås ‘goose, lump of butter’) and bord ‘table’, and describes a wide range of something.
In the context of art materials, this course is exactly about that!
The course is essentially me saying:"Hey! Here's a big table with all sorts of stuff you can make art with. See this? This is how you might use it. These are some (maybe slightly whacky) alternatives that you can try. Look at what these artists have done with it. Cool! Now let's make something."
WHAT IT IS:
An invitation. In a safe space, I invite you to dip into the materials offered during each session. It's an invitation to explore, and play.
Nature-connected. We will start every session in Nature, and move into the studio space when the time is right.
Beginner-mind based. This means having an attitude of openness, eagerness, and lack of preconceptions when experiencing something, just as a beginner would. Even if you have dabbled in visual expression before, this process allows for you to connect with materials in a fresh way.
WHAT IT'S NOT:
Limited to a studio. We will begin each session by connecting to Nature, and experiencing how Nature might lead us into understanding the materials we are getting to know.
Making Art. Giving yourself permission to be creative doesn't mean you need to make Art. You can play. You can experiment. You can make a mess, and make "mistakes". Yes - we will make stuff. But the journey is much more important than the end product.
Materials mastery. We are sampling five different tyoes of materials, and then looking at how we might combine them (session 6). If something along the journey says "Pick me! Choose me! Love me!" that's when you start considering mastery. For now, we dabble. We experiment. We play.
Art instruction. Yes - you'll be exposed to tools and techniques, and during each session we will make something. But this is more an invitation to freely explore than it is a "lesson to learn". That said - the learning absolutely happens. Completely by accident.
Girls-only. While it's true that there's a tendency for women to sign up for creative courses more so than men do, this certainly is not a space open to women only. Everyone is welcome.
COURSE STRUCTURE:
01
Käthe Kollwitz + CHALK
We explore drawing materials that are dusty and dry, like charcoal and chalk.
We look at the work of Käthe Kollwitz and other artists to get a feel for how others have played with these media.
02
Antony Gormley + CLAY
We explore sculptural materials that are from the earth, like clay.
We look at the work of Antony Gormley and other artists to get a feel for how others have played with these media.
03
Arinze Egbengwu + PENCIL
We explore drawing materials that have a pointy end, like graphite pencils.
We look at the work of Arinze Egbengwu and other artists to get a feel for how others have played with these media.
04
Flora Yukhnovich + PAINT
We explore wet materials that we can make marks with, like ink and paint.
We look at the work of Flora Yukhnovich and other artists to get a feel for how others have played with these media.
05
Henri Matisse + COLLAGE
We explore materials that can be glued onto a surface to make art, like paper and fabric.
We look at the work of Henri Matisse and other artists to get a feel for how others have played with these media.
06
Jenna Douglass + MIXED MEDIA
We explore mixing the materials we've explored with one another, like drawing over a collage.
We look at the work of Jenna Douglass and other artists to get a feel for how others have played with these media.
"To confer the gift of drawing, we must create an eye that sees, a hand that obeys, a soul that feels; and in this task, the whole life must cooperate. In this sense, life itself is the only preparation for drawing. Once we have lived, the inner spark of vision does the rest."
MARIA MONTESSORI
Italian Educator
After each session you will get access to:
- Printable Summaries
- Slideshow (artists' examples)
- Video files (techniques covered)
- Review Portal
A materials list and notes on each material will be available to you after each session.