“Movement, change, light, growth and decay are the lifeblood of nature, the energies I try to tape through my work. I need the shock of touch, the resistance of place, materials and weather, the earth as my source. I want to get under the surface. When I work with a leaf, rock, stick, it is not just the material itself, it is an opening into the processes of life within and around it.” Andy Goldsworthy With the solar eclipse and Earth Day happening in April, I thought we could kick off the month by finding inspiration in our environment, and the nature and world around us. Here are some ideas to help get you started and I hope our art movement for the month and artists bring inspiration as well! |
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- What does environment mean and look like to you? What types of environments are you drawn towards or dislike? Why? I thought these would be some good questions to begin with and see where they lead.
- Take your sketchbook outside and see what it inspires. Do you feel called to sit and sketch--also known as plein air? Is there a way you can use the sun and the air to help you create your piece? Are there interesting textures to create rubbings from (it may be easier to use separate pieces of paper then cut and attach those into your sketchbook)?
- Gather materials from outside such as rocks, leaves, twigs, flowers, etc. Grab some paint you have on hand and experiment. Use your materials as stamps (you can try this with markers too) or paint brushes or lay everything down, cover it in paint, then take the materials off and see what happens (here's an example). How else can you use these materials?
- Sister Golden uses flowers and leaves to create beautiful detailed scenes. Here's a look into their process.
- Create nature prints using this monoprinting tutorial (even if you don't have the exact materials on this tutorial's supply list, is there something else you can use instead? Experiment and see what happens!)
- The total solar eclipse is happening on April 8th! Create art inspired by it. Here are some ideas as a starting point and I really like this phases of the moon sliding piece-the idea is simple but effect is cool!
- The art of globemaking an interview with Peter Bellerby of Bellerby & Co Globemakers in London
- Visit a botanical garden, park, or other outdoor space. Take in the sights, sounds, and feelings. Snap photos on your phone (play around with taking very up close photos to the entire landscape). Use this inspiration as a starting point for your piece.
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MARCH ART MOVEMENT & ARTISTS |
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Sycamore leaves edging roots of the tree by Andy Goldsworthy. The glowing effect achieved by arranging different colored leaves is amazing! |
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Environmental Art celebrates the artist's relationship with nature by using natural materials and helps to raise awareness on the social and political issues relating to the natural and urban environment. Environmental Art is an umbrella term that encompasses different movements such as arte povera and land art. Environmental artists work in harmony with the natural environment instead of disrupting it. Work can be created in collaboration with the earth and is often left to change and decay with the environment, elements, and cycles of the seasons. Natural raw materials are often used including leaves, flowers, branches, ice, soil, sand, stone, and water as well as biodegradable and recycled materials. Some well known artists from this movement include: Andy Goldsworthy - British sculptor and photographer who only uses his hands to create temporary works in riverbeds, urban areas, and forests using flowers, mud, twigs, and other items found at the site. Agnes Denes - Hungarian-born conceptual artist interested in humans’ perception of natural cycles and stewardship. Denes spent six months creating Wheatfield, a Confrontation, which included planting a field of golden wheat on two acres of a rubble-strewn landfill near Wall Street in Manhattan. Edith Meusnier - French textile and environmental artist examining the ideas of sustainability and vulnerability. Her textile installations are placed outdoors and inspired by the specific location. Her work is colorful and often joyful while expressing important themes such as public space and art, sustainability and other environment-related issues. Robert Morris - American environmental artist and a theoretician of Minimalism. Many of his works are about ecological issues and includes land pieces. |
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Wheatfield, a Confrontation by Agnes Denes, & Vibrato by Edith Meusnier (gift ribbon & bamboo) |
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Observatory by Robert Morris |
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How can you incorporate environmental art into your work in the following weeks? - If you have access to outdoor space, try using the ground as your canvas and the things you can find around you as your medium.
- Take a photo of it to include in your sketchbook.
- Take photos of it throughout the weeks to document how nature has changed your piece
- Take photos then use them as collage pieces, to weave together, to paint on, add text over it.
- If you don't have access to outdoor space, look at the photos above or find more to examine. What elements speak to you and in what ways can you replicate them?
- The glowing affect created by the sycamore leaves above really amaze me and is something we can try to recreate with paper or paint.
- Take inspiration from Vibrato and try using string, ribbon, and embroidery on your page or as a way to apply paint to your page
- Look at the colors, shapes, and textures found in environmental art and use them in your piece
- What environmental issues are important to you? What message would you want to share?
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I am excited to see what this prompt means to each of you and the unique ways you will create with it! Have a great weekend and I'll talk to you soon! |
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