In the Studio Today... "Land Art"; Ankylosaurus

Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Ankylosaurus; Dinosaur Land Art, originally uploaded by cproppe.

Made in the backyard this afternoon with my son, who is studying dinosaurs in 2nd grade. This had to be the weirdest weather day ever in Marin; Rain, sun, rain, sun, rain, sun, cold, hot, cold, hot... now it's pouring and windy. When I made this, it was sunny but very windy, and I had to shield it with my body every time the wind blew... As soon as I took the photos, it blew away....

Materials:

Mock Orange Tree leaves (dying yellow, and green)
Red and Orange Leaves from trees outside my son's doctor's office today
1 eucalyptus leaf for the tail
1 Sycamore Seed Pod (tail end) and stick to hold it up
Eucalyptus Seed Pods for spine
1/2 Acorn top for eye, and Mock Orange Seed for eyeball
Patience and ability to enjoy simplicity of things, essential

I also spent some time with 40 second graders today, sharing "What is Land Art?" from Richard Shilling's website landartforkids.com, and they looked at Andy Goldsworthy books. I shared some materials I brought from my yard this morning... petals, berries, vines, seed pods... and they immediately wanted to get started, making things. Our project is set for next week, after Easter. I look forward to seeing what the kids come up with.

In the Studio Today... "Land Art" Leaf Flags

Sunday, March 14, 2010

Land Art: Leaf Flags I |Marin 365; Day #72, originally uploaded by cproppe.

Camelia petals and yellow leaves from a Mock Orange tree in our backyard... inspired by Richard Shilling's work.

Continuing on my effort to create "Land Art", I tried to make some leaf flags, such as those in Richard Shilling's book, but it was really HARD! As I slit the branches to feed the leaves in, they would loosen and the leaves I'd already feed through would move or fall out. Instead of cutting them square and fitting them through two branches, I decided to just go with what was working, which was simply leaving them in the branch where they would rest. It looked pretty just the way it was, so I went with it. Also, Richard uses thorns to seal the branches together, and keep the leaves from falling out. I was happy not to have to use any thorns for this project. : )

Later this month, I will be working with 60 second graders on "Land Art" as part of their YES Foundation Fundraiser, to raise money for art, music and PE at their public school. I have been practicing projects to see what is doable with the kids. This might work, if we have enough time and good light. Our end result will be turned into notecard sets, with photos of the "Land Art" the kids create on the front of the cards. The sale of the notecards will help pay for the kids' school art, music and PE. If you would like to purchase a set of notecards, please contact me and you can help the kids with their fundraising efforts!