Fresh Paint: News from GSVA

    

Students from the Newark YES Club experienced our Journey program this summer. The progressive journey began with The Art of the Self-Portrait. Students started the experience inspired by Matisse and sketched their faces using a marker on the end of a long stick.  This technique, along with blind contours, allowed students to be freer and warm-up to learn the proportions of their face to create self-portrait sketches using pencil and charcoal.  Students then stretched their own canvases and painted their self-portraits with acrylics. Moving more towards metaphorical representations of self, students were then asked to symbolize themselves in the form of an animal, making an animal sculpture out of newspaper and plaster.


Next, YES Club students ventured on to Journey, DreamWorlds, second in the progressive series, where they refine their recently expressed style more abstractly. Students learned about a wide range of photographers throughout history and were free to experiment with the cameras to pursue the type of photography they were most interested in. After taking photos, the students worked in GSVA's Media Studio to edit and enhance their images. One of their photos became part of a larger mixed media piece using collage. Printmaking techniques such as lino-cuts and seriography (silk-screen printing) were also explored in their experience.

On their last day, students came together to reminisce over their meaningful time spent this summer at GSVA. “My total GSVA experience was great! It was fun and exciting. It was a good learning experience that I’ll miss” – Maliek Greene, Age 15. They wrote artist statements and participated in curatorial practices by choosing the body of work they wish to exhibit at their upcoming show, which they decided to title “yes we are.” Hope to see everyone there for the exhibition opening at the OSU-N John L. and Christine Warner Library and Student Center, September 6th 5:00-7:00pm.

Click thumbnails to view larger images.