Barnett's Art Room
Fine Art Classes: Art 1, Art 2, Ceramics
Issue 4, Volume 2, January 2015
Message from the Editor
What is a task party you ask?
I pulled out a bunch of supplies I had in my storage room: yarn, egg cartons, craft items, fabric, 12″ dowels, wooden hearts and starts, buttons. I plugged in all the hot glue guns we had. I grabbed the large rolls of colored paper from the faculty lounge. And, I started with a container full of tasks.
This party was to last all day. I have 7 classes. Once I started the party, I only broke for lunch, which consisted of writing more tasks. This was the only place the students faltered…well, and when it came to blindly picking a task. (Many wanted to pick and choose their task. It was hard to stop them.)
It really was a fun day. A few kids fought it at first, but ended up having a good time. I think they need that time to learn while they play. High school kids don’t often get that anymore. And bonus, no one was on their computer today. I wish I knew how many tasks were completed today…or at least attempted. It would be fun to figure it out. Perhaps next time.
By the end of the day, my feet were killing me and I was tired. But, I had a counter full of artifacts. I had a hopscotch board and had 2 body outlines on my floor. I had a roll full of photos of the students making and laughing and creating and smiling. I had a heart full of memories. And, I think it set the tone that creativity is welcome here–and encouraged.
Follow us on Twitter and on the Barnett Blog
Twitter: @THSBarnettArt
ART 1
Sound
ART 2: Painting and Drawing
Altered Books
They have been working hard, painting, cutting, drawing, making prints, gluing, and working with tons of other techniques and media. It is a great time to be in my 9th period class because there is so much creativity flowing around.
BEGINNING CERAMICS
Additive Texture and Coil Built Forms
They were asked to use this method to create either an open or closed form of their choosing. Many chose to make open forms, thus creating more surface area to cover with an additive texture. We have learned about creating texture in many ways this year, and I thought they should concentrate this time on adding several of the same shape or small form to their larger piece. When repeating the same thing over and over, you create a texture. Some students used spikes, others created their own shapes. They scored and slipped all their pieces on to create one-of-a-kind pieces--each with their own "feel".
INTERMEDIATE AND ADVANCED CERAMICS
Rice Stockings and Masks
The rice stockings would become soft, reusable molds to help create, for this project, masks. Students can move the stocking into any shape they wanted. Next they would drape slabs of clay over the stocking, drop the board on the ground to help the clay slab sink around the form, then give a little more love to make sure the slab was just right.
Lastly, they began to transform their slabs into masks. Each student jumped right in. I haven't seen the boys this into a project in quite some time. Each mask is so different with it's own character.
Contact information: Jean Barnett
Email: jbarnett@taylorisd.org
Website: http://thsbarnettart.weebly.com
Location: Room 1100, Taylor High School, 355 FM 973 Taylor, TX 76574
Phone: (512) 352-6326
Twitter: @THSBarnettArt