In-Depth Blog Post #5

“Abstract art places a new world, which on the surface has nothing to do with ‘reality’, next to the ‘real’ world” – Wassily Kandinsky

Abstract art | Tate

Progress Report:

Over the last two weeks, I only got to get in touch with my mentor once because my schedule was quite busy at the beginning. In this meeting, we talked about what I had done so far and what I wanted to complete before in-depth comes around. We decided on two projects that I would do for the next few weeks. The first one is abstracting a picture of a tree shadow I took. For this painting she said I could use any colours, so I went for red, black, and white. Here is a picture of what I have done so far.

As you can see this painting is definitely not finished. I used a technique for the shadow where I rotate the paper and used very watered-down paint, so it drips. I painted the black triangles on the side to represent the grass and added black lines to make the red paint pop and show the lines on the sidewalk.

 

The second project I am working on is a collection of three. I like to call these ones the horizon paintings. Each painting is supposed to be related to each other in colours but has very different styles including where the horizons are. The horizon is where the black and soon-to-be-white meet. I have started by adding texture to the painting with paper, tinfoil, paper towel and even these little star stickers. Then I painted the whole painting black. The next step will be adding the off-white paint. What I have done so far:

 

Reflection Questions for post #5:

  1. What kinds of learning opportunities does the mentor provide to expose you to new learning?

My mentor has provided me with multiple ways of learning. She has sent me videos on specific concepts if I need to revisit them, she has given me pictures and different artists I can look at for inspiration. She also lets me learn through trial and error, which has helped me overcome the sense that I failed a piece. She told me “You can always paint over it.” I am very thankful for my mentor because she has put so much effort into finding multiple ways for me to learn. She told me that she had read a few books that talked about finding the best ways for someone to learn based on their personality. I think that this has worked very well for me.

  1. What kinds of learning opportunities exist to reinforce new learning?

I can find courses online or on YouTube about the specific skill I am learning at the time. I can also use books from the library on abstract art or a few of the magazines I have on the topic at home. There are many artists that post their work online that I can use as inspiration as well for my learning or do one of their online workshops. I have found there are so many resources that can reinforce my learning of abstract art on my own in between sessions with my mentor.

  1. What kinds of opportunities exist that might accelerate learning?

I think what accelerates my learning is my passion for this subject and my family’s interest in my artwork. I already love to paint so having a great passion for it, makes me want to research the topic on my own and take that extra step of going in-depth. My family’s interest in my artwork is a huge motivator for me as well. I want them to enjoy my work and be proud of what I accomplish, so this motivates me to create my best pieces to show them. I find that I also learn quite well when I am telling others what I found, and my family has been really supportive and great listeners to what I have to say.

  1. When you get together what do you talk about?

When I get together with my mentor we first talk about my previous assignment and what I thought about it. This allows me time to get feedback to go fix it later and to discuss my struggles and accomplishments from that assignment. After, she will lay out what I should learn next and allows me to choose what interests me the most. She then teaches me how the topic works and has an assignment ready that I will accomplish in the upcoming weeks.

  1. What is going particularly well in your mentoring relationship right now?

What is going well for our mentoring relationship is our previous relationship, (Her being my grandma) and our shared passion for the art of abstract painting. Having a previous relationship has helped a lot in how we know what works well for each other’s learning and understanding and gives that extra boost. Our passion for this type of art makes it so she is eager to teach, and I am eager to learn. This enthusiasm makes a big difference and has allowed me to accelerate my learning and get more out of this project.

  1. What are you learning about one another?

We are learning about the best ways to communicate with each other and how to work efficiently. For communication, I have learned that she needs to know that I am understanding what she is teaching. I do this by repeating what I thought she meant in my own words, and she then tells me if I was right or if I need more time on the subject.

 

Thank you for reading! See you next time!!