2019 APSI Studio Art Workshop

2018 AP Summer Institute

Day 1

In today’s art-making session we were given a choice of four different prompts for this “pre-test.” I chose the following prompt:

Create an abstract drawing using shapes and forms by using a combination of two color compliments in a radial balance design.

I had the idea to use the yucca plant as inspiration for this piece. I liked the radial design of the yucca leaves and the similarity between the yucca and the rays of the sun. I wasn’t very successful at showing form, and it’s not what I would call abstract. It was more difficult than I anticipated to create the effect of light rays disrupting the horizontal stripes of the sky.

Day 2

We were given 4 "tasks" to work on with a goal of having 3 complete artworks by the end of the workshop. The tasks were:

Mixed Media Collage with Resist and Image Removal
Forced Connections
Hide-n-Seek
Acetone Transfer

Mixed Media Collage with Resist and Image Removal
We used Elmer's Glue-All to create a resist over a magazine collage. Then we used Never-Dull chrome polish to remove ink from the magazine images. The Never-Dull gives the magazine images a weathered look. I started with the idea of the image of leaving Volcano Vista, looking out over the city toward the Sandias.

Forced Connections
We each chose 2 words at random for this exercise. The words I had were "jump" and "flip." After 5 thumbnail sketches, I had come up with a pretty abstract sketch that reminded me of "flipping out."

Hide-n-Seek
This time we were given the task to create a surface that included text, pattern, and image. It took me a long time to come up with anything.

Some people had made beautiful surfaces, but mine was pretty weird with some repetition of the circles and the random scrap pieces from cutting out the shapes. At this point I definitely did not know where this was going.

Then we coated the "surface" with Glossy Modge-Podge, let it dry, then coated with a thin layer of flat latex house paint and let that dry. Here are my colleagues with their white coated surfaces.

The final step was to use rubbing alcohol to reveal some of the image that had been covered in white. Then, of course, we had to work back in to pull out some kind of finished artwork from the mess we'd just created for ourselves. (Did I hear "creative problem-solving"?)

Day 3
We had jumped into 4 projects, and today we critiqued them and did some evaluation. I displayed my mixed media collage piece. It was a little disappointing to hear our workshop facilitator state definitively that noneof the pieces were worthy of an AP score of 6 (although not surprising considering our limited time).

After the critique I saw a little better how my image lacked contrast and this made the foreground/middle-ground/background spaces merge together too much.

This process also gave me specific and concrete ways to focus my energy later in the day. The rubric we used made the whole thing very simple and definitive. These are the 6 "C's" of good AP Art:

Composition, contrast, center of interest, craftsmanship, creativity, classroom community/ethics

Scoring My In-Progress Work

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Landscape
Composition - There is a foreground, middle-ground, and background, but it isn't well-defined. The signs overlap the background, and the perspective in the road suggests depth, but the stop light blends in with the mountain, and the mountain jumps forward. 15/20 points

Contrast - Not enough. The mountain blends in with the stop lights, the sky is overall too dark (but the fade to light does work out a little), and even though the signs are as dark as they can go, they do not have enough contrast against the background. 10/20.

Center of Interest - Unclear. Is it the sign? The edge of the road? The Mountain? The stop light is most important, but it gets lost against the background. The directional lines of the road, however, do lead my eye in that direction. 10/20

Craftsmanship - It is well-crafted. None of the edges are peeling, ad the piece is sealed. The marks are purposeful. There is one "mistake" with the ink that doesn't look intentional. 18/20

Creativity with Task - I went beyond the required task by making this a purposeful subject and by layering a lot of mixed media. I used a variety of techniques like tearing small bits of paper and larger shapes. And I used the Never-Dull method to create a very different looking textured background. I almost completely obscured the original work. 10/10

Classroom Community/Ethics - I did not waste time, and kept working on it the whole time. I kept my work area clean. I used a variety of materials in an experimental way, and used there source of past work (the theme of landscape) to inform the work. 10/10

Total Score: 73/100

To improve I should: lighten the mountain (push to background) and lighten the brown areas to define the mid- and fore-ground spaces better, improve contrast, and define a center of interest.

Jump-Flip

Composition - the foreground, middle-ground, and back-ground are clear. The large red rectangle overlaps other elements and the series of small rectangles uses linear perspective to recede into the distance and the scale of the rectangles changes. There is some awkwardness in how the shapes are arranged. 18/20

Contrast - Red and green stand out as the dominant color contrast, and there is some size contrast, but otherwise the shapes are repetitive. Needs improvement. 10/20

Center of Interest - The red "door" stands out as the center of interest, but I'm not sure why it's important. It is a larger element and appears to float in front of everything. The color red catches the eye. 15/20

Craftsmanship - This artwork is incomplete. It is only about 1/2 way done. 10/20

Creativity with Task - The task was to use two random words to force an association. The words I chose were "jump" and "flip" which are closely related. So instead of forcing a connection, I analyzed the differences and similarities of the idea of a "jump" vs. a "flip." A jump takes someone from A to B. A flip is a jump that lands you in the same place after going around in a circle. I made several thumbnail sketches and ultimately came up with an abstract idea. 10/10

Classroom Community/Ethics - I used my time effectively to brainstorm and sketch. I used resources like looking at images of jumping and flipping. I also referenced artists like Tom Marioni and Jackson Pollock who used the action of the body to communicate through drawing. 10/10

Total Score: 73/100

To improve: finish the drawing with the action marks to improve contrast (types of marks), craftsmanship, and hopefully achieve a better center of interest.

Hide-n-Seek

Composition - Some elements overlap, and there is a clear foreground with the toothpicks. The middle ground and background blur together and the space feels flat. 10/20

Contrast - Not enough value contrast. Every area needs more. The toothpicks add an interesting texture and color contrast. 10/20

Center of Interest - clearly the eye surrounded by toothpicks. The eye could be defined more or have more contrast. 15/20

Craftsmanship - the artwork is well-crafted but incomplete. 10/20

Creativity with task - I used a gel-medium transfer and toothpicks in the image. I completed some of the task requirements, but took this in another direction (no text or clear pattern). I worked back in with additional images and drawing. 10/10

Classroom Community/Ethics - I worked during work time, cleaned up after my self, and used additional resources like the toothpicks. I drew on personal inspiration and prior artwork for the ideas. 10/10

Total Score: 65/100

To improve: Do something with the gel-transfer area to improve the composition and define a middle ground. Add more value contrast throughout and especially around the eye to improve the center of interest. Complete the artwork.

The Completed Projects and Final Thoughts

What surprised me was how these came together in the end. For most of the time I felt like I had no idea what I was doing. The critique worksheet helped me identify the problems I was having in the work and identify a specific strategy to move forward. The process of experimenting and working with the creativity exercises led to some bold and brave decisions at 1 AM when I was trying to finish everything up.