EDX 1250 ASSIGNMENT 1 REFLECTION OF JENNIFER BURNS ART PIECE REFLECTION FROM KATHLEEN PRICE-BARNES (U1061098) 5Rs - Reflective

e Scale April 2014

Component 1: REPORTING Jennifer has created one paper mache ball named Balance. The size is roughly that of a standard balloon. The shape is a 3D sphere/round ball. Jennifer has used sheets of newspaper, art glue, a balloon, play paint, chalk and crayons. Jennifer has applied many layers, waiting for each to dry before another is applied. This gives the balloon added thickness. The ball is painted into 3 sections. The top and bottom are in blues with small white sections and the middle section is brown with green parts peering out of it. The blue sections have been drawn over with chalk/crayons leaving a lot of white spaces that appear on the spheres rough appearance.

Component 2: RESPONDING The design elements used include the technique of thick, uneven paint strokes displayed on the middle brown section which also appears to give it a rough and rustic feel. Peeking out of the brown middle section are small light green hints of colour. It appears that chalk and/or crayons have been used on the top and bottom blue sections that do not cover the full surface allowing white short bursts to appear from within the tones of blues. The ball lends the impression that the sphere is moving around in a 360 angle similar to our Earths rough surface as it circulates. The colours of blue and brown represent the elements with earth as brown and our tranquil water/oceans as the two hues of blue. The blue hues are primary colours and either a brown colour was used or made from the 3 primary colours red, blue and yellow. Brown and the green underneath it represent reliability and wholesomeness. White has been mixed in with the blues which differentiates the lighter from the darker blue. The intensity of the brown that sits in the middle of the sphere contrasts

against the blues either side of it, top and bottom. There are uneven lines showing white gaps giving it a coarse exterior and texture. Its shape is 3D, organic and child-like as it is something a child could make with their own hands. The small black hole we see at the top of the ball could be the Symbolism of the black hole where the pollutants go to escape and injure our Earth, such as the damage that global warming is imposing on our universe. The lighter high key colours of blues are the light, and the darker brown low key, painted in the middle is the dark. The shading and texture changes in different places of the ball as it turns. There are two tones of blue that join up, one hue slightly darker than the other. Small basic black birds have been drawn over the blue coloured surface using small thin black lines to create their shape. With the brown section wedged in the middle of the top and bottom blue sections, this could be that the earths blue elements of ocean and water are holding in the brown middle section, our ground and foundation, keeping them all tight and united. Given there are two shades of blues and one brown colour used, this could mean our blue oceans are more paramount to earths survival than the brown dirt and ground. The small visions of green that peek through the brown colour represent green grass, growth, seedlings and the vegetation our Earth needs.

Component 3: REFLECTING and RELATING This artwork sparked various thoughts and feelings. The imagery of the 3 levels of colours on the paper brings intensity and balance to the sphere where I related it to another subject Im currently undertaking EDX1100 Brofenbrenners Bioecological model of the way in which layers of life chronologically affect, support, integrate and cross-pollinate with each other. It also evoked thought towards my prior experiences with learning about art when we were in sketch classes using lead pencils and the various illusions and tones we created and what each of those shades represented in our lives as teenagers entering adulthood. Creating 3D spheres in Art arouses thoughts of how in todays society our world is ever-changing and we are always trying to find the right balance and support using our outside influences.

Component 4: REASONING When thinking about the meaning of Jennifers paper mache ball, I related it back to how we see our Earth and the elements of Sea, Earth and Sky that were represented by the middle brown section and the shades of the blues. As the paper mache ball piece was a model of our planet Earth, much Social commentary and Narrative can be inspired from analysing its composition. For example, when you look at the paper mache sphere you could ask your art class how Global warming is effecting our planet, how space exploration has advanced our knowledge of the solar system, how the possibility of space travel is increasing through advanced science and engineering. You could use it to create projects on how to protect our Earth. For young art students, making and holding a 3D sphere can arouse questions of how they are all raised differently within their own cultures and home lives and how they bring those varying experiences into their classrooms and art lessons. The paper mache ball also shows Representation and Symbolism through the layers and layers of soft glued paper that need to be applied to it, to create the thickness and protect the weak balloon underneath those thickened layers. Each layer possibly represents our life experiences as time goes by, as each layer is added, we add another layer of life experience to the delicate balloon underneath. We need those layers on top of the balloon, as the balloon could be our innerselves, the vulnerable element that could break, that which we need to protect and shield ourselves from harm.

Component 5: RECONSTRUCTING In thoroughly assessing this paper mache ball art work I have been able to dig deeper, use stronger analytical skills and compartmentalise the varying components of a simple artwork. Evaluating artwork through a different perspective from when the first time you see it, has been a valuable and fascinating experience for me as a new mature-age student. As a future Teacher of Art, this assignment has helped me rationalise art which can generate huge lines of inquiry, varying perspectives, symbolise hope, further knowledge and assist students in finding their true potential as artists. The paper mache ball for example, could help children communicate with meaning

as they transpose what they have learned from the art work through investigation, collaboration as they all add a layer each, and discovery as to what it represents for them individually. It is also a strong aesthetically pleasing object for children to touch. Open ended questions such as what does our planet mean to you? can be generated and feedback and encouragement provided. It also allows discussion about simple Geography, by viewing where each country sits and how our oceans all match up one big globe. Through this assignment I hope to improve and enhance my own aesthetic sensibilities towards art so that I can pass this onto my students. To be able to bring live items such as plants, trees, flowers and rocks into the classroom and ask children to touch and examine them, then draw them in their own way, will show how art is interpreted very differently by each individual. These interpretations can be encouraged and fostered. We have seen from Da Vinci, Monet, Pollock and Picasso, how incredibly skilled they all are, yet each piece brings its own meaning and interpretation to the naked eye. By educating children on how the possibilities in Art are endless, we are opening their doors into a world of exploration, artistic interpretation and positive learning experiences.