The spirit of experimentation
- frida@artyardbklyn.org
- 6 days ago
- 11 min read
Updated: 5 days ago
For this week’s Advanced Studio zoom session teaching artist Reg Lewis lead students through the reinvention/modification of the alphabet as inspired by the innovative, visionary work and methods of abstract artist, Jack Whitten.
Reg explains: “Essentially, Mr. Whitten would invent new tools and techniques for his paintings that would render improvisational results as his greatest inspiration sprung from the instruments of jazz musicians. Students were also encourage to dispatch of the alphabet objective in flavor of experimenting with application method and/or materials. With either approach, the operative phrase could have been, “let the improvisation begin.”
Karla creates a unique self portrait of random strips from a mutilated calendar which reflected her profound feelings surrounding the time period represented by the document and further intensified by the bold intervals of black deliberately constructed.
Karla explains her process for this piece: "Some of the cut elements in my piece look thicker and are printed on canvas. I basically free form cut the letter K in different sizes out of the printed “calendar” canvas and some calligraphy pages from a discarded book I inherited. The pieces are collage on white handmade paper. I added some lines with black marker and some paper sticks using three as there are three strokes in the letter “K”. "
Adje’s reimagined water-colored letters are camouflaged with impressionistic oil blots that lean toward pointillism and creates a profoundly textured portrait that feels like a vibrant burst of energy.
Leah’s olive green letters evoked both a sense of movement and music as they vibrate with variations of shade, bold sweeps, and angles that make the piece feel both ancient and yet freshly applied
Cammi’s piece evokes a fine, mystical fraction of alphabet made of gorgeous flowers that stands out brilliantly against the black background that casts the colors seemingly before an eternal void.
Marilyn creates a collage of fanciful letters with stylistic distortions that complete her initials in the foreground of a wonderfully realized atmosphere made moody by the application of color using toothbrush and sponge.
Ed’s interpretation of the lesson led him into an excursion as his seemingly whimsical illustrations are thematically cohesive and profound as the logical progression presents the audience with many options for narrative speculation.
Cheyenne’s flowers perform an intimate duet in comforting floral tones as the concealed initials present a conversation giving voice, definition, and dynamic example of the inherent beauty of femininity.
Jacob uses rose pink yarn to craft a playful, “loopy” and style consistent font that offers the viewer an wonderful alternate alphabet from A -Z which is enhanced by photo created shadows and the underlying numbers that give the overall presentation a contrasting grid-like structure.
Rachel incorporates the experimental use of materials to wonderful extreme by using vegetables as the warm purple strokes constituting the plant leaves and flower pot come directly from beet juice, while spinach leaves and carrots complete the faint touches in the artwork that make for a truly warm and intimate organic scene.
Fatima transformed her initials into a regal golden frame textured with decorative motifs which surround a delicate self-portrait with reflects her soulful elegance.
Meridith’s frames four striking eyes with the letters spelling the verb “peer” (further framed by her delicate camera work) which brings into focus the action or else blurred relationship between the watcher and the watched. Some participants used the word eerie to describe the image which matched their visual interpretation as they initially thought the letters spelled peep.
Lila used color and music note influenced letters to reveal her deep visceral connection to the vibrant sounds of music, translating into a beautiful visual score of sorts.
Travis transformed the T of his first name into a textured maze like structure as a symbol of his complexity while using tissue to create a moody charcoal vibration that makes the artwork feel like an ancient document.
Assata uses the familiar, beautifully rendered forms of the human body, butterfly, and crescent moon to stand in as organic representatives of those first few letters of the alphabet.
Simone employs the opening letters of the alphabet (from a-d) to contextualize the beginning of existence as every natural element, amazingly rendered with primordial texture, has a precise meaning in this visualized creation myth.
I (Reg) restructured the three letters of his name into a bold angles and a life symbolizing loop to reflect structures he finds aesthetic and emotionally pleasing.
Reg Lewis, bridge construction photo and Improvised Alphabet
Overall, every participant used innovation and the spirit of experimentation to create very personal works that celebrate our diverse range of inclinations, intuition, and interpretation. Jack Whitten’s work is currently exhibiting at the MOMA through August.”
Tuesday Advanced Studio in person at our studio at BWAC we continued our focus on letters and fonts with Jacob Rath.
Jacob recaps: “I began by discussing some of the characteristics of fonts: width, weight, aperture. When we write in English, we think of each line of text having three spaces. These three spaces can be equal, they can be different, or they can be completely ignored. I also discussed some examples of fonts which had a conceptual motivation behind them.
Jacob teaching and Advanced Studio artists at work
Some participants made alphabet charts, while others wrote a phrase. Jazz made bold letters with even bolder colors on the inside. Mia also filled in her bubble letters with color.
Ariel's elaborate flourishing serif font looked like an embroidery pattern for fancy linens!
Lilo and M worked on pre-lined notebook paper to great success.
Simone, Leni and Maria put decorative components on their page that complimented the letters that they drew.
Josue made a an alphabet based on removing the middle portion of a letter, which didn't completely remove the identifying features of each letter.
Assata's font feels very musical! She is the only one of us to design numbers too.
I also ended up teaching this lesson to my first and second grade students the next day. Since I work in a Chinese immersion school, the students had the challenge of designing a font for both English and in Chinese."
Use arrows to peruse artworks by Jacob's 1st and 2nd graders!
As the end of the school year draws near, we are wrapping up our final lessons at ART YARD Art Matters at PS 17. This week, Dennis, Leo, and Evelyn met with students in Grades 4, 1, and 2.
Evelyn writes: “Grade 4 finished their artwork for the Shape of Music lesson with black watercolor paint. This lesson focuses on the contours of musical instruments, using energetic brushwork to suggest sound waves emanating from the instruments. We used four instruments familiar to the students—the trumpet, flute, piano, and violin—using reference images to make drawings in pencil and Sharpie. Now, with brushes and watercolor, students learned to make short, choppy brush marks that start close together next to the Sharpie linework and grow further apart as they move into the space around the instrument. Students created a variety of textures that bring out their own interpretations of sound waves. Grade 1 reached the same stage of the project, and used Sharpies to create vibrating sound waves around their drawings.
Evelyn presents to the class, student displays drawing
Shape of Music Violin, Trumpet and student with Viola drawing
Our Grade 2 class has started the final project of the school year: Self Portrait in Words. This lesson teaches students about one-point perspective and the vanishing point by using block letters. It also asks students to consider their own identities and choose a set of words that share what is important to them. In the first stage, I asked students to brainstorm words in five categories: family, family history, and culture; things you like to do; things you like to read about; favorites (such as colors and food); and identity and personality. Students expressed love for their families, interest in activities such as reading about Ancient Egypt, and self-identification as smart students. After brainstorming, students circled five or six words, which will become part of their final artwork. We started writing these words in block letters on the final paper, and that's where we left off for the week. Next time, students will use a vanishing point to create a 3D effect for the letters.”
Dennis continues: “Our afterschool program is sometimes split into groups - 6th and 7th graders together and the lower grades together. It works well so students can work at their own pace and be amongst their peers. Also - happy to note - that often our 6th and 7th graders take the initiative to "mentor" the younger students. This week, 6th grader Justin asked if he could see what the younger students were working on - he walked around their tables (about 7 tables worth of younger students - 3 or 4 at a table) with his hands behind his back (he must see me doing that!) and offered assistance. Thank you Justin! It was kind of like a pre-critique.
Both groups finished their lion portraits - the younger set used brush tipped markers and created happy looking lions while the rest worked on realistic style lions with various manes with colored pencils. The younger kids worked with Teaching Artist Leo Emabat and the rest worked with Teaching Artist Marina Soliman.
Leo demonstrating techniques and student at work.
Since the older set will be our docents for the June exhibition, it was time for them to start selecting works and think about curating. Our exhibition will be in the school's library with limited space so (regretfully) all works cannot be hung altho ALL will be on display either in portfolios or elsewhere.
PS 17 Student lion drawings
Marina spread out works by grades and projects (we have a lot more to do next week!) and the students selected those that they thought would work well together in an exhibit. Marina helped them to understand that it's not the skill involved or quality of the work but how they would tell the story of our lesson behind the scenes. They selected pieces from the Meeting A Dragon and the Magritte lessons. More to follow next week - we might work in the library for a better feel of the space (depending on the librarian's schedule).”
Dennis reports: "Yet ANOTHER rainy day in Jersey City but lots of sunshine-y smiles in room 314 at our ART YARD Art Matters partnership school, PS 6. I (Dennis) was assisted today by Gem and Litzy who helped 2 groups of 2nd graders complete their illuminated letter bookmarks.
Using gold metallic markers for their lettering and brush tipped markers for their designs, students were quite prolific and produced several bookmarks each. This resulted in BIG DECISIONS for 2nd graders - which bookmark to leave behind for the exhibit in the school's gallery and which one(s) to take home. And I do mean - BIG decisions!
Litzy assists students, and Principal Apruzzese visits class
Today, during our 9AM class with K-2 students , we were visited by Principal Apruzzese and Bill O'Dea who was "Principal For The Day". The "Principal for a Day" program in Jersey City Public Schools is a valuable opportunity for individuals to experience the daily life of a school principal. It allows participants to shadow a principal, observe classroom interactions, and potentially engage with students.
4th graders, under the guidance of Teaching Artist Leo Emabat (also assisted by Gem and Litzy), worked on adding color to their Wayang puppets designs with markers. Leo demonstrated proper usage of the brush tipped markers to achieve a painterly look. Great successes - and, being 4th graders, started out with "I can't draw - I can't paint - ....!!" but take a look at these photos and you'll see that the proof is in the puppet pudding!"
PS 6 students and Wayang puppets designs
Other Art News
AYB artist TJ Edgar now a student at Spelman College, is enrolled in a six-credit course focused on the transatlantic slave trade—an immersive, interdisciplinary study that takes place across two continents.
Currently in Nantes, France, a picturesque city on the Loire River in western France. Once one of Europe’s largest slave-trading ports, Nantes today is a vibrant cultural center that openly grapples with its historical legacy. The city is known for its grand 18th-century architecture, cobbled streets, and riverside walks, alongside striking modern spaces like the “Machines de l’île” and the Memorial to the Abolition of Slavery.
“It’s so great so far!” TJ writes.
Photos of her neighborhood haunts and accommodations, in Nantes, France by TJ Edgar
She’ll spend about two and a half weeks in France before continuing to Ghana for another week and a half.
While in Nantes, TJ visited the recently renovated Musée Dobrée, a 19th-century mansion turned museum that blends medieval, Renaissance, and contemporary artifacts in a beautifully restored setting. “What an amazing museum—the pieces are so beautiful! It such an accessible institution with English, French, Braille, and FSL for nearly every exhibit, and they have areas to like touch and sit and listen. Super cool.” she shared. The Musée Dobrée’s collections span from ancient coins to fine art, displayed within a dramatic blend of Gothic revival and modern design. “There are so many museums here,” she adds. “We’re probably going to the other art one today or Saturday.” She’s also embracing local life with a small personal mission: “I’m trying to try either a new food or wine every day.”
Photos of her favorite art pieces at Musée Dobrée, Nantes, France by TJ Edgar
AYB Artist Leah Eliopulos shares that her sister “Erin brought me back some Japanese watercolors from her last work trip. I was able to experiment on my break today”
Leah Eliopulos, Painting and Japanese watercolors
AYB Artist Liv Collins shares the latest in her series of Plein Air paintings. This one of a Connecticut barn.
AYB Artist Maraya Lopez helped me (Meridith) out by taking reference photos for wall mounted brochure holders while on guard duty at the Met. My miniature version actually holds copies of my tiny catalogue.
Meridith McNeal work in progress
In addition, I have been painstakingly painting versions of my 8 foot tall Windowphilia series. These smaller-than-postcard sized versions are surprisingly dense and take a lot of concentration to make and view. I am happy that Quentin will be making me a second gallery stand in so I can truly curate the exhibition once I have all the work created. My consultant, Lola, is keeping me to task.
Opportunities
AYB Teaching Artist Marie Roberts shares this exciting opportunity from Zine Pavilion for all zine makers to donate to libraries from around the nation at the American Library Association’s Annual Conference:
TONIGHT Friday, May 16 at 6pm (doors open at 5pm) you can see ART YARD Artist Abriel (bob) Gardner in a dance performance in connection with the group exhibition Couch Paintings at Canada Gallery, 61 Lispenard St, NYC.
UPDATE: Wow, this was a fantastic performance!! All four dancers were lithe and expressive. The space worked well for the piece and the music/spoken word/lava light and projection lighting had a good sense of humor.
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