Friday, April 17, 2009

Layered Observations

The Upper School Advanced 2-D Studies class recently arranged a still-life in the studio that included various tools used in woodworking. The arrangement included items such as a circular saw, power drill, handsaw, c-clamps and more. The goal of the pastel composition was to 1) initially focus on contour or the outermost shape of regions in the still-life and 2) to compose shaded more detailed renderings within the artist's contour marks. This act was repeated over a two week period, resulting in a layered composition. The project prompted student-artists to hone their observational eye, to catch both rudimentary, non-dimensional shapes and work at rendering volume and dimensionality through shading. Please enjoy our "Layered Observation" slide show to your right!