Bobby getting started with his turtle. Yes I know you would never find a piece of wood like this in the forest... I was full of good intentions this weekend. But somehow, by the time we were all dressed and ready to go somewhere it was dark again. That's the thing with winter. It doesn't really give families enough time to finish breakfast.
For the purpose of this WILD project, you need to imagine that we gathered the wood in the forest, that we meticulously scraped the mud and earth off each piece and that we let it dry by the fire before using it as our canvas. Trust me, that was the intention. In truth, we didn't make it out to a place where you can collect bark, so we just took the wood we had lying around the house. But that's by the by.
I wanted to introduce the kids to Aboriginal Art, i.e. dot paintings which years ago were painted on bark, using pigment from ground ochre. I told them a little bit about it, that it was based on stories (Jukurrpa) and centred on the "dreamtime". I also really meant to collect the materials to paint with - such as chalk - outdoors in the elements with them. Instead, we took some Ikea chalk that's been lying dormant for years because let's face it, nobody actually draws on the door that was painted in blackboard paint. To make the paint, the kids mashed the chalk up with a pestle and mortar. Three guesses whether you think they liked this bit? When you've got colour, smashing, mess and clanking noises all mixed into one activity - what's not to love? Plus it makes you feel all Anish Kapoor-ish. And that man is the master of pigment creations.
Here's how it went:
Me: "So the idea is to create a painting that tells a story, something that's important to you, using dots."
Bobby: "OK cool. I'm going to paint a turtle."
Me: "Alright. Good. In what way does a turtle feature in your life?"
Bobby: "It doesn't".
After about 20 seconds of precise dotting, neither Bobby or Annie were that interested in keeping the dots round, or separated from each other. I had to silence the mumzilla in me. Don't say a word, I thought, a true artist does it how he feels. It's all good. And guess what? It was all good. Everyone got their own dreamtime.
What you need:
Top tip: Grab an old brick and bust some bits off, then mash them with your pestle and mortar. You can use these as an ochre equivalent.
Top quote: "I use all sorts of things to work with: old brooms, old sweaters, and all kinds of peculiar tools and materials. I paint to excite myself, and make something for myself." Francis Bacon
For the purpose of this WILD project, you need to imagine that we gathered the wood in the forest, that we meticulously scraped the mud and earth off each piece and that we let it dry by the fire before using it as our canvas. Trust me, that was the intention. In truth, we didn't make it out to a place where you can collect bark, so we just took the wood we had lying around the house. But that's by the by.
I wanted to introduce the kids to Aboriginal Art, i.e. dot paintings which years ago were painted on bark, using pigment from ground ochre. I told them a little bit about it, that it was based on stories (Jukurrpa) and centred on the "dreamtime". I also really meant to collect the materials to paint with - such as chalk - outdoors in the elements with them. Instead, we took some Ikea chalk that's been lying dormant for years because let's face it, nobody actually draws on the door that was painted in blackboard paint. To make the paint, the kids mashed the chalk up with a pestle and mortar. Three guesses whether you think they liked this bit? When you've got colour, smashing, mess and clanking noises all mixed into one activity - what's not to love? Plus it makes you feel all Anish Kapoor-ish. And that man is the master of pigment creations.
Here's how it went:
Me: "So the idea is to create a painting that tells a story, something that's important to you, using dots."
Bobby: "OK cool. I'm going to paint a turtle."
Me: "Alright. Good. In what way does a turtle feature in your life?"
Bobby: "It doesn't".
After about 20 seconds of precise dotting, neither Bobby or Annie were that interested in keeping the dots round, or separated from each other. I had to silence the mumzilla in me. Don't say a word, I thought, a true artist does it how he feels. It's all good. And guess what? It was all good. Everyone got their own dreamtime.
What you need:
- Bark or wood
- Chalk
- Paintbrushes
- A pestle and mortar
Top tip: Grab an old brick and bust some bits off, then mash them with your pestle and mortar. You can use these as an ochre equivalent.
Top quote: "I use all sorts of things to work with: old brooms, old sweaters, and all kinds of peculiar tools and materials. I paint to excite myself, and make something for myself." Francis Bacon
Proudly wearing his Albion Rovers top - a Scottish team in the 3rd or some such division (given to him by none other than uncle Sweeney, who is probably the only person to have bought the kit this season). That fat splodge was my fault when I was trying to bust in.
Annie has a go on the log. If you look really closely, you can see some dots. But you really have to concentrate, a bit like with those 3D drawings...
Having another go on a different piece of wood. It's all about testing different materials when you're a true artist.
I want a go.
Dots. Schmots. Pretty awesome turtle right? When I suggested he try sticking to dots to see what it would look like, his reply: "I want to do it this way." After being annoyed, I felt SO proud. You gotta do it how you gotta do it. Have I been reading too much of Tsabary's The Conscious Parent?
Alchemy. Colours. Art.
Minu, who had been to gymnastics, got started later. She wasn't involved in mashing up the colours, but got straight into mixing them to create purples and mustards...
Just to give you an idea of the guru of pigment... Anish Kapoor's piece 1000 Names
This is Gabriella Possum Nungurrayi's Milky Way (Seven Sisters) Dreaming. Get lost in that for a minute why don't you.
More wild ideas:
 Caught anything lately? |  Talking sticks |  Outside is free |
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