Monday 9 December 2013

Michaela Cox

Today we were lucky enough to have Michaela Cox talk to us about her career as an artist, photographer and teacher. Click on the image below to go to her presentation.




Michaela Cox

Sunday 1 December 2013

Latest News

End of year shared lunch party.
Last Tuesday the Art Extension students got together to share an art inspired lunch. Colourful biscuits in primary colours, fruit arranged in gradations of warm colours with a little green to lift the red strawberries. Milk shakes in brown, yellow or pink, and Warhol Jelly! THere were some healthy orange carrots too.
Art Extension
This was a DIY place mat event and Louis took the 50th Anniversary of Dr Who for his inspiration

Some of the extension are going overseas, some to the North Island and some staying in Christchurch. I wish them all the very best for the next stage of life and look forward to hearing about all the amazing art projects I am sure they will produce.

Meanwhile Art Club has been busy . Sacha is my most regular and punctual students. He has been busy working on some still life paintings this term.



Finn also discovered a passion for painting this term. 
Bradyn explored the joys of frottage and made rubbings of our  Maori wood carving in all the different house colours to give to each class.




 The last year 8 group have taken the Banksy project a few stages further. Whilst they have not quite finished some students have already produced striking work.

Abadi has included elements that represent his native Ethiopia. 


Zarian worked with great confidence and used strong complementary colours .

Friday 1 November 2013

Anthony Caro dies


Follow the link below to read about the famous British Sculptor 
 Anthony Caro dies


I was lucky enough to go to his studio in London when I was a student. A lovely, humble and intelligent man. Ground breaking work.

3D mini-me statues

 Click on this link 3 D mini mees to see a film of mini sculptures being made on a 3D printer. Amazing. Do I want one? Not sure , although I am curious. Incredible technology , still in it's infancy, where next?

Sunday 27 October 2013

Frida

Frida has just arrived in the art room, so Diego has , at last, a real friend instead of the ceramic substitute.
Come and meet her.

Monday 21 October 2013

Year 8 'Banksy' and co. project


Year 8 Self Portraits







The year 8 art blocks have been looking at the current resurgence of street art in Christchurch and in other cities. In particular they have studied work by the British Street Artist Banksy. Students used Banksy’s stencil process to produce a self portrait. The final drawing used the column and box structure of newspaper to provide the framework for their composition. This is a technique commonly used by NZ artist Tracey Tawhio. They also looked at Picasso who was one of the first artists to collage ‘found material’ such as newspaper in their work early in the 20th century. Much time was spent discussing how these artists challenge our perception of art and how it is valued.

  Charcoal, chalk and conté were used to create textures and to link 
elements in their   designs.

Beth Simpson

Charlotte Radley

Jarred Powell

Matt Jones

Mitchell Freeman

Tilly-Belle Robinson

Saturday 5 October 2013

Chalk like an Egyptian

Last week Iona joined the girls from Cashmere High School's Human Rights Society as they chalked a giant female head on the ground at the Re-start Mall, in Christchurch to draw attention to the plight of the women of Egypt and Amnesty International's campaign 
of support. 
For more information on this please go to this Amnesty International link






last term some of our year 8s also took up the challenge and a photo of one group will appear in Amnesty's 'Active' Magazine
These are Year 8 pupils from Lansdowne House , Heaton Normal Intermediate School, Christchurch, Visual Art Class. 
Whilst the current women of Egypt are feeling repressed we thought that we would honour one of Egypt's most powerful female leaders , the Pharaoh Hatshepsut.
Two and a half thousand years ago the most important person in Egypt was a woman.
We used an image of a statue in The Metropolitan Museum of Art , New York.
Pupils worked in Charcoal, white and red Chalk.


Saturday 24 August 2013

2013 Cultural festival

Wow, finally delivered our banners for the festival so that they can be hung in the CBS arena. A last look in the art room before they left. Ribbons and feathers attached. They should look great hanging in the entrance.




Amaraah and friends great painting


Doves by Izzy                                                                                                   Jenny's self portrait

The banners were designed and painted by the current art extension and a few volunteers .

Izzy Clarke, Nellie Dodds, Amaraah Faiz, Keeley Phipps, Jenny Choi, Amy Kim, Rachel Kirsop, Katherine Champion, Mia Andrews,  Louis Knight, Karishma Singh, Tille-Belle Robinson
Extra helpers
Nellie Evisson, Iona Taylor, Amelia Hudson, Laouena Le Loeur,  Bradyn Taylor.
Bradyn Taylor contributed the Whakapapa design .

Our project description for the festival:


Heaton artists took their inspiration for their work from this year’s Cultural Festival theme,

Adorn the bird with feathers so that it can fly.

Ma te huruhuru ka rere te manu.

We discussed the meaning of this proverb and what the ‘metaphorical feathers’, that enable us to fly, might be. Birds have different types of feathers: flight feathers, down feathers to keep warm and dry, and in some species display plumage to catch the eye.

We need skills in life, our flight feathers, but we also need to be warm and healthy, our softer down-like feathers. In order to achieve in life we need many people to help us adorn ourselves with feathers.

We require the support of friends and family to encourage us to achieve our goals and to support us when times are hard. We need teachers to teach us skills. They might be teachers at school, on the playing field, musicians or members of our own family.

We also looked at how lines can communicate flight or upward movement and how text can be pattern and texture as well as meaning.

A significant study was looking at the rhythms that different feathers made when dropped from a height. The long flight feathers spiraled through the air as they fell and the smaller feathers floated gently from side to side.

The student work on display has incorporated all these components into their compositions.

The large banners by our extension art group
(with a few enthusiastic year 7s).

The charcoal drawings and ceramics by Year 8 students .

Drypoint intaglio prints by Year 7 students.

Ceramics by year 8 students.

Many have also added specific elements that represent their personal interests and goals.   

Just back from hanging the work in the CBS. Looking good. We are pride of place in the entrance.

The feathers look great fluttering in the wind
I wasn't sure where the banners would go eventually. I had originally thought they might hang further to the right of the entrance. However, where they are is as if they were made to measure. A perfect fit. Incredible!

Year 8 charcoal and chalk drawings
Year 8 Charcoal and chalk drawings


  
Year 7 drypoint prints

        



Year 8 ceramics



So just to remind you how we got there.
In progress

Our Saturday workshop. Lots of hard work but great fun.
Rachel, Tilly-Belle, Mia, Amelia and Iona



Amelia

Izzy, Mia, Iona, Laouena, Amelia and Keeley
Keeley
Volunteer year 7s Amelia and Laouena
Izzy
Our model baby George via Salvation Army Op Shop
Iona
Mia and her dove
Rachel
Tilly-Belle