I designed and facilitated the Adult Painting Workshop of the CreativeKids studio of Bambi Manosa in Ayala Alabang from April 21 to May 14, 2009. Bambi gave the theme "Masters Works" for this year. I designed a basic module for the eight (8) sessions alloted to me focusing on the following topics:
Session 1: Basics of drawing and colors using watercolor pencils and acrylic paint.
I only have one hour and a half to make my students ages 9 (Cesco), 11 (Iya) and 3 Mommies! (Techie, Marijn, and Denise) to understand (and do!) line drawing, perspective and color theory. To put the short lecture to work, I asked the students to do a drawing of a circle and a rectangle and later, the application of shading (tonal values) using a watercolor pencil. The next plate expounds the circle and rectangle into a still life composition. Example: an apple and a vase on a table but this time using their acrylic paints. The next plate is an on-the-spot interpretation of a blue ceramic plate using watercolor pencils.
Thirty minutes to the session, the students were complaining that they are beginners and might not be able to do it. But I knew better. My statistics (from over 100 workshops conducted for kids and adults) tell me otherwise! And after the first session, the students watched their ceramic plate drawings in complete amazement!
Left to Right: Session 1's Ceramic Blue Plate, Session 2's Master studies, Session 4's studies of figurative works, Session 5's studies of Ang Kiukok's Harvest (a bit hidden!), Session 3's landscape studies, and Session 7's black and white studies.
Session 2: Study of a Master Painting.
Students were asked to choose the painting of a Master Artist and interpret it on a 10 inches by 13 inches (10"x13") canvas sheet using acrylic paint. Cesco and Iya (ages 9 and 11) opted to do details of Paul Gauguin's "Still Life with Three Puppies" while Marijn and Denise did Van Gogh's "Iris" and Techie did Wassily Kandinsky's "Blue Mountain".
Session 3: Landscape Painting.
All the students interpreted Lawrence Harris' "Return From The Church" painting below.
and the finished work of Marijn:
Session 4: Figurative Works.
Students interpreted the portraits and figurative works of artists Mark Hermann Peckstein, Pablo Picasso, Kess Van Dongen, Diego Rivera and Pierre Auguste Renoir.
Session 5: Study of the painting "Harvest" by Ang Kiukok, a National Artist of the Philippines. I made the students interpret the work of one of my favorite Filipino artists.
Session 6: Study of Abstract Expressionism and Action Painting.
The students enjoyed this session so much that they all did more than one plate in two hours! The students plates as exhibited: Left to Right: Techie, Marijn, Iya, Denise and Cesco (lower right).
Session 7: Study of Black and White.
This is my favorite. When students are enjoying the play and blending of colors, they are now introduced to the drama and power of non-colors.
Marijn interpreting David Hockney's painting.
Iya interpreting Antonio Henrique Amaral's "Melancia".
and the last session (Session 8), is the student's study of their chosen masterpiece to be executed on a bigger 20" x 26" canvas sheet!
The students works as exhibited.
Top: Cesco (Paul Klee's Around the Fish) and Marijn (Maurice Vlaminck's "The Locks at Bougival). Second Row: Techie (Joan Miro's 'Hirondell Amour"). Below is Iya (Pablo Picasso's "Three Musicians") and the work on right is Denise (Claude Monet's "Bridge full of Water Lily")
Aside from my students, the CreativeKids exhibit includes all the studio works of Bambi's several workshops for kids ages 3 to 10, doing painting, scrapbooks, mad art and shadowplay! Below are some of their works as exhibited and presented:
Assemblage interpretation of Van Gogh's work!
Interpreting Picasso's portraits!
and Picasso's Face Lantern!
. . . doing colored illustrations of food items!
. . . and ShadowPlay!
The invitational CreativeKids exhibit was held only for May 16 at the house of Architect Bobby Manosa in Ayala Alabang. I always get invited by Bambi to design and facilitate workshops for CreativeKids almost every year. The CreativeKids studio is one of the most active community program in Alabang.
