B.C. Binning inspired art

It's Spring Break!

Which means I'm up to my elbows in all things art. This week I am running a week long camp focusing on artist from British Columbia at both the North Vancouver Arts Council in the morning and in my studio in the afternoon.

One of the first artist we looked at was B.C. Binning.

I decided to focus on his love of boats because I knew the kids would all be familiar with them since they are a staple around Vancouver.

I figured a fun way to get the kids to really take a boat image down to graphic shapes was to make them create a boat out of nothing more than shapes.  So with one piece of black construction paper, each student created a boat scene by cutting out nothing more than shapes.

Then using liquid water color, they applied primary colors to damp watercolor paper and while the paint was still wet, dipped the construction paper into water to wet it down and placed it on the paper.

When finished we put them into the sun to dry.  And what a beautiful day of sunshine we had!! It didn't take them long to dry at all, but we started another project all the same while we waited.

Then something amazing happened.  We had a little science mixed into our art lesson because anywhere covered with construction paper turned white...kind of like using sun paper without the expense.

Why did it happen?  Well because the paint exposed to the sun dries quicker, the paint underneath the paper migrates to the light to dry. Voila!  You have made a print.

7 year old composition drying in the sun

7 year old, finished work from above

The kids were pretty excited to pull the construction paper off and see what happened underneath when dried. Then we went over Binning's interest in architecture and how it was implemented in his artwork. The kids pointed out some of the different things they noticed in the nautical theme paintings I had brought as samples and then with rulers and sharpie pens began to add their own line elements to their work.

Below are some of the results.

6 year old

kindergarten

9 year old

Why is it kids feel they need to ask permission to do something in their art? It makes me so sad to think they have been given such rigid instructions in the past that they feel they have to ask me if it is OK to do something in their artwork.  It is their artwork!  I try to push them to try new things, but at the end of the day, I want them to also be true to themselves. For me the idea of introducing an artist and style to children is to inspire them.  For them to take what they have learned and then apply it in a way that makes sense to them. What fun would it be to just copy a work someone else has already done?

So when the boy below asked if he could do patchwork on his sail, well of course!  Do patchwork.  I think it's adorable.

9 year old

Add some stars and a moon!

7 year old

6 year old

 Love the nautical flags added into this one!

8 year old

And what an interesting way to add lines to the clouds and define the water.

7 year old

7 year old

9 year old

9 year old

7 year old

At the studio we took the work one step further and added some color with oil pastel. I love the way this artist did a separate linework drawing over her original drawing....kind of gives the impression of a nautical map.

9 year old

And the simplicity of this piece is stunning.  I love the reflection of the boat in the water.

9 year old

I love all the angles in this artist work.

10 year old

And nothing says Vancouver like a sailboat under the Lion's Gate Bridge.

9 year old

I think B.C. Binning would be proud of each and every one of these kids.