Seurat Vases

Georges Seurat was best known for pointilism. So it made sense that our art project focussed on creating points.  Since our participants were mostly 6-8 year olds, we gave them a small piece of paper.

They first sketched out their design with pencil. Next time, I think I would use a yellow peice of chalk to avoid pencil marks.

The kids used the bottom of their pencil as the "point". We quickly switched over to cotton swabs.

It retains the paint better and it goes much quicker. We also have them a small piece of paper to work with. Any larger, the kids would have lost.  We gave them 5x7 card.

Another option to try next time is bingo dabbers. The only problem with them is the limited number of colours available (or at least at our local dollar store).

Once everything was dry. I scanned the artwork and printed it on water slide paper. I love water slide paper. I use this for attaching images to anything smooth such as candles, lamps and soaps
Water slide paper is like a tattoo.

First you must print it on a laser printer. Make sure your printer has been printing before you print on water slide paper. The printer needs to be super hot.  Once you have successfully printed your image, cut it out and place in lukewarm water for 30seconds and 60 seconds. Time will depend on how warm the water is.

Then quickly slide it off the paper and adhere to your product.  I usually add glue form a glue stick on the surface in order for the "tattoo" to stick. Make sure you smooth it over to remove any air bubbles.

I bought some cheap dollar store  vases and quickly slipped the image on to the vase. You can also add a candle and use it as a hurricane lamp. Either way, aren't they precious! I think there will be some happy Mothers. Happy Mother's Day!

A Point About Georges Seurat

"Some say they see poetry in my paintings; I see only science." ~ Georges Seurat

Shall we get straight to the point today? We are talking about Georges Seurat. He was a French painter. He was born on December 2, 1859 and he revolutionized the art scene with his new fangled approach to art called Pointillism. In his short 31 years on the planet, he painted over 60 canvases, filled many sketchbooks full of drawings and was instrumental in ushering in Neo-Impressionism. Sadly, he passed away March 29, 1891, but left behind some of the most impressive examples of artwork that exemplified his interest in colour, linear movement, and indeed the science behind art as a whole.

Bathers at Asnières

So what exactly is pointillism and how did Seurat introduce it to the world? While Seurat was encouraged to pursue his artistic interests via relatives, and attended the École des Beaux-Arts from 1878-1879, it wasn't until he struck out on his own that his art blossomed. He discovered the Impressionist painters of the day and realized that he did not have to be limited by rigid academic dictates. It was at this point that he began studying colour, light and began experimenting with tiny brush strokes that evoked a bigger picture when looked at from afar.

The Gardener

In fact, the more that Seurat studied the science behind vision and colour, the more he developed his own style. He used tiny dots of colour, to form his paintings and in such a way added immense depth to his canvases. By 1884, he helped to found the Société des Artistes Indépendants, with artists such as Maximilien Luce and Paul Signac. Signac was to become a good friend of Seurat's and ultimately followed in his artistic footsteps. By the time the two artists exhibited their work in Brussels in 1887, alongside other artists who were also using a pointillist style, they decided to form a new group and called themselves Neo-Impressionists.

Young Woman Powdering Herself

While Seurat continued to paint, disagreements between members of the newly formed Neo-Impressionist movement soon found him withdrawing from the formal group. He met Madeleine Knobloch in 1889 and became smitten with the young, simple woman (who is the model for Young Woman Powdering Herself). The two had a child together, but Seurat suddenly became ill shortly thereafter. He left an unfinished painting ("Circus"), as his last piece before his death. His infant son died shortly thereafter, probably of the same illness (unproven, but quite possibly their deaths due to diptheria). What was not lost though, was a new style of painting that influenced the likes artists to come, such as Van Gogh, Gauguin and Lautrec.

Budding Artists hopes to influence a whole new generation of artists this Saturday April 21st at the London Farmer's Market during our weekly children's art workshop. Georges Seurat will be our Master Artist to explore, as children learn a little art history, have a lot of fun and get to bring home their very own Seurat-inspired artwork made by themselves. Workshops are held at 10:30am and 1pm and run for 90 minutes, so register today to make sure your child gets to enjoy artwork with a point.

I offer you a moment to enjoy and explore one of Seurat's most famous paintings "La Grande Jatte", set to music. Can you remember what movie this famous picture was featured in and who got lost in the little girls face?

Spotlight on Piet Mondrian

Pieter Cornelis Mondriaan was born on March 7th, 1872 in Amersfoort, The Netherlands. The son of a Headmaster of a primary school, as well as an acclaimed drawing teacher, it was no wonder that little Piet became interested in the arts at an early age. The first exhibition of his work was in 1890 and by 1892 he was enrolled at the Rijksacademie in Amsterdam. While his artwork at this point was indicative of the times, representing impressionistic landscapes, mostly of windmills, rivers and fields, there was an inkling of some of the changes to come.

Windmill in Sunlight - 1908

These changes would become a regular occurrence throughout Mondriaan's lifetime. The naturalistic style that he originally developed while at school, soon morphed into a brighter palette more akin to Fauvism, with definite nods to pointillism. In 1908, Mondriaan embraced the Theosophical movement, led by Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, which in turn saw his paintings begin to lean more towards Cubism. By 1911, he moved to Paris, dropped an "a" from Mondriaan to become Mondrian and embraced the new Cubist artists Picasso and Georges Braque full-heartedly.

Grey Tree - 1912

Mondrian spent the next four years in Paris actively exploring Cubism in his art. While the process was a gradual one, geometric shapes and patterns emerged in his artwork and his colour palette became increasingly simple and abstract. In 1914, he returned to Amsterdam to visit his ailing father, but the outbreak of World War I forced him to remain in country for the remainder of the war. Paris's influence stayed with him though and his paintings became even more abstract, with the focus on lines and blocks of colours. Gone were any traces of the impressionism that he started with.

Composition A: 
Composition with Black, Red, Gray, Yellow & Blue - 1920

While Mondrian returned to Paris as soon as the war was over, an important milestone was marked during his stay in The Netherlands; that of founding De Stijl (The Style) with Theo van Doesburg. It was through the essays that he wrote for De Stijl that he shared his vision of a new style of art called neoplasticism. This new non-representational style that Mondrian developed is nowadays seen as the beginning of abstract art. Ultimately what it looked like was a white background with a dark grid set upon it and the addition of primary colour blocks to represent the beauty and awareness of nature from the artist's eye.

New York City II - 1942

When World War II broke out Mondrian left Paris for England. He spent two years there, before leaving for the United States, where another change in his artistic style took place. Where his grid lines had originally been gray and thin, gradually getting thicker and darker, with fewer colour blocks apparent, now the grid itself became the colour. While still exploring this vibrant turn in his neoplasticism, Mondrian fell ill and died on February 1st, 1944. The art and fresh look at what it could be left a huge mark on the world though, that is still felt today.

This weekend, Budding Artists will take an in depth look at Piet Mondrian in the Master Series children's art workshop at the London Farmer's Market. Join us on Saturday February 18th at 10am and 1pm for 90 minutes of art history, games, and creation in the style of this abstract painter. Register today!