'Exploration Page' How-to

If you need to create an 'Exploration Page,' this is what to do

First find your starting point, this can be an artist or artwork, a material you want to work with, an idea you feel strongly about, or even just a feeling you want to express.

Students will research and analyze the works and styles of two artists of their choice.
Students will explore the historical and cultural contexts in which their chosen artists worked.
Students will organize and present their findings in a clear and engaging manner.
Students will analyze the unique styles, techniques, and mediums used by their chosen artists.
Students will recognize significant works created by the artists and understand their importance.

TEKS:

(c)(1)(D) - Making judgments about expressive properties: As students research their chosen artists, they'll naturally make judgments about the content, meaning, and messages in the artists' work.
(c)(3)(A) - Comparing historical and contemporary styles: By choosing two different artists, students have the opportunity to compare and contrast styles, potentially across different time periods or art movements.
(c)(3)(E) - Identifying career choices in art: Through their research, students will learn about the career paths of their chosen artists, which can inform their understanding of various career options in the art world.
(c)(4)(D) - Analyzing original artwork to form conclusions: By researching and finding interesting facts about their chosen artists, students will be analyzing original artworks and forming conclusions about the formal qualities, historical contexts, intentions, and meanings of these works.

Inspiration Artist/Artwork:

Inspiration Artists - Search for artists or artworks that you are drawn to, that could inspire you in some way towards your own artwork.… you may use the search engines/pages linked on my site ...or Google.

Complete parts (1-7) for each artist:

1. Name
2. Time they lived (birthday and day of death if past artist)
3. Where they live/lived (country of origin/where they lived and worked)
4. Art style(s) associated with the artist
5. Three (3) facts... what they are known for, interesting items etc...
6. Small drawing (nicely done) of your favorite artwork by the artist (min 3” x 3”)
7. Artwork Title of the artwork you drew

Contemporary Artists Page

Historical Artists Page

Contemporary 3D Artists Network

Ceramic Artists

Artist's Explorations

Then Explore:

But then you need to go deeper than just the basics...

Ask yourself guiding questions to get to the underlying reasons you are drawn to that artist/artwork.

Print out images of the artworks you like, and anything else that your exploration takes you to. Write out your ideas or reactions to what you discover.

Look at the artists/artworks you chose - was there something similar about the two? Brainstorm a list or small mind map -

1. What kind of lines/shapes did the artist use? Does it affect the mood/feeling of the piece?
2. What was the imagery you were drawn to (landscapes/nature, animals, people, action)?
3. What kind of art style would you say the artwork has (impressionistic, realistic, abstract, photo realism, painterly, expressionism etc.)
4. What are the colors used in the artwork?

Visual Journal Exp Annie X 2015.pdf

Materials/Techniques:

Sometimes you just know you want to work with a certain material.

This is the time to explore deeper - ask yourself guiding questions about WHY you want to work with that material. What are you drawn to about the material? What are the capabilities of the material?

Then start experimenting and trying something new; learn a new technique, try different varieties of the material, use it in unexpected ways. Document your process and the steps you took to explore this material.

Look for artists who use the material, then explore that artist (see above).