Earth Day and Andy Goldsworthy

April 22nd is Earth Day! More than a billion people celebrate Earth Day to protect the planet from things like pollution and deforestation. By taking part in activities like picking up litter and planting trees, we're making our world a happier, healthier place to live. Some artists use their art making to bring attention to our environment and taking care of our planet. One such artist is Andy Goldsworthy.

Artist Andy Goldsworthy

Andy Goldsworthy is a British sculptor, photographer and environmentalist who produces land art in natural and city settings. Working as both sculptor and photographer, Goldsworthy makes his land art from rocks, ice, leaves, or branches. Then, he carefully records the land art through photography. “It's not about art,” he has explained. “It's just about life and the need to understand that a lot of things in life do not last.” Born on July 29, 1956 in Cheshire, United Kingdom, the artist spent his teenage years working as a farm laborer in rural England before going to college to study art.  In 1985, the artist moved to Scotland where he began producing more environmental and land art. Over the following decades, he became associated with the Environmental Art movement. 

Environmental artists aim to work in harmony with the natural environment rather than disrupt it. This means they deeply consider the impact that they as individuals have on nature and do not sacrifice its health or wellbeing in order to create art. Moreover, by working with the land, Environmental art is very temporary and may be damaged by the change of seasons and flowering, erosion, molding, and decay.

Get outside and create your own Andy Goldsworthy inspired art in nature. Find natural objects in your yard like leaves, sticks, rocks and more that could create a beautiful masterpiece. Don't forget to photograph it, because environmental art is usually temporary.

If you wish to learn more about Andy Goldsworthy, I have included a few YouTube Videos below.

Going on a Hunt...An Architectural Elements Hunt!

Many artists, throughout the history of art, have painted, drawn and designed building, cities, maps, and even floor plans. Architecture is the profession of designing buildings, open areas, communities, and other constructions. This could include town planning and landscape architecture. Some of the elements you see on your architecture scavenger hunt today would be things planned and designed by an architect.

Frank Lloyd Wright is a famous architect and designed his buildings to fit with the environment and location such as Falling Water House. He designed everything from houses, schools, to museums and skyscrapers. He invented a cantilever to reach out over the falling water of the falls. If you wish to see an aerial video of Frank Lloyd Wright's Falling Water House, watch the video below.

If you wish to see more buildings designed by Frank Lloyd Wright and learn more about his life, watch the video below.

After your Architecture Scavenger Hunt, it's now your turn to be the architect. You have many options, you could ....

1. Sit outside your home and draw your house and all the trees and plants around it, using your skills in observation.
2. Design your dream house and include everything you wish you had during this quarantine.
3. Draw a floor plan for your current home, include the furniture and all rooms.
4. Draw a floor plan for your dream home.

To download a copy of the Architecture Scavenger Hunt, click here.

Up Close with Georgia O' Keeffe

Spring is my favorite time of year. I love to see buds on the trees, green shoots of grass reaching for the sun, and beautiful flowers such as tulips and day Lillies beginning to bloom. Today, we are going to look closely at the art of Georgia O'Keeffe. Born in 1887, Georgia O'Keeffe was an American artist who painted nature in a way that showed how it made her feel. She is best known for her paintings of flowers, skulls, and desert landscapes.

Although Georgia had a passion for art, it wasn't easy for a woman to become an artist in the early 1900s. She was often looked down upon and not taken seriously. This didn't stop Georgia, however. After high school, she attended the Art Institute of Chicago, and then, the Art Students League in New York.

She was the first female painter to gain respect in New York's art world in the 1920s. Her unique and new way of painting nature, simplifying its shapes and forms meant that she was called a pioneer of abstract art. Abstract art uses simple shapes, lines, and color. If you wish to learn more about Georgia O'Keeffe, watch the Brain Pop biography video below about her life.

If you wish to look closer into Georgia O' Keeffe's life, here is a read aloud book called "My Name is Georgia" by author Jeanette Winter.

When creating your own unique O' Keeffe inspired flower, use some of the same ideas that she followed;

1. Find a real flower, if you do not have a real one, use an artificial flower, or even a picture of a flower from the internet.
2. Look carefully at each of the flower's parts.
3. Make the flower bigger than real life, try to have the petals touch the edges of your paper.
4. Take your time to really look closely at the flower just like Georgia O' Keeffe.
5. If you don't want to draw a flower, find another object that you love, look at it carefully and closely, and draw it bigger than life.

Georgia O' Keeffe Quotes

I found I could say things with color and shapes that I couldn’t say 

any other way – things I had no words for.

I’ve been absolutely terrified every moment of my life – 

and I’ve never let it keep me from doing a single thing I wanted to do.

Nobody sees a flower – really – it is so small it takes time – we haven’t time – 

and to see takes time, like to have a friend takes time.

Resources:

https://www.tate.org.uk/kids/explore/who-is/who-georgia-okeeffe

https://www.ducksters.com/biography/artists/georgiaokeeffe.php

https://jr.brainpop.com/socialstudies/biographies/georgiaokeeffe/

3D Farm Animals

Watch as we make three different 3D Farm animals from recycled materials around your home.