In my watercolor class our teacher Peggy Reid brought in a book "The Conversation" by Milton Glaser. An incredibly interesting art project: the two watercolor artists involved, Milton Glaser and Jean Michel Folon, neither of whom spoke the other man's language, decided to converse via paintings. One of the men drew the first page, kind of a watercolory sunset.
The next man took all the lines and shapes from the right hand edge of the sunset painting and started a second page/second painting. I wish I had photos of the pages. I found a copy, used, but it hasn't arrived yet.
Peggy decided to make this a class project. She painted a first page with a coffee cup and a bagel and the class drew numbers to see which page of the conversation we would be painting. The 2nd painter took the edge of the bagel and created a two wheel bicycle using the same colors of paint. The 3rd painter is now working off of the lines of the bicycle. We'll see her results next Tuesday in class.
Here is Peggy's starting painting:
Here is the 1st addition to Peggy's painting (the 2nd page of the book). The edge of the bagel had to be carried over onto the next page, ergo the wheel of the bicycle.
Here is Peggy's starting painting:
Here is the 1st addition to Peggy's painting (the 2nd page of the book). The edge of the bagel had to be carried over onto the next page, ergo the wheel of the bicycle.
Some of us, since the project sounded so interesting, paired up on our own. I'm painting opposite a friend. We both painted a first/cover page and swapped it. This week I'm to paint a second page. This is the cover page I painted for the swap. The painting is supposed to have shapes and colors going off of the right edge so that the painting may be "continued" on the following page. So I tried to put a lot of shapes/colors/designs on that right edge.
I had painted 3 paintings so that my partner could choose and then the teacher, Peggy, came by and chose one and offered to paint a "conversation" with me. I was thrilled. This is what she chose to work from this first week:
Here is the painting I received from my partner:
I am supposed to attach my painting to any shapes, lines, etc on that right hand edge so my only connection will be the portion of that red ball that's missing.
I made a couple of sketches of possibilities last night. Been thinking all day about it. Possibility of a bottle of bubbles being blown? Or turning the whole thing into a caterpillar in a forest of grass could be possibility.
Great job writing about our project. I loved seeing the coffee cup and what your ideas are for the continuation of your partners first page!
ReplyDeleteThis project is wonderful! And done so well... it feels like a book. It can be contagious and wonder if I might borrow the idea for one of my children's classes?
ReplyDeleteDefinitely use "The Conversation" with your students. It's all based on a book "The Conversation" by Jean Michel Folon and Milton Glaser. I actually found a copy of it for 19.00 which is rare..........maybe your local library would have a copy ? It would help to show it to the children so that they get the idea of a continuing picture. The rule was that whatever went off of the right hand edge of the page (color, line, shape) had to be the starting point of the next page...........
ReplyDeleteThank you for reading my blog and commenting. I'm always so thrilled that someone's out there!!