This week we reflected on the past few weeks and what we have explored in visual art. We have spent much time discussing Keith Haring’s images.
We have explored line and developed our own line work through taking a line for a walk and drawing natural objects.
We have explored pattern and found lots of source material through the examination of seedpods and found objects from nature.
Last week we observed the colour palette of Keith Haring. We noted that he often likes to use colours that are opposite on the colour wheel and simultaneous contrast. We used our thoughts about our work from the last few weeks’ explorations and played around with our ideas from our drawings of natural objects and created some bright collaged images. These collages were inspired by Keith Haring’s work.
This week we will examine shape in relation to Keith Haring’s work.
“With symbols you have connected the two worlds, the visible and the invisible.” Jasna Horvat
The letters of the alphabet are made up of shapes…When cut up and re-arranged, the letters of the alphabet create very strong and distinct shapes.
By rearranging and reorganising, and cutting up and rotating the the letters of the alphabet, we began to understand how to create images with strong and determined lines, and shapes. We created a series of creatures and figures by cutting up and rearranging letters of the alphabet to create new images in black and white…
Reflections: Year 1
- We used letters in new ways
- We flipped and turned the letters around and saw them in a new way
- When I looked at the letter O, I saw it as a lion’s mane
These collaged ‘alphabet’ images and figures created the basis for our explorations in week 6. Keith Haring communicated messages through his images, symbols and pictograms. He famously drew many of these black and white images in the new York subway on blank black advertising spaces, using white chalk.
He developed a range of iconic images or pictograms.
This week we used our collages from last week to develop symbols, pictograms and images that reflected Keith Haring’s use of line and fluidity of line. We played around, experimented and developed the images we created last week using black paper and white pencils and pens, inspired by Haring’s subway chalk drawings.
In this medium, we experimented inspired by Keith Haring’s use of imagery, repetition and patterning and also the ease with which he worked.
Next week we will further develop our own imagery and create drawings and paintings that use all of the key elements, stories and messages we have discovered in our explorations of Keith Haring’s work so far.