One of my best experiences with making art, was not in school, but in high school I went on a school-based trip to Ottawa called "Encounters with Canada" for a week. While on this trip there were various activities we took part in that had to do with the "arts and culture" theme of that week. One activity we were required to take part in involved using pastel crayons and water color. We had to draw a picture with the crayons in a certain shade and then paint over our drawing with the opposing shade (ie. draw in red, orange, yellow and paint in blue, green, purple, or vice versa). This art experience was memorable to me, because it was the first time I was able to express myself though an art activity being taught to me versus me simply coming up with an idea on my own. I remember expressing my morbid side by drawing an autumn tree with yellow and orange leaves and branches amongst red human limbs and spots of blood, painted over in a dark blue shade representing the night sky. It probably seems strange that this daunting scene is my most memorable art experience, but it was the first time I realized there was no outline of required elements to art making and any subject matter is accessible.
In school, art was not my favorite subject, I think because I was not challenged with the notorious craft-work teachers provide that allow for little or no creativity. It was not until high school that i began to take interest. I never really had a negative experience with making art, but over the recent Christmas break, my mom (a Grade 5 teacher) was making Christmas crafts with her kids and the school had brought in a special lady to teach the grade 5's how to make a photo frame with "JOY" written inside. Although the activity was meant to be a craft, the lady (who I cannot remember her name) really irritated me with the rigidity of the craft. I was helping three girls and one of them did not want to put sparkles on her frame so I told her she did not have to, but this lady came around and said the little girl needed to have sparkles. Another child did not want to have the white border around the words "JOY" so again, I told her she did not need to have the border until the lady imposed and insisted she did. The whole experience really bothered me and this craft lady and I definitely clashed. I could not believe the solid structure she imposed on the kids, especially because the children were around ages 10-11 and I think were hitting that point where they are craving to be a little more creative.
In school, art was not my favorite subject, I think because I was not challenged with the notorious craft-work teachers provide that allow for little or no creativity. It was not until high school that i began to take interest. I never really had a negative experience with making art, but over the recent Christmas break, my mom (a Grade 5 teacher) was making Christmas crafts with her kids and the school had brought in a special lady to teach the grade 5's how to make a photo frame with "JOY" written inside. Although the activity was meant to be a craft, the lady (who I cannot remember her name) really irritated me with the rigidity of the craft. I was helping three girls and one of them did not want to put sparkles on her frame so I told her she did not have to, but this lady came around and said the little girl needed to have sparkles. Another child did not want to have the white border around the words "JOY" so again, I told her she did not need to have the border until the lady imposed and insisted she did. The whole experience really bothered me and this craft lady and I definitely clashed. I could not believe the solid structure she imposed on the kids, especially because the children were around ages 10-11 and I think were hitting that point where they are craving to be a little more creative.
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