POTTERY MAKING

Pottery refers to objects made from clay that are shaped, dried, and fired in a kiln to create durable, often decorative or functional items such as pots, vases, bowls, or sculptures. It is one of the oldest human crafts, often categorized into three main types: earthenware, stoneware, and porcelain, depending on the type of clay and the firing temperature used. Some of the techniques in making Pottery are: 1. Hand-Building: A traditional method where pottery is made without a wheel. Sub-techniques: - Pinching: Using fingers to pinch and shape the clay. - Coiling: Rolling clay into long ropes and stacking them to build forms. - Slab Building: Rolling out flat sheets of clay and cutting or molding them into shapes. 2. Wheel-Throwing: Using a potter’s wheel to shape clay by spinning it and molding with hands and tools. This method allows for symmetrical and precise forms. 3. Slip Casting: Pouring liquid clay (slip) into plaster molds. This is commonly used for mass production or intricate designs. 4. Molding: Pressing clay into pre-formed molds to create shapes or patterns. This can involve press molds or hump molds. However, these techniques can be combined or used independently to create both functional and artistic pottery works. The images attached is a display of the Coiling method through hand building, carried out by one of my wonderful mentees in Art. -‐------------------------------------------------------------------- #Handbuildingmethod #Pinching #Coiling #Slabtechnique #WheelThrowing #SlipCasting #Molding

HYDRO DIPPING ART

Hydro dipping is all the rage, and a super fun way to decorate your stuff with amazing designs. From water bottles, to tennis shoes, to skateboards, hydro dipping can give your favorite items a vibrant swirl of color.  It is also a form of water transfer printing. Colours are applied to the surface of water to create a pattern and when an object is dipped into it the colours and patterns adhere to the surface of the object. It’s also known as immersion printing and is a form of marbling.

Hydro dipping is also regarderd as a craft technique that originated in the US, hydrographic dipping (shorted to hydro printing) is popular with young people as it’s a fun way to personalise their belongings like trainers and mobile phone cases. It involves dipping 3D items into a container of water that has colour in it either from spray paints or hydro-dipping films.

It's a craft with the wow-factor that gives professional results – people won’t believe you did it at home. The aesthetic is similar to tie-dye, marbling and acrylic pouring.

THE PROCESS;

1

Gather what you need. Begin the hydro dip process by deciding what you want to paint, then pick paint colors and find a water-tight container large enough to accommodate the object. You can use one color of spray paint, or several colors to swirl into cool designs with a disposable wooden stick.

2

Set up the painting area. If you can, set up outdoors (e.g. in your driveway or on the lawn) to avoid having your home smell like spray paint fumes. Make sure all of the items you will need are within arm’s reach, as the process of hydro dipping can go very quickly. Fill your container about ¾ full with lukewarm or warm water, as the ideal temperature for spray paint is between 50 and 90 degrees Fahrenheit (approximately 10 to 32 degrees Celsius).^[2]

• If you have to set up indoors, open as many windows and doors as possible and nearby furniture with plastic sheeting.
• Make sure to keep children and pets away from the area while you paint.

3

Apply a base coat. In the event that certain spots on the object do not get covered in paint when you dip it, apply a base coat color that will show through. Use spray paint to coat the entire surface of the object. Let it dry for 2-3 hours before you start the hydro dip process.^[3]

4

Spray paint onto the water’s surface. Make sure to shake the spray paint cans thoroughly to mix the paint before applying it. Hold the can 10 to 12 inches (approximately 25-30 cm) from the surface of the water and spray it to your heart’s content until the surface is coated. Switch between colors as desired to make your own unique creation. Colors will swirl together naturally on the water’s surface. To make smaller swirls, use a clean wooden stick to stir the colors until you’re left with a design you like.

5

Dip the object in the container of paint and water. Put on gloves and make sure that the object you are painting is free of dust or debris. Slowly dip it into the container until it is fully submerged. Slowly pull the object back out of the water.  If you do not wish for the object you dipped to receive a second coat of paint on its way out of the water (which might alter the original swirl pattern of the paint), part the paint on the water’s surface before pulling the object out of the container. Having a second person to help you would be a big help for this step!

6

Leave the object to dry. Place the painted object on a plastic sheet or piece of cardboard to air dry. To make sure it is completely dry, let it sit for several hours before touching it. If you leave the object indoors to dry, make sure it is left somewhere safe where children or pets will not have access to it.

7

Use a clear, spray sealant. To keep your hydro dip paint looking fresh and clean, spray it with a clear spray sealant (available in hardware stores in matte, semi-gloss, or gloss finish). Spray an even coat over the object and let it dry for several hours. Apply the sealant only after the object is completely dry.

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NOTE: The images attached to this writeup are the pictures of one of my creative Art students carrying out the Hydro dipping art, using a sparkling white Sneakers as the surface to work on.

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Additional sources: How to Hydro Dip (with Pictures) - wikiHow

Hydro Dipping: A Beginners Guide To This Decorative Technique (prima.co.uk)

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...Abiola M. Samson,

*Cambridge Certified Art and Design Educator

*Ohio State University, U.S.A Trained Teacher,

*Official Judge, World COBIS Art Contest

*British Council Trained Teacher

 

DECORATIVE MIRROR ART

A Mirror is a surface that reflects light and produces an image of an object placed in front of it . The image is reversed in the opposite direction from which the light shines. Mirrors can be made of polished metal, glass coated with metal, or other materials with high reflectivity. A mirror is a true representation or a model of something else. 

Meanwhile, Decorative Mirror Art is a type of art that involves using mirrors of different shapes and sizes as a medium for creating art pieces. It can be used to create beautiful and unique wall art pieces that can add a touch of elegance and sophistication to any room, offices, bathrooms, lounges, schools etc.

You can find decorative mirror art in various styles such as elaborate decorative framed mirrors, delicate water drops mirrors and wavy frameless mirrors.

In addition, Mirrors, and their reflective quality, carry innumerable symbolic connotations. Thus, mirror art can take many forms. Some artists choose to build off of the legacy of Narcissus — forcing their audiences to confront themselves and their bodily existence by reflecting those who view their art. 

 Here in this post are some images of my Art students         carrying out fantastic Decorative Mirror Artworks for 2023 OPEN HOUSE; An exhibition of different projects, ranging from Art, Science, Drama, Music, I.T, etc.

 

 

----Abiola M. Samson
Ohio State University, U.S.A Trained Art Teacher
Official Judge for World COBIS Art Contest
Cambridge Certified Art and Design Teacher

 

SURREALISM

Surrealism, movement in visual art and literature, flourishing in Europe between World Wars I and II. Surrealism grew principally out of the earlier Dada movement, which before World War I produced works of anti-art that deliberately defied reason; but Surrealism’s emphasis was not on negation but on positive expression. The movement represented a reaction against what its members saw as the destruction wrought by the “rationalism” that had guided European culture and politics in the past and that had culminated in the horrors of World War I. According to the major spokesman of the movement, the poet and critic André Breton, who published The Surrealist Manifesto in 1924, Surrealism was a means of reuniting conscious and unconscious realms of experience so completely that the world of dream and fantasy would be joined to the everyday rational world in “an absolute reality, a surreality.” Drawing heavily on theories adapted from Sigmund Freud, Breton saw the unconscious as the wellspring of the imagination. He defined genius in terms of accessibility to this normally untapped realm, which, he believed, could be attained by poets and painters alike.

Characteristics

In the poetry of Breton, Paul Éluard, Pierre Reverdy, and others, Surrealism manifested itself in a juxtaposition of words that was startling because it was determined not by logical but by psychological—that is, unconscious—thought processes. Surrealism’s major achievements, however, were in the field of painting. Surrealist painting was influenced not only by Dadaism but also by the fantastic and grotesque images of such earlier painters as Hieronymus Bosch and Francisco Goya and of closer contemporaries such as Odilon Redon, Giorgio de Chirico, and Marc Chagall. The practice of Surrealist art strongly emphasized methodological research and experimentation, stressing the work of art as a means for prompting personal psychic investigation and revelation. Breton, however, demanded firm doctrinal allegiance. Thus, although the Surrealists held a group show in Paris in 1925, the history of the movement is full of expulsions, defections, and personal attacks.

Surrealist artists

With its emphasis on content and free form, Surrealism provided a major alternative to the contemporary, highly formalistic Cubist movement and was largely responsible for perpetuating in modern painting the traditional emphasis on content. The work of major Surrealist painters is too diverse to be summarized categorically. Each artist sought his or her own means of self-exploration. Some single-mindedly pursued a spontaneous revelation of the unconscious, freed from the controls of the conscious mind, while others, notably the Catalan painter Joan Miró (though he never officially joined the group), used Surrealism as a liberating starting point for an exploration of personal fantasies, conscious or unconscious, often through formal means of great beauty.

A range of possibilities falling between the two extremes can be distinguished. At one pole, exemplified at its purest by the works of the French artist Jean Arp, the viewer is confronted with images, usually biomorphic, that are suggestive but indefinite. As the viewer’s mind works with the provocative image, unconscious associations are liberated, and the creative imagination asserts itself in a totally open-ended investigative process. To a greater or lesser extent, the German artist Max Ernst, French painter André Masson, and Miró also followed this approach, variously called organic, emblematic, or absolute Surrealism.

At the other pole the viewer is confronted by a world that is completely defined and minutely depicted but that makes no rational sense: fully recognizable, realistically painted images are removed from their normal contexts and reassembled within an ambiguous, paradoxical, or shocking framework. The work aims to provoke a sympathetic response, forcing the viewer to acknowledge the inherent “sense” of the irrational and logically inexplicable. The most direct form of this approach was taken by Belgian artist René Magritte in simple but powerful paintings such as that portraying a normal table setting that includes a plate holding a slice of ham, from the centre of which stares a human eye. Spanish artist Salvador Dalí, French painter Pierre Roy, and Belgian artist Paul Delvaux rendered similar but more complex alien worlds that resemble compelling dreamlike scenes.

French-born American painter Yves Tanguy’s style was somewhere between the two poles. He often painted with painstaking detail ambiguous forms, which resemble marine invertebrates or sculpturesque rock formations, and set them in ba

Surrealist techniques

A number of specific techniques were devised by the Surrealists to evoke psychic responses. Among these were frottage (rubbing with graphite over wood or other grained substances) and grattage (scraping the canvas)—both developed by Ernst to produce partial images, which were to be completed in the mind of the viewer. Other methods include automatic drawing, a spontaneous, uncensored recording of chaotic images that “erupt” into the consciousness of the artist, and “exquisite corpse,” whereby an artist draws a part of the human body (a head, for example), folds the paper to hide his or her contribution, and passes it to the next artist, who adds the next part (a torso, perhaps), and so on, until a collective composition is complete. Surrealists also used found objects to create assemblies that feature familiar items in unfamiliar conjunctions. The German-born Swiss artist Meret Oppenheim used this method to great effect with her best-known piece, Object (1936), a fur-covered cup, saucer, and spoon.rren, brightly lit landscapes that have an infinite horizon.

 -----Abiola M. Samson

Ohio State University, U.S.A Trained Art Teacher

Official Judge for World COBIS Art Contest

Cambridge Certified Art and Design Teacher

 

A REFLECTIVE TEACHER AND TEACHING

A REFLECTIVE TEACHER; Being reflective as a 21st century teacher is not limited to certain subject or area of specialization. It is very paramount to imbibe the reflective teaching practice in other to be more effective and get the best out of you, as a teacher and your students.

Historically, Reflective practice was introduced in the late nineteenth century by Dewey, followed  by other prominent scholars such as  Schӧn, Kolb, and Gibbs (Rushton &Suter, 2012). 

As Dewey (1933) argued, a  reflective process starts with a perceived  conflict in a context, continues with the  interpretation of classroom activities and ends in making a decision regarding  removing the problem. Gore and Zeichner  (1991) proposed that reflection is thinking  about an action in the context; therefore,  teaching as a reflective practice comprises  two processes:

1. Self-observation: in this process, teachers must consider their students’  needs, goals, interests, habits, lessons,  and the time of the class.

2.Self-evaluation: teachers make a  decision about their classes. According  to Nikolov (2015), self-evaluation is the result of self and peer correction and helps  learners to become more reflective in the  learning process. In this process both  teachers and learners are responsible.Learners evaluate themselves and their  peers, and teachers evaluate everyone in  the context. They can all gather together  and discuss their reflections and the  critical comments from the evaluation  exercise. In this way, teachers can decide  on the classroom context. 

Therefore, reflective teachers are those  who promote reflection as an essential  tool in their classrooms and reflective  practice is an interactive process between  a teacher and students. It is not only about  making the teacher a better educator,but it is also about making the students  aware of their learning processes.

Reflection is a fundamental tenet of learning; it is also, therefore, a fundamental part of teaching.

Why it happens, is a matter of humility. But how and when it happens–and with whom–is less clear. This is partly because there are multiple sides to reflection–length, width, and depth. A Z-axis.

To reflect means to look back at how something ‘went,’ and see it for all of its available parts and patterns: Causes and effects; comparisons and contrast; strengths and weakness; its characteristics; how close it came to what you were expecting; your emotions.

Meanwhile, Reflective teaching is a practice of examining one's beliefs, methods, and impacts on students' learning before, during, and after teaching.
. 

Reflective teachers make adjustments in instruction based on critical analysis and evidence of effectiveness. Reflective teaching helps teachers avoid getting into a rut and improve their teaching quality

Reflective teaching is also a process whereby teachers reflect on their teaching practices in order to examine the overall effectiveness of their instructive approaches. Improvement or change in teaching methods may be required, depending on the outcome of this analytical process, which is based on critical reflection. 

Teachers who explore their own teaching through critical reflection develop changes in attitudes and an awareness which they believe can benefit their professional growth as teachers, as well as improve the kind of support they provide to their students. The reflective teaching journal, is definitely an excellent tool for this pedagogical exploration.

How do you become a reflective teacher? 

Some ways you can become a reflective teacher include journaling on your teaching practices in order to examine the overall effectiveness of your instructive approaches. Implement improvements or changes after self-analysis of your teaching methodologies via SWOT analysis for example. (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats

What are the characteristics of a reflective teacher? 

Some characteristics of a reflective teacher include the ability to self-analyze, identify their own strengths, weaknesses, objectives and threats, as well as good time-management skills, organisation, patience, self-acceptance, and the well for, and implementation of, self-improvement of self and teaching practices.

 -----Abiola M. Samson

Ohio State University, U.S.A Trained Art Teacher

Official Judge for World COBIS Art Contest

Cambridge Certified Art and Design Teacher