Painting & Color Theory 

WEEK 8 (June 25)

We did a great exercise in class to learn about color theory by working with complementary colors over top of a photocopy of a face. Again I noticed how we were given lots of choice and examples of ways that we could work with collage, paint, resists and other materials. Even though we all used the same photocopy, everyone’s pieces turned out quite differently. I see how this is a really effective way to teach painting and color mixing, especially when you are getting into complementary colors which can be sort of technical. Also working with just one set of complementary colors really sets you up for success because it is hard to make mud. Everyone was really inspired.

I often wonder as a teacher how much information to give on color mixing and how much to just let students learn by play and by doing. I am a huge proponent of play and think mostly people should just have opportunities to make a lot of work! But there are major budget issues and this is an added challenge. At my practicum school their art budget was cut by 50% two years ago, and then that was cut by 50% last year. Basically an art teacher has to scrounge constantly and get donations, on top of the time in the classroom. I think there are ways to navigate this and will continue to learn from other experienced teachers. 

For assessment you could focus on criteria around using complementary colors. I think that you could really break down the assignments and not assess too many elements at once particularly with painting since it can be hard to work with the medium. I love the idea of really valuing the process and showing students many different ways to approach painting, such as colorfield and abstract expressionist, and using different techniques such as glazes, dripping, layers, collage, mixed media, scratching and home made tools. This mixed in with the color theory would make it really engaging. I made a rubric for these techniques to make an abstract self portrait during my practicum and it worked really well. It helped students see how there are many different techniques that can be used to build up one surface, without making it muddy and busy - and they were really surprised at their success! 

Extensions can include working in series. I brought in 4 life size doors that I painted in the past as  examples and my students loved it. I showed them how you don’t have to get overwhelmed by working big, you just prepare more paint (and use different paint, sometimes cheaper like house paint), and use bigger brushes and tools. Adaptations could be to allow students to choose what kind of surface and what size to work on. The can work on canvas, wood, paper, or found objects. This choice would give them comfort with materials and freedom to move to a different spot in the room to work and to be comfortable at their desk. Having a print-out of the rubric in advance and referring to it often helped me tremendously with all the students, including the ELL students and one that was deaf. In particular there are many concepts like symbolism, metaphor, and abstract that are hard to explain verbally. I always try to have visuals on overhead and text on the screen, as well as handouts too, while I am talking to students so they can follow me and are engaged and inspired. Having so many ELL students and students with exceptionalities has already made me a way better teacher, and I really appreciate them in my class!