Finally online again -- I am feeling out of the loop on this project so far. I've been unsuccessful logging in 95% of the time and Mrs. Davis is a much more prolific blogger than I am at this point! Go Mrs. Davis! Let's go Ms. Ropple!! Grade 6 classes are finishing their Element-Trees, which feature three different examples of each of the Art Elements (see Mrs. Davis' previous post!) They are so lively and fun, and remind me of the beauty of unsophisticated art done from the heart. The art features bold colors, simple shapes, limited perspective, and zany ideas along with an expressive freedom that typifies elementary art.
As students continue on their developmental path, that free vision sometimes gets obstructed in favor of self criticism about what the art is supposed to look like -- and that is reality! Shapes have to be PERFECT, and lines need to be equally smooth. If the eyes on a protrait don't match, it's not a good thing (even if the sitter's eyes are clearly different!) Kids sometimes gravitate to the "I can't draw" mantra and dismiss their previously acceptable efforts as being horrendous evidence of their lack of talent.
We often tell students not just to look, but to see what's really there. To ignore symbols they understand in favor of creating images of what they actually see and can only comprehend by looking. This is a difficult skill tied in with physical developmental changes, and can be a source of frustration for students. Research has shown that students who stop receiving training in art during this transitional time remain fixed in the style of schematic, symbolic representation. When I hear parents say "I can't draw and I am a terrible artist" or "My kid doesn't get their talent from me!" I wince and realize that their art training probably stopped around 7th or 8th grade. If not, maybe they just haven't found the right medium or message yet. But that's another issue!
Back to students, usually in the 6th grade, who start to see reality and recognize their art has some visually inaccurate features. It is so important to not toss the baby out with the bathwater at this point -- with an increased sense of perfectionist expectations and self-criticism, enthusiasm for making art can fade. At the middle school level, our challenge as art teachers is to help students appreciate what they can do, and not devalue their individual gifts for choosing materials, developing ideas, and arranging elements within a design. We have to guide them towards new growth and the development of new skills while not extinguishing that creative spirit in the face of their sudden increased personal self-criticism.
It is a great moment when a student notices that part of their picture isn't accurate and takes steps to correct it on their own. Instead of explaining their lack of talent or relying on someone else to tell them to do it, a student who trusts their own art skills and accepts their own skill level enough can criticize their own art and learn to make it better -- learn from the teacher, another student, through experimentation, and hopefully and eventually, by seeing for themselves.
