Wool Painting Folk Art Style.When students were invited to participate in a local folk art folk art, the art works of a culturally homogeneous people produced by artists without formal training. The forms of such works are generally developed into a tradition that is either cut off from or tenuously connected to the contemporary cultural mainstream. festival, everyone began to get a little nervous--"What is folk art?" and "How can we as elementary students contribute a suitable piece of art to this community sponsored festival?" With some research about various cultures and folk art styles, students decided to embark on an adventure into the art of yarn painting, a decorative and colorful folk art, native to South America South America, fourth largest continent (1991 est. pop. 299,150,000), c.6,880,000 sq mi (17,819,000 sq km), the southern of the two continents of the Western Hemisphere. . Students learned through their research that this ancient tradition of spreading beeswax beeswax: see wax. beeswax Commercially useful wax secreted by worker honeybees to make the cell walls of the honeycomb. A bee consumes an estimated 6–10 lbs (3–4. on a wooden board and pressing yarn into the soft wax can produce brightly colored artworks that also have the appeal of texture. To begin, each student submitted designs, based on their research of South American art American art, the art of the North American colonies and of the United States. There are separate articles on American architecture, North American Native art, pre-Columbian art and architecture, Mexican art and architecture, Spanish colonial art and architecture, forms. Traditional Designs We selected designs on the basis of their simplicity and authentic subject matter. The influence of Oaxacan (pronounced wah hocken) folk art and mola designs from the Cuna Indian women of the San Blas Islands San Blas Islands (sän bläs), formerly Mulatas (m  lä`täs), archipelago off the northeast coast of Panama. ,
appears in the selected abstract animal forms.
Pieces of heavy cardboard were used for the base of the designs instead of the traditional wooden boards. We enlarged the selected drawings to approximately 36" (91 cm) and transferred them to the cardboard surface with pencils. The children then carefully cut out the large abstract shapes from the cardboard. Then they began the process of selecting and planning the colors from bright woolen wool·en also wool·len adj. 1. Made or consisting of wool. 2. Of or relating to the production or marketing of woolen goods. n. Fabric or clothing made from wool. Often used in the plural. yarns that best suited their subject matter and the nature of the art itself. Drawing with Glue Rather than using the traditional method of melting beeswax and pressing the yarn into the wax, white glue was used to secure the yarn to the cardboard surface. The designs were first outlined with black yarn to better delineate the the shapes within the drawing. Small mirrors were glued to the cardboard surface in strategic places such as the eyes to add a reflective accent to each piece. Then, students worked in groups of two to four to "draw" with glue, beginning with the outside edge and working each shape until it was filled in with yarn. In large areas, paste brushes were used to spread the glue. Painting with Yarn Care and patient work were necessary to make sure the painting was one of solid yarn. For this, straight pins occasionally had to be inserted to hold the yarn in place, then removed as soon as the area was filled in and dry. The idea of painting with yarn rather than brushes proved to be fascinating to all. After the designs were completed and dried, a large sheet of brown craft paper, cut to fit the different shapes, was glued to the back of each piece to prevent the bowing or curling of the cardboard. The final yarn masterpieces were proudly put on display at the local folk art festival with written information about the student participation and assimilation of this ancient folk art craft. Visitors to the festival were intrigued and impressed by the collaboration of elementary age students to produce such monumental pieces of South American Folk Art. Matching shapes of lightweight plastic are currently being cut to mount the completed woolen paintings underneath, for permanent display in our school building. Our enriching cultural experience paid off in many ways and it was of benefit to all, including our local community. RELATED ARTICLE: NATIONAL STANDARD Students know that the visual arts visual arts npl → artes fpl plásticas visual arts npl → arts mpl plastiques visual arts npl → have both a history and specific relationship to various cultures. Liesa Schroeder is an art teacher at Santa Fe Trail Santa Fe Trail, important caravan route of the W United States, extending c.780 mi (1,260 km) from Independence, Mo., SW to Santa Fe, N.Mex. Independence and Westport, Mo., were the chief points where wagons, teams, and supplies were obtained. Elementary School elementary school: see school. in the Independence Public School District in Independence, Missouri Independence is the fourth largest city in Missouri, USA. It is part of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area. As of the 2006, the city had a total population of 109,400[1]. It is the county seat of Jackson CountyGR6. . |
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