THE TASTE OF MEMORY. 3 12/10/2020

 


Welcome from hotel quarantine in Sydney, Australia where it’s 2am!! What a wonderful tool technology is that I can be connected with my colleague Spica and our wonderful students and the incredible staff at Bensonhurst Senior Center. I was so very pleased to see everyone’s smiling face this morning and to welcome Stella back to our class. 

Beginning with a warmup, which also helped wake me up, we slowly moved our bodies in arching sweeps replicating brush strokes. Next, we isolated our hands and dab and flicked with our fingers. Finally, we rolled our hips and shoulders and shook it all out ready to begin our morning’s class.

 

Margaret has been working on a personal project which mirrors ours, documenting her family’s recipes by making each dish and writing about the memories they evoke. We shared a couple of images of these dishes while Margaret spoke about them. 

 

Participants experimented with the set of colored brush markers they had been given, making thin and thick strokes, stopping and then going again while drawing a line or shape, and overlapping. They practiced writing their name and used the other end of the marker, which has a fine point, to outline the characters. This point was also used to add texture to the marks made, reinforcing lessons learnt in our earlier lesson; hatching, cross hatching, scribbling and stippling. Next the felt tipped marker was dabbed in a bowl of water in order to lighten up its color, and more marks were made. Gradation in color was created by overlapping strokes of the marker.

 

Participants folded a piece of white paper to create 8 grids in each of which they drew a random shape in pencil. A piece of scrap paper was placed underneath the paper to help absorb moisture and also act as a place to test the darkness of the color before it’s applied to the drawing. Students experimented with creating shading by first applying the color very lightly using the water method then darkening by repeating strokes of color. Students were encouraged to apply the brush in a circular motion to see its effect. Once the shapes were colored, outlines were drawn using the other end of the marker or black sharpie or a combination of both.

 

Last lesson’s drawings were brought to their workstations and they collected the objects which they had used as models. Using the brush color markers, they dabbed the felt tip in water and tested its color before applying it to their drawing. They were reminded to always begin with the lightest of color and then add more shading. 

 

Our students will finish these colored drawings for homework and take a photo to share with us. For next week we asked them to find a utensil or piece of silverware or eating utensil that holds an interesting story or memory for them and bring it to class.




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