Visual Diary porject @HCS Bensonhurst Senior Center.3 May 13, 2021

HSC Bensonhurst Senior Center
VISUAL DIARY Project
Blog 3 5/13/2021

As our class was all about drawing geometric shapes then fitting a figure into them, we warmed up by creating different shapes with our bodies. This was also a good stretching exercise. Next, we shared the outstanding drawings our students completed for homework. These were the exercise poses, depicting what they could do and what they wished they could do.

 

Sook Fong’s drawings reflected her early morning exercise routine with friends, which has been curtailed due to the COVID 19 pandemic. She still exercises but does it now at home. Stella hurt herself when she slipped on ice and now needs to hold on when she climbs stairs. She used perspective to depict the staircase. So Sim wishes she could do the splits but is satisfied with daily Tai Chi. RuPing’s drawings told the story of how she could once carry a heavy box to the post office, but now uses a cart for transportation. Pun told us she thought she was 35 when she picked something up only to realize once she hurt herself, what her real age was. She drew a wishful figure in the “Rooster stands on one foot” pose. 

 

In Lao Yu’s drawings she reminisced about her younger days when she played volleyball. She showed the arm movements as she went up to spike the ball over the net, “so young so good”. Her next drawing reflected her current desire to say no to certain fatty and sweet foods. She cleverly added a circle rotating her feet away from the temptation. Julisa drew a figure jumping rope with the caption, “jumping rope is my strong point. I always feel that sports can be done, if you are willing to do it.” The composition of this drawing is excellent as it captures the action. Another showed a figure in motion over the high jump, with the arms, legs and head in correct proportion as it heads over the bar. Now she meditates, “age is the killer of sports”, depicting a cross legged figure in front of a tranquil graphic of trees. Jing Wei wishes she could run like the wind and move as fast as the birds. The figure’s forward motion was enhanced by the graphic lines she drew suggesting wind and the trees bent forward. Now she focuses on getting sun when she exercises as shown by the figure in an outdoor setting. Hui Fen’s figure is outside looking up at a passing plane, while her second image depicts her walking hand in hand with her granddaughter. Hui Fen wears headphones, listening to music. 

 

Using the back of their book, participants practiced sketching random geometric shapes in which they drew simple outline figures. The idea of how a figure can fit into the shape emerged as they drew. Figures retain a basic geometry. They erased the shape to reveal their figures in different poses. For the next exercise they practiced drawing a simple outline figure imbuing it with movement and life. Once the page was filled, they looked at their drawings and thought of an inner monologue or statement the figure seemed to be saying. An extended arm could be, “taxi!”, an arched back, “oh my aching back”, a pointed finger, “come over here”. Everyone shared their creations and ideas. 

 

As inspiration we looked at Keith Haring’s artwork and Spica described some background about the artist, his life and work. This week’s focus question is What do you care about the most at this moment in time. Spica and I shared our samples. Our clever students, eager for homework, will impress us with their creative ideas, sent via WeChat, before the next class.