Good morning. Welcome to another year of art with me at The Studio for 2026. We have started of the year with looking at an artist called Andy Goldsworthy. He is a land artist and creates the most beautiful works out of nature. These include giant ice sculptures or sand mounds and even works using leaves.
Check out the link below .
https://youtu.be/IvLsCL4ChYA?si=l3xwxCSJtE0cm7fy
We have created some of our own versions of land art . Building with pebbles and bark and sticks and cones is so much fun but also does not last , which is part of the interesting problem that land art creates. The ocean, wind and seasons will eventualy erase the work created. How does a land artist preserve their work?
We continues the term by looking at leaves and texture. There are many ways to translate texture in art and we enjoued rubbing and printing. This giant leaf below was creted by the youngest person at art. This little 4 year old has creted a wonderful work which is an example of a young childs developmental stage. I love this wonderful work.
Creating frames of our work is a wonderful way for children to notice how framing something enhances the work too.
This delight above was a free painting session we enjoyed with one of the classes. Children and groups work at different rates. This group is a small group and we decided paint in our free time. What a wild wonder this work is.
Drawing is the foundation of art and I really try to introduce an observational drawing during the term. This term , we have each been given an art journal for our observational drawings. I am excited to see what we can fill these with.
Having said all this above, I do want to remind everyone that I run a variety of different classes. The teen class has been doing something totally different to all of the above. We began the year looking at American Artist Jasper Johns. The teen class is wonderful because we engage in rich conversation alongside the art . Jasper Johns was another artist who helped us think about symbols and flags and all that these hold.
Check out the link above .
The homeschool parent group and the family group I have once a month also engage in different work based off the above but really taking different directions throughout the term .
This is the time of year where those of us who love art get to enjoy the arts in Cape Town. Theatre and music is alive and well as well as a rich and vibrant visual arts offering.
The Norval in Tokai has 3 wonderful exhibitions on at the moment. Brett Murray and his giant sculptures has just oppened . We went on the walk about with the artsist which was really very informative.
The first of 3 exhibitions of the wonderful artist Irma Stern has alos opened upstairs. I really struggled through this exhibition. The closing of The Firs, her home and holder of her work was personally devastating and to see this work again, apart from the knowlable staff and her colourful home was very sad. However, if you have not seen any of these works, I recommend this exhibition.
Lastly, Portia Zvavahera has also just opened at The Norval. Zimbabwean based artist , Portia, is one of my absolute favourite artists. She is a must. All of these 3 exhibitions are child friendly - ( their is one section of Brett Murray's work in the large hall towards the back that is shielded and perhaps adult discretion is needed.
The National Gallery has a retrospective of the work of Steven Cohen. It is a very interetsing exhibition especially if you know Cohens work. There has been a controversy around this exhibition and perhaps you have been following this in the media. We visited the exhibition and it is well worth it if you want to wrestle with ideas of censorship and art and what this means for society. This is NOT a child friendly exhibition.
Finally I would like to share something on my own personal theme for art for this year. I have been thinking a lot about the idea of what makes us human. Yes, this exestential question. In the light or shadow of AI and all that it brings, both helpful and not, the artist is also having to struggle for space and existence. What does it mean to create when a machine can do this more quickly and precisely?
My years theme is - nuturing ourselves through creating.
The interetsing flow in art spaces is the desire and very real practice of breathing, slowing down and being present in the moment. This is the idea that informs my art practice and indeed the art space at The Studio. Yes we chat and discuss but more than this is a very real opportunity for all who entre intothis space to choose to be present and practice the very real and practical work of creating.
Every one, including Lego , is struggling to figure out how to stay relevant in a world that we can not yet see. I encourage us all to keep creating and making. Nuture yourself by creating .
