Mika's Bicycle

This week, Mika decided to take on the challenge of learning to paint in acrylics. Although relatively new to her, she impressed everyone with her finished product. With that being said, I am very pleased to show off her work:

acrylic on canvas, 7x9"

Still taking summer students for week 4 in July!

As you can see, the Art Tracks students have been working hard this month! There is still room for students to register for week 4 (runs from July 23rd-27th).
If you or anyone you know is interested in lessons, please contact Tessa at t.hallmanchong@hotmail.com

Taylore's Work

Buffalo, watercolours

Practicing the Figure

Humming Bird, acrylic on canvas

Taylore with her Humming Bird

Practicing one-point perspective drawing

Taylore (aged 12) has always had a strong appreciation for art and it really shows! The work she completed this week displays an understanding of a variety of mediums. Both her paintings from this week use strong contrast in colours to draw the eye in - I especially love her Humming Bird. Looking forward to seeing more from her!

Jake's Artwork

Lighthouse, oil pastel on watercolour paper

Drawing the Figure

Cardinal, mixed media

Lawren Harris inspired mountains, oil pastel on watercolour paper

This week we welcomed a new art student, Jake (aged 13). Jake's style has really developed over the course of the week and has produced amazing results! Preferring to work in opaque mediums such as oil pastel, his works show a deliberate understanding of how light and shadows create depth in a picture. Great work, Jake!

Art Tracks in the Summer

We are delighted to be holding our first ever summer art program for kids this July! Sessions run from Monday-Friday, 9am-4pm and include a 3 hour lesson in the mornings, with an outing (often art related) after lunch. With our first week coming to a close, I am thrilled at the astounding achievements of the students!
Pictures soon to follow...

-Tessa

Countdown to the Exhibition!

With the opening date for Art Tracks student exhibition almost upon us, the artwork keeps coming in!  The photos below don't really do our artists justice though --- best to visit Swansea Town Hall in person from the end of May through June to really see what they've been up to!

Meanwhile, I'll continue posting the work as it comes in!

Pheonix - Plasticine "Painting" by Mika - grade 6

I love the dramatic colour combinations in this picture, "painted" with plasticine!  Beautiful work, Mika!

Lion - Plasticine picture by Keili (grade 2)

My apologies for the sideways view!  I've repeatedly rotated and "saved" this picture in an upright position, but each time I to load it onto the blog, it returns to lying on its side!  Suggestions, anyone?

In any case, sitting properly or not, isn't this the cutest little lion! You'll see it at the exhibition! Nice work, Keili!

Drawing of a hand by Larissa - grade 5

Larissa spent several weeks working on this beautiful pencil study.  Although the drawing has been photographed on an angle, creating some distortion, you can nevertheless see Larissa's careful rendering of light and shadow, creating an almost sculptural effect.   Geat work Larissa!

Polar Bear Cub - Watercolour by Maddie - grade 5

 Here's another one we couldn't resist --- the little bear with the melting expression appears to almost glow against the dark, sparkling sky!  Great work, Maddie!   

Watercolour Portrait of Larissa by Tess - grade 5

 Tess took several sessions to complete this portrait of Larissa.  Not only did she succeed in creating an excellent likeness;  her colours have that lovely fresh, transluscent quality watercolourists strive for!   Beautiful work, Tess!

Art Tracks Student Exhibition

Mark Tuesday, May 29th on your calendars!  That's the opening date for Art Tracks student exhibition, and with the deadline rapidly approaching, our artists are hard at work putting the finishing touches on their many drawings, paintings and sculptures!  Selected works will on display through the month of June at Swansea Town Hall, 95 Lavinia St., Toronto.   For a sneak preview, scroll below to see recently finished works, and keep checking in --- we'll be posting more as the countdown continues!

Three Birds in Watercolour by Ria

      I'm not sure which of these little birds I like best!  They are drawn with accuracy and detail,  without being overworked, and they practically shimmer with vibrant, transluscent colour.   Lovely work, Ria!

Leah's Father's Day Gift - Plasticine, Wood & Paint

              Many of our students have been enjoying "painting" with plasticine.  In this case, Leah first drew her lion on paper, and then, after covering it with plasticine, attached it to the top of a wooden box.  It looks great, Leah!

Mallard Duck - Watercolour by Julia

Self Portrait and Landscape in Pastel by Niah - grade 7

Here are two of Niah's most recent paintings, and we think it's safe to say both are a success!  Niah's landscapes have a wonderful, glowing quality, achieved by her use of complimentary or near complimentary colours in close proximity to each other.   In this one, she also uses one point perspective to draw the viewer's eye along a leaf covered path, deep into this gorgeous shimmering world! 

Niah also recentely decided to venture into new territory and try her hand at portraiture.  This self portrait is her first attempt, and here again, we think she did a wonderful job!  Not only did she accomplish a very good likeness of herself;  she also effectively conveyed areas of light and shadow, thereby adding a three dimensional quality to her picture.   Lovely work, Niah!

Drawings, Paintings and Fossils - Oh My!

With the end of the school year rapidly approaching,  Art Tracks participants have been working feverishly to complete drawings, paintings and sculptures for our upcoming exhibition.  Beginning Tuesday, May 29th, and continuing through June, selected works will be on dispay at the Swansea Town Hall Art Gallery.  With a number of pieces yet to be finished, and others awaiting matting and framing, the rush is on! 

 In recent weeks, many of our older participants have chosen to focus on sustained drawings and paintings completed over an extended period of time; we'll be posting their finished works as soon as they are ready!  Meanwhile,  our younger members have also been painting, and most recently, making fossils!  Have a look below to see what they've  been up to!     Great work, everyone!

Tessa demonstrating drawing techniques with Tess, Chloe and Caroline (Above)   

Two Paintings and a Fossil! - by Rosie, grade 4

Fossil by Nicole - grade 2

Fossil by Erik! - Grade 1

Fossil by Keili! - Grade 2

Fossil by Calder! - Grade 2

We've Been Busy!

 Art Tracks has seen a great deal of activity in recent weeks.  To accomodate our growing numbers, we were pleased to announce the opening of another class (at our Runnymede location) in January.   Moreover, given the flurry of drawing, painting and general creativity taking place, we are making plans for an exhibition in June, 2012.  We'll be posting the date and location in the next few weeks, so keep checking in!  Meanwhile, to see what our wonderful artists have been up to,  please scroll down the pages below, and feel free to leave comments!

Porcupine - Oil Pastel by Larissa (grade 5)

Larissa took several sessions to to complete this delightful little composition, and I think her efforts certainly paid off.  Notice her careful attention to detail --- not only does she give us a careful rendering of the porcupine,  but also the surrounding shrubbery and the log.  Her use of a strong background colour is also effective, making her drawing "pop out" and giving definition to the negative shapes around and between the forms.

Cat - Pencil Drawing by Caroline - grade 5

Caroline has stated that she generally prefers painting landscapes and drawing characters from her imagination to copying from pictures or models.  However, this week she decided to venture into new territory and try her hand at a cat portrait.  I love the "don't mess with me" expression of this little guy!  Great work Caroline!

Works in progress -Katherine & Ria

Katherine is working on a pencil drawing of a horse.   To begin, she taped her reference photo beside a blank sheet of paper of the same size to her drawing board.  Next, she taped a sheet of transparent plastic over her photo and using a pastel crayon, drew a vertical line down the middle and two horizontal lines across the upper and lower sections of the picture. She then  replicated this simple grid on her drawing paper, using pencil and keeping her lines light so they could be erased later.   Having set  herself up with some general guidelines, Katherine completed the lovely outline above quite quickly.  As we can see, she has an excellent eye for proportion, shape and detail --- Marking in areas of light and dark will come next.  We're looking forward to watching this drawing unfold! 

  

Ria decided to paint a flower.  After lightly sketching her outline, she used a broad brush to wet the entire background area with water.  She then applied a generous amount of wet colour, letting it flow around her flower. When the background was dry, she began working on the flower.  Notice how her choice of complimentary colours makes the yellow lily appear to "pop out" from it's violet surroundings.  This painting is nearly finished;  Ria did want to add more stripes to the vertical petal second from the left, but quickly realised she could not achieve the clear, crisp lines she wanted while her paper was damp, and so wisely decided to wait.  We'll see her final touches next time! Very nice work,  Ria!

Fawn by Mika - grade 6

Mika's considerable drawing abilities really shine through in this lovely portrayal of a fawn.  Note also how well she handles her pastels, with her subtle blending of complimentary colours to create areas in shadow and her delicate rendering of the spots on the hide.  Really nice work, Mika! 

Orangutan (watercolour) & Turtle (pastel, in progress) by Tess - grade 5

                  

Here are two more great pieces  by Tess.  Tess took several sessions to complete the turtle, and I think her efforts really paid off!   Notice her use of light and shadow, giving the boxy, rather cumbersome form of the turtle's shell an almost three dimensional effect.   I also like her use of colour and broken line along the throat and legs to describe the pebbled texture of the turtle's skin.    And the ladybug in the foreground adds a touch of fun!

Foot - drawing in progress by Chloe - grade 5

Chloe, looking for new challenge, has been working on one of the academic drawing exercises devised by the 19th Century artist, Charles Bargue.  The object is to increase students' ability to draw with accuracy and convey areas of shadow and light, thereby creating a three dimensional, sculptural effect.  In the initial stage, Chloe began by mapping out the dimensions of the form (left).  Then, with her outlline completed, she then began dilineating the areas in shadow (see  below).   This is a sustained drawing to be completed over several weeks.  I think you'll agree,  she's off to a very impressive start!

Flowers by Keili - grade 2

Here are two lovely florals done by one of our younger students, Keili.  Note her use of line in the water lily pastel drawing (bottom left) where her loose, gestural strokes of varying intensity convey the delicacy and colour variation of petals.  I also really like her floral group (bottom right) with it's eye grabbing colour, and attention to both postitive and negative shapes.  Great work Keili!

Chipmunk and Water Lily by Nicole - grade 2

 Nicole frequently uses photos for  reference information, but that doesn't stop her from creating her own compositions.   Before beginning a picture, she enjoys planning where her center of interest will go and what elements she'll add or leave out.  In the case of this simplified but accurate depiction of a chipmunk, she decided on a bright green background and the addition of a sprinkling twigs and flowers for interest.  Doesn't this picture look like something you might encounter in a gallery of modern art!   I also like her delicate mixed media water lily!

Experiments in Colour - Beautiful Bookmarks by Larissa and Maddie

Larissa, experimenting with watercolours for the first time, achieved these gorgeous, pure colours applying generous amounts of wet paint on wet paper. 





Maddie, meanwhile, decided on a mixed media approach, using oil pastels to draw a series of colourful shapes, and then applying a red watercolour wash over her entire composition.