Aug16

England 1976 Part I

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England 1976 Part I
1970s Writer as Photographer

The 1970s: Writer as Photographer

In July, 1974, Turkey invaded Cyprus which prompted me to travel to England in 1976. What’s the connection? My aunts, uncles and cousins lived in a hamlet called Harcha (sometimes spelled Hartjia or Hartzia) in northern Cyprus. Turkey invaded from the north and my relatives barely had enough time to flee for their lives. Not everyone from northern Cyprus escaped and many Greeks are still listed as missing (as are Turks and Armenians and others). My relatives found themselves living in refugee camps in their own country.

By 1976, some of them had immigrated to England so I went to visit them. I had lived with them for seven months in 1965 in Harcha so I wanted to see how they were doing.

1976 was a leap year. America was celebrating its Bicentennial (200th birthday) making it ironic that I went to visit the country whose taxation policies led to the American Revolution.

1976 was the year of the Entebbe raid, the discovery of Legionnaire’s Disease, and Jimmy Carter’s election to the presidency. The UK suffered the hottest, driest, sunniest summer of its twentieth century (at least, up to that point).

My friends and I arrived during the waning days of summer (Labor Day added an extra day to our vacation). I spent a week or so in London with my friends; then I went to see my aunts, uncle and cousins in Leigh-on-Sea in Essex. Leigh wasn’t anything like Harcha but it was the real England and that’s where my relatives settled. While we were visiting England other headlining stories occurred:

On Sept. 4, Palestinians hijacked KLM DC-9 on a flight to Cyprus.

On Sept.7, US Courts find George Harrison, formerly of the Beatles, guilty of plagiarism.

On Sep. 9, Chairman Mao Zedong of the People’s Republic of China died of a heart attack.

On Sept. 10, A British Airways Trident and a Yugoslav DC-9 collide near Zagreb, Yugoslavia (present day Zagreb, Croatia) killing all 176 aboard. (The newspapers carried the headline on the day we visited Big Ben, Parliament and Westminster Abbey.)

On Sept. 10, Five Croatian terrorists capture TWA-plane at La Guardia airport, New York.

While we were in England we saw all the major sites in London. Buckingham Palace was first on our list but the Queen was away at Balmoral. That meant that we couldn’t see the rooms normally open to the public. It was disappointing to us; we really wanted to see the interior of the palace.

I loved the British Museum and the Greek antiquities. Back then, we weren’t sensitized to the fact that Lord Elgin stole these ancient works from Greece.

Buckingham Palace has been the official residence of the British kings and queens since 1837. It is also the administrative headquarters of Queen Elizabeth, the Duke of Edinburgh and the immediate royal family. Great royal ceremonies, state visits and investitures are held there.

For more information, visit http://www.royal.gov.uk/TheRoyalResidence/BuckinghamPalace

The Queen Victoria Monument was the work of the sculptor Sir Thomas Brock in 1901 and unveiled in 1901. The Monument stands outside Buckingham Palace.

Established in 1763, the British Museum initially housed Sir Hans Sloan’s art collection. Sir Hans Sloan was a physician and scientist. The museum was first opened to the public on January 15, 1759 and until 1997, also housed a national library. For more information, visit their website www.britishmuseum.org

Saint James Park sits in the middle of a “square” with Buckingham Palace to the left, the Mall to the north, the Horse Guards to the east and Birdcage Walk to the south. Visit www.royalparks.org.uk/parks/St-Jamess-Park for maps and more information.

St. Paul’s Cathedral, an Anglican cathedral, is the seat of the Bishop of London and the “mother church” of the Diocese of London. Saint Mellitus, a monk, founded the original church in 604 A.D. and dedicated it to Paul the Apostle. Designed by Christopher Wren, the present church edifice dates from the 17th century.

www.stpauls.co.uk

NEXT WEEK: Trafalgar Square, Big Ben, Parliament and more…

Below are listed two books on the Decade of Disco Fever:

The 1970s by Tim Healey

The 1970s by Kelly Boyer Sagert

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Aug9

Summer Camp: Drawing with Yarn and Starch (or Glue)

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Summer Camp: Drawing with Yarn and Starch (or Glue)

 

Materials:

Three small bowls

Scissors

Liquid starch or glue

Yarn

String

Cardboard in any color of choice

Yarn in various colors and thickness

 

  1. Pour liquid starch into bowls.
  2. Cut some of the yarn into 12” lengths.
  3. Soak the yarn in the starch separating the white (if you are using white) from the colored yarn because some of the colors will run. Leave the yarn in the starch for a few minutes.
  4. Lift the yarn out one strand at a time and run your fingers down the length to remove the excess starch. Do this with the string if using it along with the yarn or instead of the yarn.
  5. “Draw” with the yarn by dropping it on the cardboard in a random pattern. Repeat this with the other strands of yarn combining the colors in a pleasing design. Alternate with string.
  6. Fill in some of the shapes that you “drew” with more yarn so that some of the shapes are more solid than others. Consider separating some of the yarn so that white or negative space shows throughout the design. (See the samples.)
  7. Finish the “drawing” and place the art on a flat surface until it dries. Weigh down the corners with heavy objects in the meantime.

ALTERNATIVE PROJECT:

Draw a design or object on the cardboard and follow the procedure above.

Inspired by: All-Around-the-House Art and Craft Book by Patricia Z. Wirtenberg

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Aug3

Summer Camp: Art Poster Collage

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Summer Camp: Art Poster Collage

 

The best way to understand art is to make art. One easy introduction is to make a poster of photographs of works of art.

Take a trip to the museum with a parent and look at the works of art: paintings, sculptures, prints and drawings. There are many more forms of art, too, as you will see when you stroll through the galleries. These forms of art include the decorative arts such as pottery, jewelry or ceramics. Walk through the gift shop and collect postcards with works of art printed on them. Go to a thrift store or a flea market and buy old books or magazines about art or with works of art in them. Cut out the ones that are beautiful, interesting or meaningful.

Art Poster Collage

Art Poster Collage

MATERIALS:

Poster board, any size

Pictures of works of art from magazines, catalogs, old books, etc.

Rubber cement or glue stick

Scissors

  1. Cut out photographs of art works from magazines, newspapers, catalogs, or use postcards from the museum art shop. You can use copies of your art work, too.
  2. Your poster can have a theme like Greek Art (like the sample above) or Modern Sculpture or no particular theme. Glue the pictures to a piece of poster board forming a design.
  3. Study the pictures. Do you know which one is painting or sculpture or drawing or print? What do you like about them?
  4. Tape the poster inside your locker or on the door of your room. Or cut it to 8” x 2 ¼” and use the pieces as bookmarks.

* Art Work by Bridget Riley, Marion Constantinides, Kitagawa Utamaro, and Michel Touliere.

 

 

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Jul26

Summer Camp: Paper Bag Animals/Paper Bag Pets

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Summer Camp: Paper Bag Animals/Paper Bag Pets

 

Paper Bag People and Animals

Paper Bag People and Animals

Materials:

Lunch size paper bags, brown or white

Newspaper (or similar material)

String

Tape

Scraps of construction paper

Paste or glue

Ribbon and/or yarn

Sequins, buttons, seeds (for eyes, nose mouth)

Crayon and/or markers and/or colored pencils

Clip art

Scissors

Pipe cleaners (for whiskers)

Wiggle eyes

Rubber Band

Ruler

 

Project:

  1. Choose the pet or animal you will make.
  2. Stuff 1/3 of the bag tightly with crumbled or strips of newspaper (or similar material) to form the head (about two or three sheets).
  3. Gather the bag at the base of the head. Tie it securely with string or yarn.
  4. Stuff the rest of the bag with more newspaper and tape the bottom of the bag closed.
  5. Cut eyes, nose, mouth, and paws from construction paper or use sequins, buttons or seeds. Use pipe cleaners for the whiskers.
  6. Tie a ribbon or piece of yarn around the neck.
  7. Add buttons or other decorations to dress up you paper bag pet or person.

Alternative Projects:

  1. Make a paper bag person. Use yarn for hair and wiggle eyes. Follow the directions above.
  2. Stuff only the top 1/3 of the bag. Insert a long stick (like a ruler) into the head and secure with string, yarn or a rubber band. Use as a puppet and put on a play for your friends! Read the books below for more ideas:

Gauch, Patricia Lee. Poppy’s Puppet

Marsh, Valerie. Puppet Tales

 

 

 

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Jul19

Summer Camp: A Tale of Three Rubbings

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Summer Camp: A Tale of Three Rubbings

Materials:

Thin paper like rice paper or bond paper

Any kind of crayons including Wax crayons

Graphite

Textured surfaces: chain link fences, tombstones, bricks, sidewalks, gratings, certain fabrics

 

  1. Find an interesting raised surface to rub. For the first rubbing, select a surface and rub with either the graphite or one of the wax crayons.
  2. For the second rubbing, rub with a different wax crayon on another surface or on the same surface. The shift the paper up or down or sideways, rubbing the surface with another color or the graphite.
  3. For the third rubbing, select two or three colors and two or three surfaces to rub. Use only one sheet of paper for this. Select a color and rub the first surface with it. Rub the second surface with a second crayon. Rub the third surface with a third color or the graphite.
  4. Do you notice a pattern created with the different colors and surfaces? Insert your best rubbing in a poster frame and hang on the wall of your bedroom.
  5. Alternative Project: Rubbings also make great greeting or note cards. Cut a blank piece of paper in half. Cut the rubbing and paste it to the front of the folded paper.  Cut the rubbing smaller still and you can make gift tags the same way as the greeting card.

 

For more ideas on rubbings:

All-Around-the-House Art and Craft Book by Patricia Z. Wirtenberg

Arts and Crafts Activities Desk Book by Joyce Novis Laskin.

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Jul12

Summer Camp: One Way to Make an Abstract Design

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Summer Camp: One Way to Make an Abstract Design

 

Abstract Design

Abstract Design

MATERIALS:

Markers

Pencils

Crayons

Construction or bond paper

PROJECT:

  1. Find interesting objects in your home and trace them.
  2. Arrange them on construction or bond paper creating an abstract design.
  3. Trace the objects with markers or pencils or crayons. Trace one object at a time, adding objects as you go or lay them all down and trace them.
  4. Remove the objects from the paper. Choose three colors or two colors plus black. Now add patterns to the traced objects: dots, stripes, zigzags, checks or color some of the areas in the design.
  5. Mat the abstract design and display it or use it as a cover for a favorite book.

 

VARIATION:

Trace one object, turning the paper as you trace. Or overlap the object by placing it vertically, horizontally, upside down, etc.

 

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Jul6

Summer Camp: Textured Prints

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Summer Camp: Textured Prints
Textured Print

Textured Print

  Materials: Printer’s ink, black and two colors Glass surface Brayer Lightweight paper (rice or bond) Cleaner Rags

  1. Squeeze a line of black ink on the flat piece of glass. Roll the brayer over it and back and forth on the glass. Cover the brayer with ink.
  2. Find a very rough surface i.e., woven fabric, a collage of leaves, brick, stone, etc. Place the paper over this surface. Hold it firmly with one hand as you roll the inked brayer back and forth over it.
  3. Ink the brayer again and try another textured surface on a clean sheet of paper.
  4. Clean the glass and brayer thoroughly and wait to dry.
  5. Squeeze ink in the second color on to the glass and roll the brayer over it. Coat the entire brayer with the ink.
  6. Roll that color over a clean sheet of paper on another surface or roll the new color over the first sheet inked in black. Try different combinations of the two colors and black and different surfaces.
  7. Frame the finished textured prints or use them to make notecards.

ALTERNATIVE PROJECT:

Two textured collages,the one superimposed over the second, resulted in the textured print pictured above. The print was first printed in black ink rolled over a collage made of strings arranged in a pattern and glued to a board.  Geometric patterns made from poster board comprised a second collage. After the black ink dried, the print was placed on top of this second collage. Brown ink was rolled over the geometric shapes creating the design.

 

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Jun28

Summer Camp: Windsock

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Summer Camp: Windsock
Windsocks

Windsocks

 

Materials:

One sheet craft foam any color

One bandana any color or design or scrap of fabric (Ribbon is a good substitute)

Ink pen or fabric marker

Additional craft foam in various colors or craft papers in assorted colors

Patterns

Peel ‘n Stick Adhesive tape

Glue

Scissors

Hole punch

  1. Trace and cut patterns provided (below) on to the large craft foam.
  2. Adhere the adhesive tape to the back of the patterns, peel the back off and arrange them on to one side of the craft foam sheets (i.e., use green foam for the leaves, yellow foam for the daisies, etc) or use glue.
  3. Run a line of glue or the adhesive tape down the length of one short edge of the craft foam. Fold down the opposite edge of the craft foam and press to form an oblong windsock.
  4. Cut 1” slits along one edge of the bandanna or fabric and tear to form long strips.
  5. Punch three evenly spaced holes along the edge of the windsock. Insert a strip of fabric or bandanna into each hole. Make a knot to hold the strip in place. Gather the opposite ends of the fabric trips and tie them together into one knot.
  6. Punch evenly spaced holes along the bottom edge of the windsock for the remaining strips of fabric. Or cut small slits and poke the fabric through with the scissors. Place each fabric strip into each hole and knot each to secure in place.

Airports use windsocks to show wind direction and relative wind speed but they are also used for decorative purposes. Windsocks made of paper and silk originated in China and Japan. The ancient Romans used windsocks as military banners.

For more information go to www.ehow.com

 

 

 

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Jun21

Summer Camp: Sgrafitto

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Summer Camp: Sgrafitto
Sgrafitto

Sgrafitto

Sgrafitto is an etching technique that uses a pointed tool to scratch through a covered surface to show the art work beneath it.

Materials:

Wax crayons (Do not use black)

India ink or back poster paint

Pointed tool for etching such as a knitting needle or a toothpick

Cardboard or mat board

Brush

  1. Draw and color various abstract shapes on the cardboard or mat board. Make sure to use a heavy hand and leave a thick layer of wax crayon.
  2. Paint the cardboard or mat board with India ink or black poster paint. Allow the surface to dry completely. If the wax crayons show through, you need a second coat of paint or ink. Allow this coat to dry.
  3. Select the pointed tool you will use. You can experiment with different tools on a scrap of cardboard and then decide which one is best for your work of art.
  4. Have an image or design in mind or draw one on sketch paper first. Etch the design directly on the painted cardboard or mat board using various strokes: long, short, or circular going in various directions: horizontal, vertical or diagonal. Etch deeply enough to penetrate the first layer of ink or poster paint.
  5. Frame the sgrafitto and don’t forget to etch your name in the lower right-hand corner.

Inspired by: All-Around-the-House Art and Craft Book by Patricia Z, Wirtenberg

Art Work by Jeffrey J. Bennett

 

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Jun14

Summer Camp: Sponge Painting

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Summer Camp: Sponge Painting
Sponge Painting: The Sun

Sponge Painting: The Sun

 

Materials:

Household sponges in various shapes and sizes (Household sponges found in grocery stores can create interesting patterns and designs.)

Craft paints in various colors

Water jar

Paint palette or paper palette

Printing paper like bond or rice paper or sheets of canvas

Markers or colored pencils.
Project:

  1. Draw a design or picture on a piece of paper and use it as reference for the sponge painting. Or draw directly on the surface that you are going to paint, i.e., a sheet of canvas.
  2. Cut small pieces of the sponge from the larger sponge. To create an abstract design, snip tinier pieces from the divided pieces of the larger sponge.
  3. Squeeze the paints on the palette.
  4. Dampen the sponges and squeeze out the excess water.
  5. Dab the sponge in the paint and dab it on a piece of scrap paper to test the design and the amount of paint needed. A lot of paint on a sponge will create large blobs of color on the paper or canvas.
  6. With the design as reference, dab the paint on to the paper. Do not drag the sponge because that will smear the paint (unless smearing is the effect you want to create).
  7. Remember to wash and rinse the sponge to use again or use a separate sponge for each color.
  8. Continue until you have completed the painting. Add details with a marker or colored pencil when the paint is dry.

NOTE:  In the example above,  the central design was painted first, then the background.

ADDITIONAL PROJECT:

Create a sponge painting on wood or stone.

 

Inspired by Arts and Crafts Activities Desk Book by Joyce Novis Laskin

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