Fisherton Residency – Weeks 4 & 5, Using Photography to Create Images
Weeks four and five of my time at Fisherton Primary School have passed quickly with the continuation of my program of activities and my second project: Using Photography to Create Images. This project concentrates on two aspects of the possible uses for photography in art. Firstly the process of taking photographs and using them to create a collaged image and secondly the use of photography as a starting point for a drawing.
The inspiration for these projects came predominately from my own artwork and experiences. My current art practice grew out of a love for the environment, which first drew me to working outdoors. At the beginning of my time at Art College I spent a lot of time drawing and painting in the landscape and it was this experience of creating art inspired by and within the environment that has informed all my subsequent work.
The first element of the project was to take images to make up a panoramic landscape collage. I took multiple photographs of the school within the landscape and used these as a starting point for the collage project. Each year group was then allocated an aspect of this view to photograph from sky and grass to the view of Arran and the local buildings. This involved teaching the groups how to use the simple digital cameras and taking them outside to explore and take photos of there allocated element of the environment. The children really engaged with this activity and approached looking at the landscape more inquisitively when given the task of capturing it though a lens. As well as introducing concepts involved in photography this was also an exercise introducing composition, which informed the drawing exercises that make up the second half of this project.
These photos are now developed and the task of compiling them into a cohesive collaged image can begin. One of the most important elements of this project is that the whole school is involved in creating one piece of work.
I was also keen to develop the children’s drawing skills focusing on observational drawing. I took a number of landscape photographs on my different research trips around the local area and used these to inspire large landscape line drawings. The Primary’s five, six and seven classes were each given a 2 meter long piece of paper, we then used a grid system to concentrate the drawing activity on the composition and shapes in each square to begin to build up the image. So here again the groups of children are working together to create one piece of art.
With the younger age groups I ran a couple of different activities again focusing on developing drawing skills and engaging with often overlooked elements of the environment. The Primary one and two classes drew local landscapes from my collected photographs, while the Primary threes and fours drew details in the landscape not immediately recognisable. Again I focused on encouraging environmental exploration and working confidently both individually and in groups.
I have now reached the mid point of my residency and I am looking forwards to what the next half will involve as we work towards an exhibition and possible additional events engaging the local community.
