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I have found Reggio educators embrace art as part of ‘being’.  They commit to artistic ways as the heart of learning.  Their work continues to remind us that learning has an aesthetic dimension and that beauty matters. This comes from the study encounters with materials and the Reggio Emilia project according to Pacini-Ketchabaw, Kind, & Kocher, (2016)

Inquiring into materiality is looking at the history of a material, the intention of the material and our expectations of the material. Then moving forward into the exploration of looking at each material, the various ways to use each material, looking at the life cycle of the material, and questioning the origin of the material alongside the function of the material and its abilities. How can each material live alongside other objects, alongside children and alongside movement in the classroom stated by Pacini -Ketchabaw, Kind& Kocher (2016).

This poses many ideas on extension, thoughts, discoveries, experimentation, and exploration of each material.

By Allowing children to explore the materials organically without expectations we are giving them the ability to extend their skills and experimentation creatively (MSU2021)

Time to extend on and explore.

Paper in the classroom can be used as a canvas for various other disciplines of art, yet it can be explored as part of art experimentation itself.  Paper is often used for displaying children's work written documentation describing the children's work may be in addition to the artwork and may be typed on paper.  Display boards to mount children's work made from paper Neutral, black and or white may be used to allow the artwork to stand out Pelo (2016).

After experimenting with paper, I will extend the use of it within my time with children by exploring various recycled papers, giving children the choice to create different types of art with these papers, options for children to explore different textures and techniques rather than plain paper and pencils to mark the paper.  This will allow them to discover that sharp markers might tear the delicate tissue paper, and this is ok as it creates a feeling of movement and extension into perhaps unknown possibilities.

Exploring endless possibilities with paint and its ability to be applied to many surfaces and structures I begin to wonder and question how to nurture the values in the assemblage I discovered when reading in the encounters with materials in early childhood education.  Providing an environment for the children to accept that the boundaries are blurred, and all materials reach harmony together.  The flow and extension of the material are endless as it moves in unison with all. Pacini -Ketchabaw, Kind& Kocher (2016).

Question – how is this possible to set up this scenario of freedom with paint within my classroom? how will this be available within my centre?

Discovering the teacher's role during arts exploration, where teachers set up goals for children's work within the studio can also guide teachers and their roles during this time.  We want the children to explore and reflect on this exploration with the material and deeply become aware of where they can go with this.

This will start with conversations with the children subtly and quietly making encouraging suggestions to extend their experience, rather than dominating with instructions.

Also, encourage children to explore the concept of revisiting their work later down their work for extension with a different viewpoint of perspective. Pelo (2016).

Introducing children to materials in a less structured set-up will encourage them to explore them on their terms with agency and values from their ideas and concepts. Build their confidence to gain satisfaction through creative discovery.

References

American Forest and paper association n.d. Paper, viewed 11 April 2023. <https://www.afandpa.org/paper-wood-products/paper#:~:text=Benefits%20of%20Using%20Paper,and%20secure%20forms%20of%20documentation>.

Britannica 2023, clay geology, viewed 11 April 2023,<https://www.britannica.com/science/clay-geology>.

Brown, A n.d. Abigail Brown, viewed 10th April 2023.

<https://www.abigail-brown.co.uk/gallery>.

Dardik, H n.d., Helen Dardik, viewed 12 April 2023,

https://www.helendardik.com

Elbrecht ,C 2020 Trauma Healing at the Clay Field: A Conversation with CorneliaElbrecht.viewed 11 April 2023.<https://www.sensorimotorarttherapy.com/blog/2020/4/1/trauma-healing-at-the-clay-field-a-conversation-with-cornelia-elbrecht>.

Elliot Bevlin, M 1970, Design through discovery, Holt, Rinehart and Winston, Inc, The United States of America.

Japingka Aboriginal Art 2017, Australian Aboriginal Ochre Painting, viewed 10 April 2023,

<https://japingkaaboriginalart.com/articles/australian-aboriginal-ochre-painting/>.

Michigan State University 2015, The art of creating: Why art is important for early childhood development., viewed 11 April 2023.<https://www.canr.msu.edu/news/the_art_of_creating_why_art_is_important_for_early_childhood_development>.

Moma, n.d. Henri Matisse, The cutouts, viewed 12 April 2023.

<https://www.moma.org/interactives/exhibitions/2014/matisse/the-cut-outs.html>.

Mona 2022, Mona, viewed 17 April 2023, Australian Aboriginal <https://mona.net.au>.

Pacini-Ketchabaw, V, Kind, S & Kocher, LLM 2016, Encounters with materials in
early childhood education, Routledge.

Pelo, A 2016, The language of art: Inquiry-based studio practices in early
childhood settings, Redleaf Press.

Rowe, B n.d., Bruce Rowe, viewed 12 April 2023, <https://www.brucerowestudio.com/about>.

Royal Botanical Gardens Victoria 2022, Lightscape, viewed 11 April 2023,

<https://www.rbg.vic.gov.au/melbourne-gardens/what-s-on-melbourne/lightscape/>.

Turrell, J n.d., James Turrell, viewed 2 April 2023, <https://jamesturrell.com/work/type/>.

Yamashita, K n.d., Kumi Yamashita, viewed 10 April 2023, <http://kumiyamashita.com/light-shadow>.

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My understanding of light is what I see through my eyes.  A balance of how I visualise life.  The sun, the artificial construct of light that we have developed as humans and the way the earth revolves around the sun.

Light is a beam that shines and reflects on other objects and our environment and creates a mood or a set for the visual sense.

I explore my photographs and see where light affects my ideas and my urge to capture the moment, I have a fire lit up to create warmth and movement, shadows exploring fun and wonder.  Artificial coloured lights beaming on nature to create a different art form in park setting or on an individual tree. (Melbourne botanical gardens 2022) I explore James Turrell as seen in my photos from a visit to Mona in Hobart.  The sharp light is used to outline a tunnel or walkway to an unexpected place. (Mona 2022)

A quote by artist James Turrell

“My work is more about your seeing than it is about my seeing, although it is a product of my seeing. I’m also interested in the sense of the presence of space; that is space where you feel a presence, almost an entity — that physical feeling and power that space can give.” (Turrell n.d).

I extend my exploration through shadow work and projection.  Kumi Yamashita Japanese shadow artist explores light and shadow in her sculpture pieces.  She uses human shadows with various objects to project movement and piece. (Yamashita n.d)

http://kumiyamashita.com/light-shadow

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“Clay materials are plastic when wet, and coherent when dry. “

Clay comes from the earth and its properties allow it to be used for many things, it's used in building, construction, farming, pottery and art.(Britannica n.d)

Press, pinch, poke, slice, throw, sculpt, shrinks, moves, dries (Pacini -Ketchabaw, Kind& Kocher 2016).

Clay is soil, there are many variants in clays and their properties, their histories and where they have come from.  Discover how clay acts differently in different ecologies and how we notice this, question this and feel these components.

I place the clay on the paper, I let it squish between my fingers.  It is elastic and I can manipulate the material into many shapes and forms, I smear it and feel the smooth freedom in this movement. I add water and it slips with ease into a more fluid form.  I enjoy there is no intention here as I explore the sensation created with this texture and I allow my mind to explore the extension. It feels therapeutic and it gives me comfort and balance.

I research clay as an art experience/therapy as I feel the soothing element of this material through my experimentation.

Clay as an art experience /therapy

Where art therapists provide clay for people to explore emotionally through their senses and interpretation (Elbrecht 2020).

I further extend my research and find artist Bruce Rowe's work to invite me to explore as it holds an architectural structure.  Quite the contrast to squelching clay between my fingers to the resemblance of order and intent through engineering and precise technique.(Rowe n.d)

Clay can be reused and bought back to life with water and manipulation, it can be dried and then revisited.  However, it can also be put through a process of building, drying, firing in a hot kiln, and then completed into a result.  A piece of art, a functional object and or both.  This then becomes a process for an artist to go through developmental stages to gain an end achievement.  In the classroom this allows us to invite children to revisit their work in the studio to allow the children to visit their work over time and see their work with different lenses, and perspectives and they can explore possibilities further for this work (Pelo 2016).

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Understanding materials – “In painting, the medium is determined by the binder, the vehicle that holds particles of pigment in suspension and makes it possible to spread pigment as paint into a support ground.” Quoted from (Elliot Bevlin 1970)

Paint is the medium that can be created into the desired texture of the artist through thickening and thinning. There are many varieties of paint mediums, and their applications vary.  Thicker paints such as oil paints can be applied with a knife and more liquid paints require a fine brush according to (Elliot Bevlin 1970)

Slip, splatter, mix, blend

Pacini -Ketchabaw, Kind& Kocher (2016).

Exploring paint on its own, I   feel the liquid texture drip on my skin, I smear it across my hands and develop smudges of colour, I add another colour and see the contrast and I visualise the feeling the colours display.  I then blend them causing a more earthy colour to develop.  My Extended thoughts refer to nature and how paint may come from mud, and rock powder.

I research rock painting and ochre.  Australian indigenous art uses ochre as one of its main principles, it’s the use of naturally sourced materials such as minerals, soils and often charcoal to create maps and Dreamtime stories. These art forms and stories told through painting are a language form used by the oldest continuous culture on the planet (Japkindka Art 2017).

I want to navigate the use of other paint types such as watercolour and gouache and I mix these mediums to create patterns and vibrant colours.  I gain inspiration from art around my home and explore artist Helen Dardik. Helen's art is playful and creates a fun and explorative experience, It displays the use of imagination and creative pathways through characters, vibrant colours and shapes.  Something children might gain inspiration from to explore their own ideas, extension, and expression using paint mediums. (Dardik n.d)

Realising the viscosity of paint and how it can spread, and dry, grants us to explore many layers and combinations of types of paint and to feel the movement in the strokes of the liquid to explore freedom and emotion through applying action to its use.  This extends us to allow the paint to invite humans in the classroom to collaborate with the paint and all the non-human bodies to become an assemblage, to melt away any boundaries and explore the encounter with this material. (Pacini -Ketchabaw, Kind& Kocher 2016).

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“Paper is made from a renewable resource — trees that are replanted and managed to ensure a sustainable supply for generations. Paper is also made from recycled paper products, which can be recycled and reused multiple times, reducing waste in landfills.” (afp and a n.d)

Paper

Float, scrunch, rip, roll, fold, fly, wave, scatter, crinkle, read, twist, according to Pacini -Ketchabaw, Kind& Kocher (2016).

Exploring and experimenting with paper on its own, allowing myself to connect to its properties and abilities by giving myself time to understand its structure and possibilities.

I have various types of paper to explore from my recycle bin.  I throw them up I watch them fly, and I record the shapes and speed created.  I scrunch and roll the paper and action the same investigation. The paper seems heavier when folded. It becomes strengthened and heavy and moves a lot faster when I throw it up.  I tear the paper into smaller pieces and create a pile.  I roll small strips for the torn paper.  I scrunch the paper into round and tight shapes that can roll like a ball.

I now research paper with the addition of other materials, I add scissors and I cut the paper into various shapes, I use markers on the paper to explore the different structures, I add water to make the paper dissolve into mush and I add glue to create a strong adhesive to construct the paper into a different dimension.

From this exploration, I discover my attention is directed to tearing and ripping paper and I research and discover paper-cutting art by Henri Matisse.

Matisse would use gouache paint on white paper and cut shapes out with scissors to create patterns and pictures resembling plants, animals, figures, and shapes.  He would pin small pieces to paper to create smaller artworks and have his studio assistant would hammer to the wall for larger wall pieces in his studio in Paris. (Moma n.d)

I also am extremely interested in the addition of water and adhesive and it extends my research into paper mache and paper sculpture. I discover Abigail Brown from the Uk and I am intrigued by her sculptures and her philosophy of using recycled materials and  I explore these methods further Brown n.d).

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https://youtu.be/JDzXvqdsgAM

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https://youtu.be/Reg8tNXzgjA

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https://youtu.be/ixvABEFLTYA

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https://youtu.be/jPCc5rxw0-g