Make it Yourself: Custom Skate Decks

Custom skateboard deck by Anton.

On Sunday, teens embarked on a custom skateboard deck design workshop with our special guest artist, Mark Gutting. Mark, who teaches art in Mesquite ISD, has taught summer camps at the DMA for the last several years and has led some dynamite classes focused on design. This weekend he lent his expertise to our monthly Urban Armor class, where participants had the opportunity to gain inspiration from the exhibition Variations on Theme: Contemporary Art 1950s-Present and design boards using screen printing techniques, markers, and paint.

Mark Gutting demonstrating screen printing techniques using his custom jig.

You can make your own deck at home using the same materials. Blank decks are easy to find and are relatively cheap (we bought ours from the Rec Shop in Dallas; www.recshop.net). Metallic sharpies and paint markers work well, as will acrylic or enamel paint; spray paint would be ideal. To get a nice, clean graphic, use painters tape to mask off the edges off your image before you paint it. Or, cut out a stencil to use–this is a great technique when using spray paint, especially if you want to repeat the same image throughout your design.

Max using a combination of stenciling and painting techniques on his deck.

If you want to get really fancy, try screen printing your deck. You’ll need a screen, screen printing ink, and a squeegee (all available at Michaels and Asel Art Supply, among others). To make things easier, I would use a cut paper stencil design to use with your screen but you can also transfer an image to it using emulsion fluid, etc. For the DIY enthusiast, there are several sites that have instructions for making your own tabletop jig for screen printing skate decks (YouTube is a great resource for that). This set up will not only make screen printing the board’s surface much simpler, but allow you to print multiple decks.

Printing Max’s design using Mark’s handmade jig.

After you finish, let your design dry thoroughly before using it; you’ll also probably want to give it a coat of clear finish if you’re going to be skating on it. If you don’t want to ding up your masterpiece, you could turn it into a wall art display by mounting it in your room or even add some functionality by making it into a cool shelf!

Urban Armor is a monthly program for teens. Go to http://dallasmuseumofart.org/Events/Adults/index.htm for more information.

Posted by: JC

Friday Photo

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This week’s Friday photo showcases the beautiful and functional art made during DMA’s [we]ekends Studio Creations.  These artists used a little aluminum foil and a lot of imagination to create this beautiful crown and heroic shield (which he promised to only use when fighting dragons!)

Letters from Camp: An Insider’s Perspective

Each year, the Family Experiences staff has the privilege of working with a wonderful and extremely talented group of summer camp interns. These dynamic individuals truly make up the heart and soul of our camps and are responsible not only for the day-to-day operation of the program but for also helping to make the connection between our campers and works of art something that is both enjoyable and transformative. We could not run our camps without them! This is the fourth in a four-part series written by our summer camp interns and reflecting on their experiences at the Museum.–JC

What the Kids Taught Me

Throughout the summer, we have been teaching young artist from ages 4-12 about art. Portraiture, landscape, abstract art, print making, and color, were just a few of the topics that we explored. While the teachers and interns were busy teaching the children the basics of art, the kids in fact were teaching us about creativity and life. Here are a few things that I have learned from the students:

1)      It’s okay to color outside the lines sometimes.

One of the first rules that children learn when they do art is to color inside the lines. While this may work to be more appeasing for the adult’s trained eye, it also stifles the child’s ability to think in their own unique way. The training to follow the instructions the lines with the rest of the class, changes the child’s creativity from free flowing to uniform. This standardization is then realized in adulthood when adults are then told that they need to “think outside the box” or in more artistic terms, color outside the lines. We should skip the middle phase and allow the creativity to flow no matter what stage of life we may be in. I have seen that the kids have it right from the start – be fearless in creativity and do not always conform to the lines determined for you.

2)      Don’t let ability limit creativity

As most can see, four- year olds do not have the greatest finesse with their art. However, it has never stopped them from creating! After a certain age, people are discouraged from doing things that they are not particularly skilled in which tends to put a lid on some children’s inventiveness and curiosity. What I have seen from the young children is that even when they can’t draw a perfect shape or choose the most realistic colors for their self – portrait, there is still a beauty in the individuality that cannot be replicated. I have learned to appreciate that unique beauty in their art as well as mine and, even further, in life.

3)      Look at things from a new angle

One project that a 9-12 year old class did was to create still life paintings from the objects that were set on their table. When the project was announced, the students immediately got to work knowing automatically how they would create their masterpiece – except for one student. This one student, Antonio, looked at his still life alligator piece from several angles then asked the teacher, “Can I do my still life from a bird’s eye view?” This was a strange and exciting because I had never thought of doing a still life painting from another angle other than straight on.  But when I saw his painting, I found it to be brilliant, unique, and added a new perspective to the alligator piece that I had never really considered. Since then I have begun to look at pieces from different views, noticing the small wonders from weird angles that would normally be ignored. Antonio taught me to never see things strictly as they are and to use different ideas and points of view to make art and life more fascinating.

4)      Abstract art is from the heart

The very first week of camp, I worked with a group of 4 and 5 year olds. While discussing what the class would say for their exhibition on Friday, one child raised their hand and said “Abstract art is from the heart.” This phrase has been my source of inspiration, motivation, and understanding this summer. Art is a blank slate for any concept, feeling, sensation, memory to become realized. With the stresses of everyday life, I forget that I always have art to turn to for relief and rejuvenation. Another reason why I love this phrase so much is because when I don’t understand a piece of contemporary art, I think about this phrase and imagine the emotions that the artist went through while creating the work and I gain a better appreciation for the piece and the artist. This awesome saying has truly transformed the way that I interact with art by giving me more revere and love for free flowing creativity.

In conclusion, these wonderful young artists have taught me that creativity should never stop in the classroom. Art and imagination go hand in hand and are in every aspect of life. I should never stop creating, never stop wondering, and never stop coloring.

Posted by: Lily Ngaruiya

Letters from Camp: An Insider’s Perspective

Each year, the Family Experiences staff has the privilege of working with a wonderful and extremely talented group of summer camp interns. These dynamic individuals truly make up the heart and soul of our camps and are responsible not only for the day-to-day operation of the program but for also helping to make the connection between our campers and works of art something that is both enjoyable and transformative. We could not run our camps without them! This is the third in a four-part series written by our summer camp interns and reflecting on their experiences at the Museum.–JC

For the past couple of summers I have caught myself relaxing by the pool, hanging out with family and friends and constantly practicing for the up and coming marching season with the band. I never thought I would find myself spending countless hours with wild kids all summer and I never thought I would enjoy the company of them as much as I have.

The summer camp kids astound me. It’s amazing how many different personalities walk through our doors. From kids who think they are ninjas, constantly striking new warrior poses; to kids who have their whole life planned out, becoming the mayor of a huge city; they all have one thing in common–they are all creative. Sometimes we find creativity in unexpected places. When parents sign their children up for art camp they expect to see creativity in all the artwork created throughout the week and they sure do find it! If only the parents could see all the creativity that happens during the week that does not end up on paper.

Take our ninja for example. He wasn’t always the most focused child when we were in the galleries, but once you asked how a ninja could relate to the piece of artwork we were viewing he was quick to come up with a wonderfully creative story and it was hard to stop him! I will never forget in ABCs of Art when we took a special field trip to the Crow Museum to learn some yoga. When we began the exercises our special ninja was not really in the mindset to participate in yoga until he heard of a special pose called warrior. He quickly jumped in and explained to me that all warriors exercised like that to defeat the evil wicked villains. In this case our ninja’s creativity was not always found in his art work but instead in his action stories he created in his wild imagination.

Thomas Sully, “Cinderella at the Kitchen Fire”, 1843

Most of the creativity in the camps comes from inspiration during our gallery walks. Our story teller took our Think Like a Pro camp to view the Cinderella painting by Thomas Sully and asked the kids why they thought Cinderella had a slight smirk on her face. Without hesitation the students threw out answers: her cat made her happy, the prince finally told her he loved her, and she was happy because she tricked her wicked step mother. After the kids individually had a story that went along with the painting they looked around the room and found ways to incorporate the other works of art into the story of Cinderella. Their imaginations bloomed later the next day when they each got to make up a completely new story with the help of a painting they choose themselves.

Personally, my favorite creations from the students are the most random ones. A mustache outbreak was formed in one of the classes and eventually everyone was wearing a cutout mustache and had an alter ego. Although we don’t tell the parents all the other wild things their children come up with during the week I am glad I got to experience all the imaginative creations with the kids. This summer has been the most enjoyable experience and I could not ask for anything other than that.

Posted by: Toni Madrid

Friday Photo

Summer Art Camps: A happy camper proudly displays her Jackson Pollock-inspired action painting.

Posted by: Karen Parrish

Letters from Camp: An Insiders Perspective

Each year, the Family Experiences staff has the privilege of working with a wonderful and extremely talented group of summer camp interns. These dynamic individuals truly make up the heart and soul of our camps and are responsible not only for the day-to-day operation of the program but for also helping to make the connection between our campers and works of art something that is both enjoyable and transformative. We could not run our camps without them! This is the second in a four-part series written by our summer camp interns and reflecting on their experiences at the Museum.–JC

Over the course of a week, the students in our summer camps amass an impressive collection of their own works of art. At the end of every camp, all the children put together an exhibition to show off their masterpieces to their families.

There’s another subset of work that these children produce that typically goes unseen. They are doodles, happy accidents, free drawing exercises and many other pieces of art that are hard to classify. It’s peripheral art and it’s worth examining a bit closer.

I’ve been fortunate enough to collect some of these oddities from students over the course of the summer and, in my humble opinion, they aesthetically rival some of the more structured projects from camp. They utilize unique mediums like painted paper towels or hole-punched sheets of foil. One of the most quirky and refreshing examples came from an eight year-old named Kate, who gave me a blank book of colored tissue paper called The Book of Nothing; it’s a beautiful minimalist piece that would fit in perfectly with the DMA’s current Variations on Theme exhibition.

Juliette, aged 8, used watercolor paint on paper towels to make this untitled piece.

Ella, aged 8, used the same medium as Juliette. They both called these “abstract paper towels”.

Juliette, once again, utilized a paper towel, but used oil pastels instead of watercolor paint on this one.

Ella, using markers on paper, modeled her leaf after the leaf-like shapes in Henri Matisse’s cutout paper collages.

In a way, though, this art is not peripheral, but rather a fitting product of a child’s imagination and creativity. Teachers and parents rightfully celebrate the excellent works of art that children put forth. We should turn our attention to some of these marginal creations. This kind of output shows us that children have a constant desire to create that should be nurtured. I think it’s a good sign that children have such a voracious appetite for creativity that extends past the standard expectations of a project.

As the summer winds down and the school year starts up again, it’s important for a child to find time to exert their creative energy into miscellaneous works of art. Most of the time, all that involves is giving children the time and supplies to start creating. Encourage them to explore imaginatively without fear of looking silly or wasting their time. So let’s be aware of what is happening in our peripheral vision. You never know what kind of little treasure you’ll find.

Posted by: Andrew Palamara

Letters From Camp: An Insider’s Perspective

Professional storyteller and educator Ann Marie Newman directs a gallery experience for summer art camp students.

Each year, the Family Experiences staff has the privilege of working with a wonderful and extremely talented group of summer camp interns. These dynamic individuals truly make up the heart and soul of our camps and are responsible not only for the day-to-day operation of the program but for also helping to make the connection between our campers and works of art something that is both enjoyable and transformative. We could not run our camps without them! This is the first in a four-part series written by our summer camp interns and reflecting on their experiences at the Museum.–JC

During my first week of camp, I worked with the 4-5 year olds in a camp called Art Lab. It was a camp in which science and art were used side by side to show how they related to each other. This is a pretty big idea for 4-5 year old to understand; however, I should never have underestimated their young minds.

There was one student in the class who was continually causing distractions or refusing to follow the rules. He loved ninjas and was very energetic and imaginative. He would continually talk while the teacher was talking or interrupt her to ask questions. He would run around and play fight with the other boys in the class, distracting them from their own work. He could never stay still in the galleries, and wanted to touch every single piece of art.

Eventually he needed to hold someone’s hand every time we went to the galleries, so I and the other intern would switch off holding his hand. He was such a ball of energy that by the time we would get back from the gallery our arms would be sore from all the spinning kicks and lunging punches he had been doing. He was always full of questions about what we were doing and why we had to be so quiet and still, and why he couldn’t pick the art that he wanted to see instead of looking at the art that the teacher wanted him to.

“Vishnu as Varaha”, 10th century, India: Madhya Pradesh, Dallas Museum of Art, gift of David T. Owsley via the Alvin and Lucy Owsley Foundation and the Alconda-Owsley Foundation, E.E. Fogelson and Greer Garson Fogelson Fund, General Acquisitions Fund, Wendover Fund and gift of Alta Brenner in memory of her daughter Andrea Bernice Brenner-McMullen

One gallery visit we went up to see a statue of the god Vishnu. He enjoyed ninjas, warriors, and super heroes and was enthralled when listening to the teacher explaining the story of Vishnu saving his lover, Bhu Devi from the depths of the sea. He could picture himself as Vishnu, the brave and noble hero. This related directly to what made him tick, and it sparked his imagination. He asked questions about the symbols that Vishnu held (the chakra, the mace, and the conch shell) wondering about their purposes and how they could be used to give Vishnu “super powers”.

When we got back to the classroom the children were asked to create a sculpture using different wooden shapes and there was no requirement that their sculpture relate to the gallery visit. He was ready. He grabbed an assortment of shapes and went to work. He seemed more focused than in the other projects, talking to his classmates less, and hadn’t gotten up once to practice his ninja moves on the other boys in the class. I asked him what he was making and he explained to me that he was building Vishnu.

I was surprised and a bit confused because to me his sculpture looked nothing like the statue we had seen in the galleries. He began to point out where the chakra was, his mace, his 4 arms, the conch shell he had even found a wooden piece to represent Bhu Devi! I was amazed. He had made his own interpretation of the statue with the limited materials he had been given. All the major parts had been incorporated, and he had put a lot of thought into choosing which wooden pieces would work the best. I was in awe, all week this child had been a handful, distracting the rest of the class and refusing to follow rules or listen to instructions. All he had needed was something that engaged him and sparked his imagination.

I want to see this kind of engagement and focus in all the students. He was one of the only students to relate the gallery experience directly to what he was creating in the classroom. How can educators engage their students directly as individuals, so that they are learning and retaining the information that they are given? And how can they work with the students individually when there is a large group of students that they are teaching? How can educators learn to pinpoint a student’s interest and help them grow and expand in that direction? How can student’s behavior be controlled, not through discipline or punishment, but by creating an environment in which they are so engaged that there are no opportunities for them to act out I haven’t uncovered the answers to my questions yet, but I am interested in reflecting more on these ideas as I continue to intern at the DMA this summer.

Posted by: Karen Parrish

Friday Photo: BooksmART Studio Workshops

Illustrator Chris Raschka pauses to admire the work of a young artist.

We had so much fun during the BooksmART Studio Workshops featuring several award-winning illustrators!

 

Thanks Chris!

 

Posted by: Mary

What’s New in the Studio: June

Ettore Sottsass Jr., “Carlton” room divider, designed 1981, Dallas Museum of Art, anonymous gift

How would it feel to be a work of art? For this month’s Studio Creations project, we’re asking you to imagine just that. Grab some drawing supplies from the Art Studio in the Center for Creative Connections and then take a trip to the American Painting and Sculpture galleries on Level 4. Make a quick drawing of an object that catches your eye and share it with the rest of your family. As you look at each others’ drawings, create short stories about yourselves as the works of art you selected. Then return to the Art Studio to create your own storybooks from what you’ve written!

Try this activity out at home with your kids by creating “Furniture Diaries”. Have them choose their favorite piece of furniture in your home to draw. What do they like about that piece? Create a story about its “life” using the following questions to get started:

• Imagine this piece of furniture came to life. What would its personality be like? What would its voice sound like? How would it move?
• Who was it built by? Where did it live before it came to stay with us? Did it have any other owners?
• What’s a typical day for this piece of furniture? What does it and the other furniture in the house do while we’re away?
• If this piece of furniture wasn’t owned by us, where would it be?

Create a simple accordion book from a long sheet of drawing paper for your kids to write and illustrate their stories. Decorate the front and back covers and display their collected books for all to see!

Studio Creations is a drop-in  art-making activity for families offered on Saturdays and Sundays from 1:00-3:30 p.m. with some exceptions. Join us for a different activity each month that is based on a work in the Museum’s collection or special exhibition. Volunteers are on hand to help you and your family stretch your imaginations! Studio Creations is free with paid admission to the Museum and all supplies are provided; no registration is necessary.

Posted by: JC

Friday Photo: Ready for our close-up!

We were jazzed about the Roaring Twenties in our Meaningful Moments program this week! We had so much fun looking at the works of art in the Youth and Beauty: Art of the American Twenties exhibit and creating our own personalized advertisements in the art studio.

Posted by: Mary