collage Art Project for Kids inspired by Howardena Pindell
I make drawings intentionally to destroy them. That’s not true of my earlier work where I made drawings that stood on their own merit. Now the drawings I do are very abstract and playful: I destroy them and re-assemble them in a three-dimensional way. I use thread also. It’s all about playing.
- Howardena Pindell
We are so happy to welcome Catalina of Redviolet Studio and her amazing boys to the blog. The process and the end result of this art project inspired by the legendary Howardena Pindell are truly museum worthy.
If you aren’t following Catalina on her Instagram account go do that after you read this post! She is an inspiring example of what is possible when you nurture a child’s own innate creativity and curiosity. She shares lots of peeks behind the scenes of the child led making that takes place in her home as well as the mobile process art classes she hosts throughout Miami. I will let Catalina and her boys take it from here..
a small sampling of the process art fun happening at Redviolet Studio
Howardena Pindell’s work blew my mind from the very first moment I saw it. Pindell is an American painter and mixed media artist born in Philadelphia in 1943. She studied painting at Boston University and Yale University and worked for the Museum of Modern Art for 12 years after graduating.
I was especially attracted to the way she explores texture, structures and color in her process. Her art is often political, addressing issues of feminism, violence, racism, slavery and exploitation, employing lengthy, metaphorical processes of destruction/reconstruction to create. She cuts canvases in strips and sews them back together, and she also paints or draws on sheets of paper, punches out dots from the paper using a paper hole punch, drops the dots onto her canvas, and finally squeegees paint through the “stencil” left in the paper from which she had punched the dots, creating amazing depth and texture. Her paintings are mostly installed un-stretched, held to the wall solely by a few finishing nails.
Invitation to create: A MIXED MEDIA circle COLLAGE
inspired by artist howardena Pindell
project contributor: Redviolet Studio
Materials:
Watercolor Paper (we used 11x17 in)
Acrylic Paints (in cool or warm colors)
Paint Chips, recycled paper, painted paper (old artwork) in cool or warm colors
Mod Podge (optional)
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Begin by painting your watercolor paper with the acrylics you chose in cool or warm colors. Think about abstract shapes in different sizes and shades within the same family of colors. This will be your background. When you have finished painting set your work in safe place to dry.
Next you will start hole punching. We used an assortment of papers, paint chips, old paintings etc. It’s nice to have a variety of different sized circle punchers to use. Sort your punched circles them in small plates or bowls by size to make it easier to then add to your artwork.
Use those pieces of punched paper left over to paint over your paper by placing them on top of the paper and then using a brush and paint to cover the holes, leaving the painted shapes on your paper.
Use your glue stick (or any glue) to start adding all of your pre cut circles over the paper. To add the smallest circles you can use liquid glue or Mod Podge; add it to the paper first and then drop them over it to create little “bundles” of circles. Be creative, make layers, spread them all over the paper, there’s no limit. The more the merrier.
You can add more layers of paint by using the same punched paper to keep creating more painted circles over the already glued ones.
once you feel like your mixed media piece is finished it’s time to let it dry. When it’s fully dry find a place in your home to and hang and enjoy your beautiful art work!
Catalina was exposed to the arts at a young age by her mother who is a fine artist. She has been exploring her creativity and painting for as long as she can remember. The idea for Redviolet Studio came after Catalina became a mother herself. When her oldest son Martin was six months old she channeled her love of art into creating stimulating sensory experiences for him. When her second son Manolo was born her passion for child-led creativity grew even more. When her boys reached school age she decided to continue to share her art, play, and craft experiences with families in her community via mobile classes, toddler art play groups and birthday parties. Redviolet studio has been fostering the love of art and community in the Miami area for over 10 years!
Catalina lives in Miami with her two boys - Martin age 9 and Manolo age 7, and her professional artist husband Gonzalo Fuenmayor. Follow Redviolet studio on instagram | facebook | Pinterest
