What's in a Gord?

Every Fall, we see colorful, curvy gords piled up in bushels outside the local supermarket.  For many people gords are used to decorate a table or a doorway signifying that Autumn is here.  I watch people rummage through the bushels to find just the right ones.  How does one choose?  

I brought in a selection of gords for students visiting Main Line Art Center from  the Elwyn School to experience.  Participants were asked to choose a gord and describe the colors and shapes they saw, either verbally or in sign language. What does the gord feel like when rolled around in your hand or on the table?   Everyone was asked to sketch and then paint the colors, shapes and textures within their gord by enlarging it (Georgia O'keeffe style).  We talked about creating a background using colors that would make their gord "pop".  Do you want your gord to be grounded? Is it on a platform? What color(s) should be surrounding the gord?

What Is Art?

I worked  with students in two Philadelphia Schools, through the Violette de Mazia Foundation's  Look and See Program.   The discussion focused on the experience of visual art.  We looked at paintings through the artist's use of Light (value), Line, Color and Space to discover the artist's picture idea.

Students used their senses to examine their experience with gourds.  Upon seeing their chosen gourd,  they began to draw and paint the shapes, colors, weight and textures.   Each child relayed  their experience in his/her own way, based on their sense relationship with the object.

Beyond the subject of gourds, students painted  colorful ovals with bumpy lines and circles set against a cool background..