Tuesday 23 February 2016

"Cutting the Curve" - adult workshop at the Museum of Classical Archaeology

Last Saturday 20th Feb, I had the real pleasure of doing another adult workshop at the Museum of Classical Archaeology. This time it was themed in with my exhibition "Cutting the Curve - Crafting the Classical Body". Its been a very well received exhibition, both by the public and critically and it was great to have an event where adults not used to working with cut paper were able to come and have a go at the art of paper cutting and reverse layered collage. One thing was made very clear

There is a magic to paper cutting and its this.......you have to be completely present in the now.

To use the craft knife and concentrate, you have to really focus and you find you forget about everything else like eating, drinking or even going to the loo. Its very absorbing! As you cut away you get results straight away, so its very addictive too.....and yet very settling and calming.

The sound of the creative hush of people cutting and working.....

Coloured paper being cut and fitted......

Everyone working away.....


I prepped up some traceable templates for people to use. I designed these specifically so that they could be kept as they are or tweaked and customisable. I never know who is going to come to a workshop and what ability they are, so I always do careful planning to ensure that everyone goes home with a great outcome. Adults can feel a bit vulnerable and scared if plonked in front of a plain piece of paper and these tracings just give everyone enough of a hook to grasp and get into that kind of thinking zone.

The template tracings.....

Look what was made! by ages from 14 to mid 70's!


And some lovely feedback too.......







ALERT! Change of blog address and name.....



ALERT!!! 

I will be changing the name of this blog and its address by 29 Feb 2016. You can find the new address by accessing my website: www.vanessastoneartist.com from that date onwards.

The reason for this change is to have a name that covers all the different types of events and workshops I run, these are often not in schools but in adult education centres/ museums and art centres and so the Vanessa Stone in Schools is too narrow! Do keep in touch and keep reading and looking about what I am up to!




Sunday 21 February 2016

Another adult workshop/ cut paper torso's and heads - and the secret of paper cutting.....

 I've had the chance to do another adult workshop! This time again at the Museum of Classical Archaeology . I really love doing these. Beyond the sharing of techniques and enabling people to create something simply and unique...I think its that real sense of getting people to do an activity that's entirely in the now. And that's the thing.....

The secret about paper cutting.......is that you have to be entirely in the moment to do it. Its unplugged from the internet, doesn't use a power source, and using really simple materials and tools. So its a pretty special thing. And that's what is wonderful to be part of. I'm quite a green girl really. I want to encourage people to make and be, rather than just go shopping and consume.

Making something yourself is a powerful thing.

Below are the tracings I prepped up for people to use. I don't like to dictate to people on the courses so I design things like this as a hook to get going as they can be customised and expanded. Sometimes people come to the courses and have done no arty things at all, and prepped up tracings or stencils can really help people to feel at ease and not vulnerable. It can be a scary thing to make art. There isn't any hiding if something looks a bit wobbly and wonky. So I like to have resources ready for people to use that makes them feel at ease and not exposed.

These were the tracings I prepped up for people to use....

cutting and measuring coloured areas.....

The table gallery of what we made!



The quiet hum of creativity and concentration.....