Here are some questions to think about when adding our
narrative comment:
1) What do you remember about what was saved, who saved it
and why it was important to save?
2) What age were you when you made it?
3) What does it mean to you now that someone saved it and
why is that special to you?
Please post a comment..
JAMES D - 4TH GRADE DRAWING
ReplyDeleteI was just looking through some of my elementary school artwork over the summer. I found a drawing that we did in 4th grade which is now back on my mom's fridge. The drawing is of someone on fire "stop drop and roll"ing. I remember talking about fire safety with the fire department and we had to make a drawing. Some of my classmates drew the firemen and a firetruck, or matches and how they are not safe to play with. The drawing is pretty nice, you can tell what everything is about easily, and I was proud of it. In a way I kind of still am
There were many things that my parents saved over the years but there are two things that come to mind. A book I made when I was maybe 7 or 8 years old that my mother saved, and a painting that I made when I was around 12 or 13 that my dad saved. The book I made was a story I wrote and illustrated about a brother and sister who did not get along but came together to escape a monster one night. My mother kept it and put it in my photo album, and I actually looked at it recently when she was in town. I looked through it with her and just laughed because it was so silly and child-like. It brought me back to being a little kid. I was so surprised she kept it for this many years and it stayed in tact. It let me know how proud she was of me, and how proud she still is of me. Sometime as adults we forget how much our parents love us and when you remember how much they do it makes you feel special, and it also lets us know that we will always be there babies.
ReplyDeleteThe other piece was a painting I made at an art school one summer for my dad. It was honestly a terrible painting because I was never good at art but my dad put it in his office and never took it down. He showed such pride hanging that in his office. When I would go to his office I would get a little embarrassed because I really hated that paining but my dad was so proud of it that it made me fell okay with other people seeing it. He was very hard on me as a child; very strict, always wanted me to be the best just like any parent, so by him keeping this it let me see a side of him that I did not get to see much growing up. It showed me that he was sentimental and caring. Now that I am an adult I know how emotional and sensitive my dad is, but when I was a child growing up he was always so hard and rough around the edges. As a child, seeing him keep this painting made me feel reassured that my dad had a heart. Through-out the years we have grown closer and closer, and I think some of the reason why is because he let his guard down and shared that soft side with me.
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ReplyDeleteSo many pieces of artwork come to mind when thinking about these questions. I'd like to share three that kind of "span" my life. The first is a scarf that I knit in third grade. I was in the knitting club at my elementary school and it was the first thing I had ever created as a result of it. There were certainly some missed stitches and areas where the scarf was uneven, but I remember being so proud of what I had made (and that I had finished it) so I gave it to my mom as a gift. She wore it proudly even though I'm sure she didn't think it was very fashion-forward. The fact that she still has it saved makes me a little embarrassed (because it certainly isn't a good scarf by any means) but also nostalgic and happy that after all this time, it still means a lot to her.
ReplyDeleteThe second piece of art would be a collage I made for my grandpa for his birthday when I was in high school. I was taking a class that involved the use of different computer programs and I wanted to practice my new craft by making a collage of pictures for him. I enhanced all of the pictures, changed the background color, placed them all strategically, and even added some writing on it with a cool font. I worked incredibly hard on it, trying to make it look as professional as possible, and he still has it hanging up in his house to this day. Whenever I go over for a holiday, birthday, or just for dinner, I see it hanging right by the staircase and it makes me so happy to see it there. The pictures also make me feel reminiscent considering we've all aged a lot since then.
The final piece of art that I created that was saved is a ceramic vase that I made just last year in a ceramics class that I took while an undergrad. It was the first piece I had created using the "wheel" and I expected it to turn out a whole lot worse than it did; it actually came out quite nice. It was even all around (for the most part) and I coated it in fun ceramic paint colors. The other pieces that I had created for that class, I really wasn't a fan of and so when the class was over, I threw them away. But this vase, I gave to my mom and she uses it as the centerpiece for our dining room table even now. Seeing it there everyday really makes me feel proud that I made something so cool, especially because I don't consider myself much of an artist. I really think it came out well and so when other people come over and ask about it, I proudly say that I made it with my own two hands.
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ReplyDeleteGabby Smitelli:
ReplyDeleteOne piece of artwork that I saved was a picture that I made in 8th grade. I made this picture to enter into a contest run by the water department in my town to raise awareness about water conservation. We had to make a picture and write a slogan. I remember not wanting to enter into the contest because I didn't think I was very good at art. However, 8th grade was around the time that I was becoming passionate about environmental issues and thought I might as well give the contest a shot because it was going to raise awareness about water conservation. Since I felt that personal connection and purpose for the artwork, I worked really hard on it, and ended up winning the contest, which I never thought would happen. It felt very proud of my work. Its very special to me because I put a lot of effort into it and it raised awareness about something that I am very passionate about. It was awesome to see how a piece of my own artwork could make an impact.
Dongli Yang:
ReplyDeleteThe Corn: https://goo.gl/photos/nx1gXSLGa4osez9Z8
The most meaningful art work so far in my life is my very first piece of oil painting--“The Corn”. It was an assignment of my oil painting class in my third grade in the college. There are three main reasons about why “The Corn” is very important to me. Firstly, “The Corn” is my very first piece of oil painting work, which is a milestone of my oil painting career. I devoted all myself into this painting, though it was just an easy still life drawing. I am very fulfilling with my work till today, however there are my defaults. I believe it was a sign for me to start my art pursuit in oil painting. Secondly, this corn means a harvest of my endeavor. I really love the golden and yellow color of my painting, because it gives me a sense of warm when I look at it. The warm is not only form the sense of feeling, but also from the memory of my mind. The painting process had been last for three months. With all my mind in this painting, I was really enjoying my time in the art studio. I could not consider about anything but paint my work well. Even I was taking a shower, having diner or walking in the campus, all my mind was this painting. I really cherish my memory of that period of time. Last but not least, this painting always reminds me to paint a better work next time. I can now no doubt paint a much better oil painting than “The Corn”, however, I am still loving it. As the professor of my oil painting class said, “You can always learn something when looking at your very first painting.” I couldn’t agree with this word more, because I really can learn a lot from this painting every time I look at it. The combination of colors, the movement of my brushes on canvas and the adjustments that I made. Every time I start to paint a new work, I have to look at “The Corn”.
Katie Madden:
ReplyDeleteOnce I read this assignment, I decided to go to the basement of my house because that is where my family stores many miscellaneous items that we have acquired over the years. I was extremely surprised when I noticed all the art work that was there. Looking through the items and paintings brought back wonderful memories of my childhood. The first piece of art that I notice was a clay model that had the outline of my hand imprinted on it stating, “Katie 1998.” I actually remembering making this piece of art which was clearly a memorable experience because I was only 5 years old when I made it. This was the first “real” piece of art I ever made and I remember enjoying making this because it was a piece of art that involved something different than a piece of paper and crayons. I was in kindergarten and my entire class made it for our mom’s for Mother’s Day. This was clearly a very sentimental gift for my mother since she kept it all these years later. Comparing my hand to the size it was when I was five years old was a very cool experience. I know I would love to have something like this if I have children someday.
The second piece of art I found was a basket I made out of popsicle sticks. I had forgotten that I made this when I was in second grade at an “Arts and Craft Summer Program.” I remember how difficult this was to make because the popsicles had to be perfectly aligned. I noticed that my popsicle sticks were not perfectly aligned and they veered off a bit, making it uneven. I remember that I was frustrated that my basket did not look “perfect” but it was clearly good enough because my mom kept it all these years later and now stores cards in it. I think it is great when art can be functional as well.
The last piece of art that I found was a poster that I painted when I was in fifth grade. We had to draw a self-portrait and transform it into someone else. I hated doing self-portraits because I found those so difficult to do! I drew myself and transformed it into the Statue of Liberty. We worked on this project for a few months and I became very invested in making it look great. I chose the Statue of Liberty because my birthday is on July 4th and it being the post 9/11 days, we were all very patriotic and proud of our country. I am not sure why my mom kept this particular artwork but I am grateful she did.
Lauren Jacobson:
ReplyDeleteThis assignment has made me think back to several different pieces and forms of artwork that I have created throughout my years. I will share three that span from different parts of my life in terms of my artistic development.
The first is a piece of artwork I made during elementary school when I was in the fifth grade. It was the last project of the year, so I knew that I wanted to make something special that my family could treasure even after I left elementary school. We used plaster to make a decorative square tile and solidified it in the kiln. As mentioned in class, my family and I vacation in the gorgeous state of Maine every summer since even before I was born. The beach is my happy place, the ocean is so peaceful and lighthouses are a beautiful landmark for so many reasons. I tried to emulate this on my tile by drawing a beach house next to a light house, with a large sun and the waves of the ocean. I remember staying in the art room even during lunch to make sure that I carved out my sketch as best as possible, making my drawings pop out to give it a 3D effect. I painted over my drawings with different earth tones and left the rest the light brown of the plaster because it represented the sand of the beach. My family loved my tile so much as it has been on display in our bay window in the front of my house ever since I brought it home. It has become part of our home decor, which makes me so happy to know how much my family values this piece of artwork. This is definitely the piece of artwork I am most proud of.
The second is a piece of artwork I made during my middle school years when I was in the eighth grade. We had to make colored caricatures of ourselves doing something that we are passionate about. We were only allowed to use colored pencil to draw the background and our bodies and leave space for where our heads would be. We used paint to draw our faces on a translucent plastic sheet, which was stapled to our papers in place of where we left space for our heads. This piece required great attention to detail and personal reflection on our facial features. I feel that using the medium of paint for our faces only really brought out our faces not only because they are largely drawn for caricatures, but that it emphasized our unique qualities that makes up our appearance. I drew my background as the middle school auditorium and that I was standing on the stage playing a solo on my violin. Thinking back, this was the first year that my braces were taken off, so I remember being excited to draw normal teeth without braces on them for this piece of art! My family also still has this piece of artwork on display as well on our basement wall. I see it every time I am in the basement and it reminds me of the tedious work it toke to create this special piece, which is another one of my personal favorites.
The third is a collection of music I recorded during my high school years when I was in my senior year. At the end of every year, the choral director of our chamber choir hired a recording company to come to school and set up our choir room as a recording studio. We would record every song we sang and performed that year to create an audio yearbook of our year's work as something to take home and listen back to and remember all of the fond memories we shared together through singing. The chamber choir recording that I hold the closest to me is from senior year for obvious reasons. I was so proud of myself during my solo because I hit all of the high notes, even as I was crying because I was so emotional that this was our last memory together as a choir family. I still listen to our recording often and am still just as close to my choir director as my brother is now in the chamber choir. Music is my greatest passion in life, and is without a doubt a form of art. This example is of a different format, but is just as much a piece of artwork as my previous two examples.
From Qianyu Yi
ReplyDeleteWhen I was around 8 years old, my parents found that I was really into drawing. My parents are both middle school teachers. After they found out about my talent, they asked their colleague who was teaching art to train me. Their decision has created a positive effect on me.
I made my most important artwork in Dashanzi Art Center when my parents send me there. My parents aren’t especially into art, and it is hard to find that many parents in a small city going to a place like Dashanzi Art of Beijiing. Though I do remember visiting Dashanzi Art on a middle school trip. Honestly, I can’t recall what all I saw. One teacher of my school, Miss Yuan, encouraged us to do artwork. They called it “imagination circles”. The patterns are beautiful and the idea is fantastic. It shows you that you just have to draw circles and flowers, leaves and have to decorate them by your imagine. I loved drawing, so I made a lot of art works when I back home.
I got into an academy of art when I was 17 to study industrial design. I was one step closer to realize my dream. After graduation, I want to became a teacher instead of be a furniture designer. When I was doing that job I didn't forget about my dream and the most important piece of artwork of mine--“imagination circles”, which is to become an art teacher and pass my painting skills to my students.
Xia Bai:
ReplyDeleteThe most meaningful piece of my artworks I made when I was in elementary school, every students was required to create one painting about " Animal Zoo ". I remember that I painted a group of flamingoes by using colorful crayons and spent much time on that. Color red and pink occupied the most part of that painting, it looks striking in all of the paintings. I gave it as a gift to my mom, she likes the color and stuck it on the wall of my home. After that, every piece I made was stuck on that wall. The flamingoes painting is meaningful for me because it was a start of painting in my life, it encourages me to insist my dream and helps me build up confidence of painting. Now it still important to me, that painting likes a sign to remind me to move on and keep learning.
Xia Bai:
ReplyDeleteThe most meaningful piece of my artworks I made when I was in elementary school, every students was required to create one painting about " Animal Zoo ". I remember that I painted a group of flamingoes by using colorful crayons and spent much time on that. Color red and pink occupied the most part of that painting, it looks striking in all of the paintings. I gave it as a gift to my mom, she likes the color and stuck it on the wall of my home. After that, every piece I made was stuck on that wall. The flamingoes painting is meaningful for me because it was a start of painting in my life, it encourages me to insist my dream and helps me build up confidence of painting. Now it still important to me, that painting likes a sign to remind me to move on and keep learning.
I recently found a handmade card I sent to my parents when I was away for the 1st at camp. I was 5 years old and it was my first time being away from my parents for an extended period of time. This was back in 1981 and I'm so happy my mom saved it because it truly warmed my heart when she gave me not only the card but a whole box of things she had saved from all of her children. (3 boys, 3 different boxes filled with art, letters, report cards, my favorite robe and underoos, my communion and confirmation certificates, you name it, she saved it) The card was so adorable, it was an attempt to show my parents all I was doing while away so on the front of the card, I drew a boy and a pool because we would do lap races and I got a blue ribbon, I remember everyone being so surprise how quick the chubby little kid was because they didn't know I had a pool at home and knew how to swim and would race with my brothers. On the inside of the card, I drew a race car because there was a track at the camp that you couldn't get me off off because it was one of my most favorite things to do. And last but certainly not least I attempted to draw a volley net and us kids playing, hahahaha. My spelling and grammar was absolutely horrible and I'm sure my parents knew exactly what I was trying to convey. LQQKING as this card, I can close my eyes and it brings me back to that place emotionally and mentally, the memories became so vivid and the card holds so much sentimental value. The power of somethimg handmade to your loved ones that they kept to one day give me not only warms my hearts because they cared so much to keep these little treasures from all of us kids. In many ways, my childhood art and creations acts as a timeline of my youth and all the puzzle pieces all come together when looking at all this great stuff. To be young again before life, events and occurrences would eventually steal my innocence but in no way can anything take away my art and how much I did enjoy some of my childhood. ART has played an intricate role in my development from a young child to now in the present and it keeps evolving and growing! Without making art, I am an empty vessel that can get very depressed and withdrawn from life. It is art that inspires and motivates me to keep going because nobody and nothing can ever take away my passion for making art.
ReplyDeleteRobby Chinosi
I do not have a google account so it's not allowing me to use my Adelphi account so I put it under anonymous because this was the only option that would make me be able to post this.
24603
ReplyDeleteAn important piece of artwork that I saved was from my senior year of high school. I spent my high school career on the set construction crew, making sets for two plays each year (8 in total). The final play that I helped make a set for was Les Miserable. This set was my last set, and my last time being the stage manager. Among the set pieces we created was the prison where Jean Valjean or prisoner 24601 was held. Along with his cell, we crafted a cell next to his; 24603. After we finished that show and began set striking I held on to that cell number to commemorate the fantastic journey that I had the privilege of going on those 4 years. To this day, that cardboard sign is on a shelf with my things.
~Stephan Aguanno
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ReplyDeleteThe most memorable piece of artwork coming from my childhood is a kite that I made with my mom. Growing up in a city beside the beautiful Pacific Ocean, we have many beaches along the shoreline. One of our favorite past-time activities is kite flying along the sandy beaches. When I was very young, my mom used to buy these kites from street vendors. They were generally small, and I didn’t like them because they are not unique. If my memory serves me correctly, it was in the summer when I was turning six that my mom and I have decided to make a gigantic kite ourselves. We consulted many different kite blueprints and my mom was the chief engineer behind the main kite construction. After she has finished the construction, she let me paint it. I remember she said something like “Be creative and make it your own!” With her encouragements, I painted a giant rabbit on the kite. Although it didn’t look very good by any standard, but it was my first solo painting that was publicly shown (unintentionally) to thousands of people when we flew it over the beach. We flew it over on that day, and to this day I still remember that joyful moment when I have created something beautiful and unique, and have gotten the chance to show the world what I could create artistically. The summer went by very quickly that year and by September, I was on my way for the first day in the elementary school.
ReplyDeleteMy parents have saved the kite back at home. To them, this is their daughter first public art exhibition. They are very proud of my achievements. Like many parents, sometimes they still show the kite to our relatives when they are in town for a visit, despite my protests and embarrassments. To me it’s a constant reminder that I would need to put my best effort forward to fill the shoes of a prodigal six-years old artist that painted a giant rabbit on her kite, even though it really really looks like a raging fat cat.
Junna Hong