Welcome!
I am a Teacher of Art currently living in Hong Kong. I have spent the last 5 years living and teaching in Bangkok, Thailand. This blog is to document my own work, what my students get up to and the art I see around Hong Kong, Thailand… and beyond!
MACRO MOLD
Year 10 - As a starting point for some experimental painting, students had been set the challenge to grow mold in a petri dish over the October break. They were tasked with trying to develop interesting textures, colours and forms that could be photographed close-up or in macro to begin working in a more abstract way. These images were then cropped, edited and turned into artworks using a variety of media including colour pencil, oil and acrylic paints. Below are a few of the photographs as well as some drawing and painting in process - enjoy!
CORAL & CLAY
Year 8 - In preparation for their ceramic fish the Year 8s were introduced to clay techniques by first creating small coral pieces inspired by artist Courtney Mattison. Mattison helped to bring an environmental awareness into the project and open the students eyes to the impact art can have in raising awareness for both local and global issues. This resulted in some interesting discussions on the topic of coral bleaching due to rising sea levels. During these sessions, students practiced rolling, cutting, forming, joining, carving, imprinting and texturising clay - developing all the key skills they will need for creating their upcoming ceramic fish.
‘INKTOBER’ COMPETITION
The winners of our yearly ‘Inktober’ competition. I was responsible for the competition this year and the theme chosen was ‘RESPECT’. We had so many fantastic submissions, it was very hard for the department to select the winners! It was lovely to see how each student chose to represent the theme and there were some incredibly touching stories behind some of the artworks. I have also included images of the beautifully presented prizes, certificates and exhibition that were put together by our wonderful Art Technicians.
DRYPOINT ETCHING
YEAR 10 - After a few sessions on photography based on the theme of ‘Surroundings’, the Year 10 students were ready to use their own images in a new technique called drypoint etching. After initial experimenting, reflecting and trouble shooting, the students began work on their A5 etching plate. They needed to make sure to incorporate a range of textures and values by using different tools such as nails, scratch board pens, sandpaper, electric etching tools and scouring pads. The students loved this process and many went on to try out printing on different papers and even on material to test the boundaries of this beautiful process.
EXPLORING COLOUR
YEAR 7 - Year 7s are off to a good start, learning all about Colour Theory through the use of acrylic paints. This also serves as a great way for them to gain control over their brush techniques and to play around with some more experimental ways of applying paint.
UNDER THE SEA
YEAR 8 - This week the Year 8s visited the Bangkok aquarium as part of their ‘Under the Sea’ project. The aim of this was for students to gather visual information - drawing & photography - that will feed into their upcoming ceramic fish designs. The students were fab and enjoyed seeing the fish up close. Prior to the trip they had prepped some pages in their sketchbooks with watercolour washes and created small colour blocks for their aquarium drawings. This really brought their pages to life and gave them a starting point for their drawings. When we got back to school, students then had the opportunity to work into their drawings as well as selecting and editing their best images from the day. Next step, designing their very own fish to be transformed into clay!
SURREALIST COLLAGE
YEAR 9 - A fun class introducing Year 9 students to the Surrealists! Collage is an excellent way to do this as it allows for endless uncanny (and hilarious) juxtapositions to play around with.
MAKING PAPER
YEAR 7 - I have recently started a new after school club for Year 7s. I wanted to do something with an eco-minded theme. I decided on paper making - working in an art department we have lots of paper that is ready and waiting to be reused and recycled. This was the first session of actual paper making as during the first session the students helped me cut up recycled fabric (for soaking up water) and tear up paper that was then soaked and blended. The students loved the process and especially enjoyed adding colour with water based inks. At the end of the session we went outside to pick some leaves and flowers to press which we will experiment adding them to our paper making in the following weeks!
VIEW FROM A WINDOW
YEAR 7 - Year 7 students have been studying Colour Theory and the wild painters of the Fauvist art movement. These images are the results of a combination of both these. Under the theme of ‘Through the Window’ students planned and painted a personal Fauvist style painting. They needed to make sure they used their own primary resource (their own photograph of a view from a window) and to include a Fauvist inspired colour pallet for their A3 painting. Below is a selection of some work in progress, planning and some finished pieces.
TEAM WORK FAUVISM
YEAR 7 - After a long period of home learning and the students having to work separately due to Covid restrictions, it was exciting for them to finally work together as a class. To practice their colour mixing and matching skills, each student was given a small section of a either a Henri Matisse or an André Derain painting to complete. These wild and colourful paintings also allowed the students to hone their control of painting media and tools.
COLLAGRAPHS
YEAR 8 - As part of their ‘Natural Forms’ project, Year 8s have been experimenting with creating and printing their own collagraphs. Using images of seedpods as their inspiration, they used card and thick paper to create a relief of their image. Students built their collagraphs up in layers, with the understanding that the upper layers would be those that take the most colour when printing. Students then added textured backgrounds using masking tape and pencil imprinting. The final step was printing their collagraphs onto a variety of backgrounds and experimenting with mixing and rolling colour printing inks. Some very delicate and intricate prints were produced!
NATURAL FORMS / MIXED MEDIA
YEAR 8 - As part of their ‘Natural Forms’ project, Year 8s are now experimenting with using mixed-media. A combination of bubble wrap printing, tissue paper, watercolour and fine liner pens were used to create these pieces. Preparatory studies of natural forms were done - quick timed studies of shells & seedpods. Students were encouraged to keep to a colour pallet that references the current theme of ‘nature’.
BANGKOK BIENNALE
A snippet of my visit to the 2021 - 22 Bangkok Biennale. This is a fantastic art event that happens every year all over Bangkok. Art is displayed across the city in galleries, temples, shops, the streets and even on boats!
MARK MAKING WITH BLOSSFELDT
YEAR 8 - To kick start their ‘Natural Forms’ project, Year 8 have been ‘scribble drawing’ using the fascinating photography of artist Karl Blossfeldt as their references. This task was designed to introduce students to a range of mark making techniques and to develop their understanding of value and tone. After practicing their mark making, students went on to ‘scribble’ on tracing paper over a Blossfeldt image to pick out the strong contrasts and the intricate details of his beautiful close-up photos of the natural world. The students loved this task as it was quick yet produced effective results, it is an excellent way to bring awareness to value and the different ways you can apply this when drawing.
CONTRAST & TEXTURE
YEAR 8 - A recent project with my Year 8 students was an exploration into the world of macro photography. This was quite a challenge as we are currently in a period of online learning due to Covid restrictions. Students rummaged around their homes for jewels and other decorative objects to photograph. They were asked to set up a mini studio, including a clean white background and lamp. Using a tablet or phone to take their images the students needed to make sure they had strong contrast in their photos, that they were filling the frame and to include a range of textures with ornate details. I was highly impressed with their images and they are now ready to move onto the next step - drawing!
IT’S ALL IN THE DETAILS
YEAR 8 - My current Year 8 classes are beginning their project on the topic of ‘Adornment’. To set them off they were tasked with a variety of observational studies of jewellery; a 5 minute pen drawing, a 10 minute colour pencil drawing and a final 20 minute pencil drawing. This allowed them to really study the decorative details of these precious objects and for me to see the skill levels of my new classes. Take a peek at some examples of their work below!
LOCKED UP
On my return to Thailand I was required to do a 2 week mandatory hotel quarantine due to Covid. For this I chose the aptly named ‘Idle Residence’ which had great sky views to watch the epic monsoon storms pass by. To help pass the time, I had bought a new watercolour set in the UK and got to playing around with colour, opacity and layering shapes - inspired by the fabulous female artist Hilma af Klint.
The Ten Largest, Group II, 1907 (Oil on Canvas), by Hilma af Klint
LONDON BOUND
I was lucky enough to get the opportunity to return to London and visit family and friends during the summer break from school. Visiting an art gallery whilst there was an absolute must do, I miss the galleries in London! Along with my father, I went to the Royal Academy to see the Michael Armitage and Tracy Emin / Edvard Munch exhibitions. I was particularly intrigued by the materials and techniques used by Armitage - he paints on a canvas of sewn together bark that has been stripped from the Mutuba trees in southen Uganda. This produces a wonderfully organic and imperfect canvas that sometimes seems to dictate the flow of his painting. His colour pallets are vivid and create quite a vibrant and buzzing atmosphere and the way he applies layers and outlines to his paintings create an almost mind-bending depth to his work. I took a few close up images to really capture his brush techniques, I plan to have a play around with this style myself!
LUMPHINI RAIN
This afternoon my partner and I took the opportunity to get out and about as the parks are finally open! Due to the Covid situation here in Bangkok, parks have been closed since April time. Luckily, from behind our home, we have great access to both the main parks in Bangkok - Benjakitti Park and Lumphini Park - both full of tropical greenery and if you look hard enough, lots of wildlife too. After wondering along the Green Mile Walkway we arrived at Lumphini Park. No sooner than we had arrived into the midst of the park (as happens often at this time of year) the Monsoon heavens opened and completely drowned us. For Covid reasons, there was one only way in, and one way out of the park. As we scrabbled around to try and find our way back out of the park the mixture of the rain, park lights and the elegant trees proved too beautiful to not stop and photograph - leading to even more of a drenching!
