MEDIA EXERCISE Each artist enrolled in the Drawing / Mixed Media class is required complete the following exercise: Select a simple motif or theme to explore in a series of 24 media experiments. A simple motif such as leaves, hands, stones, fruit, tools, etc will free you from the decisions that content requires so you can focus exclusively on formal possibilities. You theme can be something small and specific (such as a shell or a pod) or broad and interpretive such as memory or history or classicism but you will be expected to explore this theme in 24 different media/combinations. Choose a consistent size to work in for the series: it can be as small as a postcard or as large as your folio or sketchbook will allow. You are required to vary your ground or support in 1/4 of this series if not more. Different supports might include: wood paper recycled newspaper upholstery cloth, plexiglass, etc. I recommend that you start with materials that you know and reference drawings and photographs that relate to the theme you have chosen. You might combine your theme with a conventional approach at first, examining how your motif (an apple, for instance) changes as it is interpreted in B/W media, color media, on a board with a red ground, on card board, etc... Select your theme before the second class meeting. Begin this process by bringing in your ideas, sketches, photographs, your motif and media! BEGIN...DIVE IN and remember to record the media you are using on the back of each experiment and number them chronologically. Please refer to the external links on the blog and on blackboard. You will find links to many artists' websites that may inspire you. This exercise is designed to be a spring board for your creative goals and studio work. Experimentation and discovery are the primary to its success. Feel free to combine conventional media with collage and experiment with resist, relief etc during the early stage of the media exercise until you determine which approach best suits your personal aesthetic and creative goals. Please refer to the external links to the right of the blog as you will find links to many artists' websites that may inspire you.