In the world where selfies and Instagram pics are the go to for
self-expression for so many of my students, I continue to search for ways to
get them to work on portraiture in their art. The idea of self portraits is always met
with disdain, horror, and a ridiculous amount of eye rolling. So, I’m in
constant pursuit for a way to grab their interest, and meet them at a
comfortable place that allows them, and me, to see they can step out and be original
in the process of creating portraiture, even if it’s not of themselves.
This year, I stumbled upon the work of Sandra Silberzweig, a Canadian
born artist, that uses the elements and styles of cubism, folk, expressionism and modern art. She is inspired by many artists, but states on her website that it is Picasso's work that really speaks to her. After perusing many of her images from her online gallery, I thought her work presented just what I was looking to try with my students. It presented an opportunity to explore portraiture, abstraction, line, and
color to create these magically intriguing images that peeked interest and
ended up captivating not only the viewer, but the student artists as well.
While chalk would have been my preferred medium with this project, I opted to have the students use a watercolor resist technique, since so many have an aversion to the texture of chalk. I think the next time I do this, I will use chalk and we’ll snag some gloves from the first aid kit for those who need them.
As you can see, there was no lack of creativity in these Silberzweig inspired portraits and each of them is a true original that shows the personality of the student artist.
