The arts can be integrated into multiple areas of the curriculum and this was made evident during the seminars I attended on the 3rd of October 2017.

The visual arts section focused on the painting; Windows in the West (1993) by  Avril Paton.  This painting was created using watercolours and paper. Paton (2017) took inspiration from a personal memory that she had of snow and the feeling it gave her. This painting is owned by City of Glasgow Galleries which makes it relevant to my environment. Living in the North of Glasgow it is not uncommon to see tenement housing.

During the seminar we used visual analysis to discuss the form, process, content and mood of the painting (Taylor, 1999). This particular print was very visually appealing and relevant. Paton (2017) uses a winters day as her inspiration and theme for this painting. Paton (2017) started painting the picture on the floor and it was a six month project. The content of the painting included observations of a building across from Patons’ home and her personal memories. Paton (2017) uses lots of straight lines and block colours.

After a discussion we spoke about how we can create stories from prints and use prints as visual stimulus during literacy or drama lessons.

We used Patons’ (1993) work to create prints of our own. By focusing on a particular area of the painting we had the opportunity to explore the vast amount of detail in the painting. We used dynamic colours to create our prints. We discussed colour theory and the affect that colours can have on our eyes.

 

 

While creating these prints I thought of how children could create stories from the prints they had made.

Our next seminar focused on drama. Personally I always enjoyed drama as a child and was part of various drama projects as well as attending and participating in the Scottish Youth Theatre on a weekly basis. As I got older this changed and my confidence shrunk which made me slightly apprehensive about this seminar.

Drama is a way for children to express themselves and see other peoples points of view. I understand that drama can be used in various areas of the curriculum such as literacy and history.

After participating in a few drama activities such as; a freeze frame. I realised that drama was not as scary and embarrassing as I had built it up to be in my head.

As future teachers we need to develop the character we want to portray in our school lives and I feel that the integrated arts module will help me with this.

References:

Paton, A. (1993) Windows in the West. [Watercolours on paper 48” x 60”] Glasgow. [Online] Available: https://avrilpaton.co.uk/prints/windows-in-the-west [Accessed: 3 October 2017]

Paton, A. (2017) Windows in the West. [Online] Available: https://avrilpaton.co.uk/prints/windows-in-the-west [Accessed: 3 October 2017]

Taylor, R. (1999) Understanding & Investigating Art. United Kingdom: Hodder Education.