Bio
Brooke Harris is a painter who calls Lexington, Kentucky home. She received a B.A. in Journalism (minor in Art) at Asbury University and an MFA in Creative Writing from Spalding University. Now as a professional artist, she loves when the worlds of writing and painting collide.
Most of Brooke's paintings use acrylic paint to create abstract scenes of time and space. While the paintings are non-referential, they are strangely familiar and evoke memory and emotion. They depict metaphors of something greater than the physical: a spiritual reality expressed in paint. Brooke is a writing professor for Indiana Wesleyan University and is an award-winning poet and artist. Her art can be seen in galleries across the Central Kentucky area. She teaches paint workshops to all ages and is particularly interested in helping people express creativity and reflect on what it is to be human while creating art.
Potential Residency Project
Overview:
For K-12th grade students
Students will collaborate to make a custom 48x60 inch painting to be installed in their school. The final painting will be of the school's mascot created with various painting techniques. This project will be cross cultural, examining different art techniques from various artists around the world.
Objectives:
- Students will learn about various artists and the techniques they use to create their pieces. They will understand painting techniques and will identify principles of design in a range of art pieces.
- Students will practice a variety of painting techniques using brushes, stamps, found objects and paint mediums to explore the world of painting.
- Students will research the technique they want to explore and create a concept drawing of their interpretation of their school's mascot.
- Based off of concept drawings, students will collaborate and brainstorm what the large finished painting will look like and what painting techniques and colors will be used. Students will work together to create the large painting of their school's mascot.
- Students will journal about their experience and report on it through group discussion.
Accessibility and Inclusion
This residency project is designed to be flexible to accommodate a variety of learners. Because students may show a range of capabilities, the lesson can be adapted to meet specific needs of the students.
Implementation
Day 1: Students will listen to the artist's presentation of painting techniques and the artists who use them. The artist will show examples of mascot paintings to discuss the overall theme of the final painting with the students.
Day 2: Students will get to play with the art materials provided by the artist and practice various painting techniques. They will use stamps, brushes, found objects and paint mediums to create their own exploratory work.
Day 3: Students will research the technique they found most inspiring and search for artists who use this technique. The artist will guide them to professional artists and their work that fits their concept. Students will create a concept drawing of their mascot using researched techniques.
Day 4: Students will collaborate and bring their ideas to the group to create a large mascot painting for the school. They will show the pros of their pieces and the reasoning behind their concept. After the concept is finalized, students will work together to create the final mascot painting.
Day 5: Students will continue to create their mascot painting, finishing any details.
Assessment
Residency will end with a contemplative journaling exercise and group discussion about the experience.