Materials Needed
- Sketchbook, pencils
- Camera or camera-phone
Discussion : Field Trip
We are going to the A Station at Jay Street-Borough Hall where artist Ben Snead has recently installed a permanent glass mosaic and ceramic tile artwork called Departures and Arrivals.
From the MTA website:
The intricate play of nature is the theme of Ben Snead’s mosaic and tile artwork, which fills the south mezzanine with bold color and intricate patterns along a specially designed 103 foot-long curved wall. The work exhibits the artist’s interest in natural species and ways of arranging them in systems and patterns that highlight the connections and relationships between dissimilar species.
The artwork – created in glass mosaic based on Snead’s original paintings – features species that have migrated to Brooklyn as well as one species that is departing. He arranges the species in layers that can be seen from left to right: European starling (originally from England), a house sparrow (Europe), Red Lion fish (Indian Ocean), Monk parrot (South America) and Koi (Japan). The Tiger Beetle is represented on a tile background; a local species that is in decline. The result is a bold and graphic set of images that intrigue and delight passersby during their own departures and arrivals.
Ben Snead’s Website:
Questions / Answers
Answer the following in your sketch book:
- What inspires Ben’s work?
- What role does Symmetry and Pattern play in his work?
- Observe the hues, value, and saturation, what is the range of each?
- How would you describe the style of the work? What does it remind you of?
- Does the layering and position of the different birds, fish and insects have any significance?
- Is their any connection between the different species?
- Any other questions you have or observations you’ve made….
Homework
- Free-Study #2: Ben Snead: Using any materials you like, create a Free-Study based on Ben’s work. Your composition should reference the content, symmetry, saturation, and graphic – diagrammatic style.
- Free-Study #1: Combined Saturation: Bring your previous free-study composition for critique.
- Sketchbook: Questions/answers (above)