Robert Carston Arneson - Bright Ring Publishing, Inc. PDFs/Robert_Arneson.pdfmedia, 1982),...
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January 6, 1930 - November 4, 1992 Ceramic Sculptor Robert Arneson (AHR neh suhn) is one of American’s best-known ceramic artists. His work helped elevate ceramics from a craft to a sculptural art form. Arneson started out as a potter, making bowls and vases out of clay. One day he made a clay vase shaped like a soda pop bottle and stuck a metal bottle cap on top. It changed his career. He went on to make clay statues of ordinary objects, such as, cookies, bricks sinking into dinner plates, tools, cartoon faces and appliances. The most famous Arneson sculptures are his self-portraits. He made hundreds of statues and drawings of himself. Almost all of them are humorous, especially like the one where Arneson drew himself sticking out his tongue. His larger-than-life sculpted heads have silly expressions and wild hair. He once said that he found himself in trouble when he poked fun at other people, so he decided to use his own face. BONUS Activity Great American Artists for Kids © 2008 Bright Ring Publishing, Inc. Robert Carston Arneson Grow a Silly Self Form a silly self-portrait using white air-dry clay that will sprout on a wooden dowel from a terra cotta flower pot. This single portrait sculpture honors one of Arneson's self-portrait sculptures -- a flowerpot sprouting three of his jolly, bearded heads. Process 1. Fill the little flowerpot with clay. Poke the dowel in the center, sticking up like a flower stem. 2. Form a ball of white air-dry clay the size of an apple and push the ball firmly down onto the dowel. 3. Use clay and clay tools to sculpt one’s own face in the clay. Squeeze the ball into the shape of a head. Press eye sockets into the front, and pinch out a nose. Add clay eyeballs, lips and ears. Make an exaggerated silly self-portrait face. (For example, the mouth can be wide-open and yelling, the eyes can be popping open or squeezed shut, the ears huge and sticking out on each side, and so on.) Different tools help shape and smooth the clay, or rough it up and add texture. Use knives and forks, chopsticks and paperclips. A kitchen garlic press makes stringy clay hair. 4. After the clay sculpting is complete, let the flowerpot and clay sit for a week until the clay is completely dry and hard. 5. Choose to let the sculpture stay in its original clay color, or, paint it with natural or fantastic colors. 6. As a final optional step, glue plastic leaves around the base of the silly clay portrait, so it appears to be growing from the flowerpot. Materials white air-dry modeling clay or playdough 4” flowerpot (traditional terra cotta clay variety) 6” dowel or pencil choice of tools, sticks and utensils to shape the clay acrylic or watercolor paints, optional paintbrush, optional plastic or silk leaves from artificial plants, optional glue gun, low-temp (safe for most young artists, but supervise well), optional Portrait by West Tragessor, age 11 CLAY FACE by Morgan Van Slyke, age 12 Robert Arnesor's ceramic sculpture California Artist (1982) on display in front of his studies for the sculpture (mixed media, 1982), collection of the Museum of Modern Art in San Francisco (photo by Geoffrey A. Landis). Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.5 License. This image is shown for web use only, not for book publication. YOUNG CHILD Playdough Face Squeeze a ball of playdough, and flatten it on a table. Then explore pulling and poking facial features in the dough.
Transcript of Robert Carston Arneson - Bright Ring Publishing, Inc. PDFs/Robert_Arneson.pdfmedia, 1982),...
January 6, 1930 - November 4, 1992
Ceramic Sculptor
Robert Arneson (AHR neh suhn) is one ofAmerican’s best-known ceramic artists.His work helped elevate ceramics from acraft to a sculptural art form. Arnesonstarted out as a potter, making bowlsand vases out of clay. One day he madea clay vase shaped like a soda pop bottleand stuck a metal bottle cap on top. Itchanged his career. He went on to make
clay statues of ordinary objects, such as, cookies, brickssinking into dinner plates, tools, cartoon faces andappliances. The most famous Arneson sculptures are hisself-portraits. He made hundreds of statues and drawingsof himself. Almost all of them are humorous, especiallylike the one where Arneson drew himself sticking out histongue. His larger-than-life sculpted heads have sillyexpressions and wild hair. He once said that he foundhimself in trouble when he poked fun at other people, sohe decided to use his own face.
BONUS Activity Great American Artists for Kids © 2008 Bright Ring Publishing, Inc.
Robert Carston Arneson
Grow a Silly Self
Form a silly self-portrait using white air-dry clay that will sprout on a wooden dowel from aterra cotta flower pot. This single portrait sculpture honors one of Arneson's self-portraitsculptures -- a flowerpot sprouting three of his jolly, bearded heads.
Process1. Fill the little flowerpot with clay. Poke the dowel in the
center, sticking up like a flower stem.2. Form a ball of white air-dry clay the size of an apple and
push the ball firmly down onto the dowel.3. Use clay and clay tools to sculpt one’s own face in the clay.
Squeeze the ball into the shape of a head. Press eye socketsinto the front, and pinch out a nose. Add clay eyeballs, lipsand ears. Make an exaggerated silly self-portrait face. (Forexample, the mouth can be wide-open and yelling, the eyescan be popping open or squeezed shut, the ears huge andsticking out on each side, and so on.) Different tools helpshape and smooth the clay, or rough it up and add texture.Use knives and forks, chopsticks and paperclips. A kitchengarlic press makes stringy clay hair.
4. After the clay sculpting is complete, let the flowerpot andclay sit for a week until the clay is completely dry and hard.
5. Choose to let the sculpture stay in its original clay color, or,paint it with natural or fantastic colors.
6. As a final optional step, glue plastic leaves around the baseof the silly clay portrait, so it appears to be growing fromthe flowerpot.
Materialswhite air-dry modeling clay or
playdough4” flowerpot (traditional terra cotta
clay variety)6” dowel or pencilchoice of tools, sticks and utensils to
shape the clayacrylic or watercolor paints, optionalpaintbrush, optionalplastic or silk leaves from artificial
plants, optionalglue gun, low-temp (safe for most
young artists, but supervise well),optional
Portrait by WestTragessor, age 11
CLAY FACE byMorgan Van Slyke,
age 12
Robert Arnesor's ceramic sculpture California Artist (1982)on display in front of his studies for the sculpture (mixedmedia, 1982), collection of the Museum of Modern Art inSan Francisco (photo by Geoffrey A. Landis). Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.5 License.This image is shown for web use only, not for book publication.
YOUNG CHILD
Playdough FaceSqueeze a ball of playdough, and flatten it ona table. Then explore pulling and poking facialfeatures in the dough.
