Neilson Creative Art Center

Hey guys.

          On November 29^th, 2012, our class 7/8G went on a class trip to the Neilson Creative Art Centre. We took a long and tedious TTC bus ride there in the cold. We took a walk that lasted a few minutes to the centre itself. The building itself looked great!

          When we walked in, we were told to take off our jackets and put them in the coat room. We performed an exercise which included reaching up into the air and putting some 'imagination' into our heads. How bizarre does that sound?

          We then walked into the art gallery. This contained dozens of artwork that looked amazing. Did you see all of it? We were told to pick the artwork we liked best and study it. We were then brought to another room where we had to colour and draw an imitation of the artwork we chose, using the same colours. I used the colours orange, purple, green, red, yellow, and blue in my drawing. I thought the painting I studied resembled a waterfall of multiple colours, so I decided to draw a river.

          After finishing, we brought our drawings back to the art gallery to share it with our assigned groups. Some people thought my drawing was the tentacles of an octopus, while others thought it was a bunch of cacti. What did you think it was?

          Soon we ate lunch and began our second session. This time, we took our drawings from the morning and examined it, choosing colours and using them in our second drawing. I used the idea that someone gave me that my first drawing was an octopus, and integrated it into my second drawing. This time, I decided to be a bit random with my drawing and made a scene of a park, with a floating octopus in a top hat holding a door. The feedback I got was amazing! People gave me stories like how the door was the doorway to his soul, and how the hat belonged to Frosty the snowman.

          I had a great time during this trip, and at the end we even got freezies! I would totally recommend this trip, as it allows you to get your imagination going with ease.

Neilson Art Centre-

         **AHEM**. Well hello there! My name's Chelsea Santoo, and I'm a 14 year old girl. Or should I say, woman (that one was for you, Susan B. Anthony!)... Recently my class went to the magical place of dreams and unicorns (NOTE: unicorn sighting is not guaranteed) that we call the Neilson Creative Art Centre. It looks like a tiny building you would not normally notice, but when you get in there? WOW! Someone really knows how to maximize space! ...Just kidding. Well not really.

                Ok, enough of the jokes - let's get serious (...well, to the best of my ability). I had been to the Neilson Creative Art Centre a few times before, and from what I remember, the program hasn't changed! Still as fun as ever (I believe this refers to "if it ain't broke, don't fix it?")!  From the time we walked in, we started using our imaginations. A gallery walked started the morning, followed by choosing a painting or drawing that we were most attracted to. I chose an exquisite picture that combined paint and textiles to create a city scene. I was instantly dumbfounded by a black and white circle, with many more circles inside of it. It seemed to never end.... Inception, maybe?

                When we were told to choose a shape from the painting/drawing to draw, it was pretty obvious to me that the circle would be my choice. I used my oil pastels to draw it right in the centre of the page. From there, I worked outwards, drawing parts of circles coming out of it. I thicken the lines of each and used a variety of colours, but it still didn't fit my liking. I chose to try something new - a brand new technique (well, to me, at least)! I started to use my finger to pull the oil pastel into the centre. I LOVED IT. Now, please understand that I love art. I love creativity. But I've never been a fan of oil pastels. But this technique - it changed my mind completely! Some people said my drawing looked like a eyeball. Others said it reminded them of a tornado. And me? Well, I see the inside of a complicated lock - something that a spy would have to figure out to stop the bomb (like James Bond!). To me, it feels mysterious and adventurous. What do you see when you look at the picture, and how does it make you feel?

     My second picture was completely different. It was far more complicated and "fanceh" (quote, Saksham Aggrawal), but I actually didn't like it as much as the first! Although it some people were astonished by the complexity of the drawing, I found that it wasn't very risky. I had done pictures like it before, so it was nothing new.  The first drawing was edgy and exciting, while this one was flowing and calm... well, it was to me! Some people said that each colour represented a different alien planet. Others focused on the directions of the arrows. Someone brought to my attention that they ALL pointed to the right. Why do you think they all go this why? I'm not even sure!

Certain people really surprised me! I learned that we are all artists - we all just love different styles. Even when you don't think you're good at something, there's always hope! It definitely helped to have the  leaders there to remind us that there is no wrong answer in art. Which reminds me, special shout out to Ina and Austin, who have put together the whole program! Thanks!

               

Well that's all for now folks, have a scrumdiddlyumptious day!  :)