Teaching Sequence

Work through this resource material in the following sequence:

20 minutes – Part A: Joshua Yeldham in nature
15 minutes – Part B: Guided walk through nature
40 minutes – Part C: Artist exploration
10 minutes – Reflection

Part A: Activating Prior Knowledge

Step 1.

If your students have not already watched the video of Joshua Yeldham, ensure you watch the first video (Lesson 1: Artist in residence) with the class. Discuss how artists have travelled in search of landscapes, rivers and lakes for centuries to feed their creative brain to paint, draw, mould, dance, write and sculpt works of art. Led by intuition, curiosity and foresight, they have found themselves immersed in nature and engaging with their environment.

You may wish to give students 5 minutes to read through the student resource booklet: Joshua Yeldham Student Resource before teaching the lesson to help students prepare for their creative journey.

Step 2.

Play the video of Joshua Yeldham:

Source: https://vimeo.com/625980093/1ecddb0c62?share=copy

Ask your student to discuss the following questions and voice their opinions on the following:

What are your views on perfectionism, and does it exist?
How might it feel to explore things that feel uncomfortable?
Do you believe there is perfect and imperfect art?
How is nature perfect and imperfect?

Step 3.

Before you step outside and into nature with your art materials, remind students that during this lesson you would encourage them to release tension, ideologies associated with perfection and to explore the unknown. Assure them that in nature it is easy to connect with your intuition and to use this unique part of them to be present and capture these moments as they’re happening.

Remind students to flick through their student resource booklet: Joshua Yeldham Student Resource to help guide them through the tasks and ease into each lesson.

Part B: Guided walk through nature

Step 1.

Invite your students on a guided walk to a natural environment where students have a view of flora and fauna. During your walk, raise some questions about nature and preservation. Ask your class to reflect on the following:

Do you think you need to spend time in nature and outside in order to have a better understanding of how to care for your environment?

Step 2.

Either during the walk or beforehand, introduce the term ‘perfect’ and ask students to discuss what perfect means and how the word affects the way they behave, learn and interact with one another. The aim is to encourage students to let go of perfectionism, boundaries, which can affect their output. Let students know that nature does not work within these guidelines. Ask students to look around and notice that every tree, leaf and flower is different and although beautiful, they do not all look the same and as they grow they change, shed and blossom.

Step 3.

Invite students to find their ‘trunk’, sit down and place their paper, ink flat on the surface and encourage them to think about their environment. Do you feel comfortable here? Would you like to change spots? If so, take the time to do so now.

Part C: Artist exploration

Step 1.

Students will have the opportunity to draw on their natural environment and make sketches of what they’re experiencing, seeing, hearing or smelling. Suggest exploring something that intrigues your students and ask them to think about why this animal, insect, flower, tree might be of interest.

If you have access to a device you may consider letting students go out and take photographs of what they would like to draw or to bring in a picture of a landscape they would like to recapture.

Step 2.

Once students have found a comfortable position, invite your class to pick a subject and complete a pencil drawing of the subject they would like to capture and then an ink painting just as Joshua did in the video.

Let your class know that they have 10 minutes to draw and then paint their subject. Assure them that this exercise is a warm-up activity. Merely an activity to help them loosen up and ease into the process.

Before creating an artwork ask your class to think about what it is that you are trying to capture and try to immerse yourself in that process. Forgetting and shutting off to what anyone else is doing and really enjoying the creative flow.

Once they have completed the drawing and ink painting ask them to reflect on the following:

How did it feel to create a drawing without any rules or instructions?
Can you explain the difference between creating in nature and in the classroom?

Lord Howe Art Lessons_Joshua Yedlham art

Project images of - or refer back to Joshua Yeldham’s quick ink drawings throughout and ask students whether they are ready to approach the next lot of drawings using a different method.

Step 3.

Invite your class to think about nature and what tools they might be able to find to build their artist toolbox. Ask students to go out and find a few sticks - at least 10 cm long, that they will attach (with sticky tape or rope) to the end of their brush. This will create an additional extension to their brush and a potential feeling of uncomfortability and lack of control.

Step 4.

Ask students to attach (using tape or string) a stick (at least 10cm long) to their paintbrush. Place their paper on the ground as if they are looking at it like a bird. By doing this task students will be exposed to some challenges and potentially lose some control of the outcome they are hoping to achieve. Students will complete 2 paintings this time. Allow your class 5 minutes to complete each painting as they might need some time to adjust to the extension.

Lord Howe IslandArt LessonsJoshua Yeldham_Lesson 02

Step 5.

Once students have completed their artwork, ask students to take a moment, step back and reflect on what they have produced and really look at the lines, shapes and figures they have created. Encourage your students to think about:

How did you feel about the first picture and the ability to have control using traditional art-making methods?
How did you have to adapt during the second art-making process?
Which artwork has more emotion?
What has a clever sense of place?
Does one look scary or pleasant?
Are you able to identify other pictures, images or shapes in your artwork?

Step 6.

Once students have contemplated their artwork, conduct a small gallery walk and talk and allow students to interact with each other’s art and discuss what feelings and figures they might be able to see in other people’s work.

Step 7.

Paste the artwork in your portfolio and annotate the artwork based on the questions or any other thoughts and emotions that came through during the discussion that took place in Step 5/6.

Reflection

Ask students to pick from a couple of questions and write or discuss their response to one of the following questions:

What is creative intuition?
What happens when you create in nature?
Why do you think artists decide to travel to foreign places to create art?
If you were an artist in residence, where would you like to travel to create art?
What environment do you believe would be most inspiring for your creativity?
How do your surroundings, people, sounds and colours affect you?

Differentiated Learning

Extension - If you notice a student has developed an interest in landscape art or drawings, extend their skills and knowledge by discussing their passion and providing them with additional information about techniques and styles.

Provisions for Learning Support - If a student is unable to use their hands for this project or lesson, invite them to make an audio recording about their experience in nature and any new discoveries they have made about the natural world.

Teacher Reflection

Take this opportunity to reflect on your own teaching:

What did you learn about your teaching practice today?
What worked well?
What didn't work so well?
What would you share?
Where to next?
How are you going to get there?

Lord Howe - Creative Intuition

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