The true method of knowledge is experiment.
-William Blake
Experimentation and art are never far from each other. Visitors are invited to experiment with different watercolor techniques this month in the Art Studio. This month’s theme is inspired by our Peep’s World Exhibit which invites visitors to investigate the science of sand, the wonder of water and the amazing shapes in shadows. In the studio we are doing some water (color) investigating of our own using watercolor and salt, watercolor and wax resist, watercolor and rubbing alcohol, tissue paper and water, and last but certainly not least – masking with tape and watercolor. Our younger visitors are exploring color mixing using pipettes, watery tempera paint and paper towels.
There is also a shadow tunnel where visitors are using all sorts of different everyday objects to explore shadows. Visitors create an object landscape that is lit with an overhead projector to create the shadows. This is a really easy fun way of playing with shadows. This can easily be adaptabled for your home or classroom. How, you ask? Choose a table to use, cover the table with a dark colored sheet or blanket so that the edges of the sheet touch the ground to block off all the light. Grab some objects from – toys, natural objects, different height objects, tubes…really anything works. You can use a clamp light as your light source. If you don’t have one sitting around, they run between $6-$15 and you can get one at most any hardware store. Beware…setting this up can lead to hours of exploring! It’s fun to try different shaped objects, seeing how the shadow changes depending on how close or far away the objects are from the light.
Below are a few images of our shadow tunnel as well as some shadow art created by different artists from around the world. Enjoy!
The Power of Play 
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