William Bantram Drawings

John Marsden’s and Shaun Tan’s epic picture book, “The Rabbits”, is an allegorical fable about colonisation, told from the perspective of the natives. An unseen narrator describes the coming of ‘rabbits’ in the most minimal detail, an encounter that is at first friendly and curious, but later darkens as it becomes apparent that the visitors are actually invaders. My chosen image (above), embodies the overall style of the book which is deliberately sparse and strange. Both text and image conveys an overall sense of bewilderment and anxiety as native numbat-like creatures witness the environmental devastation under the wheels of a strange new culture, represented by the rabbits.

Raised in the projects of Bridgeport, Connecticut, where the city dump could be seen from every corner of his apartment, a young Leonardo Drew was exposed to many raw and decaying sources of inspiration which would later shape his creative and rustic style of composition. Drew would often use materials from the city dump and repurpose them to create something beautiful. One of the biggest reasons for his artistic success would be the youth group he attended which offered free supplies and lessons from mentors. It is from this experience which led Drew to have his first exhibition at the age of thirteen. This prodigy-like image gained the attention of DC Comics and Marvel Comics talent scouts. From then on, he further expanded his artistic abilities

The Australian Curriculum incorporates observations as one of the fundamental skills that students are required to learn (Assessment and Reporting Authority [ACARA], n.d., ACAVAM106). Observations, such as the observational drawing of leaves completed in topic two provide students with an opportunity to develop their visual literacy skills and inquire about the world around them (Dinham, 2014, p. 39). During the different stages of drawing development, students draw upon prior learning, which they have gained through observations, to express their thoughts and make meaning. In the same way, the artist Henri Rousseau, who’s jungle paintings have been described as “…primitive and naïve” drew upon his developing catalogue of prior learning to

Both William Wordsworth and John Muir use imagery to express their relationships with nature. In paragraph two of The Calypso Borealis, Muir describes the environmental obstacles he encounters when he sets off to find the elusive flower: “fording streams more and more difficult to cross and wading bogs and swamps that seemed more and more extensive and more difficult to force one's way through.” Muir’s choice of words helps the reader imagine how difficult and harsh the environment was as

“As a young bot Theodor began drawing many pictures. He was always drawing strange-looking people and animals on his school books.” (Wheeler 6) His father would take him to the local park and zoo, where he loved to go and sketch pictures of all the animals. His mother would sing and read stories to him and his older sister Marnie. As he grew older his imagination continued to grow and he continued to draw and create stories.

Art is something that is often overlooked and never appreciated. What constitute as art depends on individuals and their interest. There are numerous art styles that contribute to the different styles of art. Famous artist Betye Saar and Charles White both contribute to the idea that art can be done in different ways, styles and methods. Betye Saar and Charles White were two African American artist who were very successful though they had two different styles of art.

I selected a sculpture from the museum to analyze. The sculpture’s name is: Totem Pole. There was not one specific artist, instead there were several artists who helped create this piece of art. The Coosa Valley Woodcarving Club members worked together to carve this Totem Pole in 1985. The media used was wood and oil paints. The Totem Pole represents the many tribes of Native American tribes in this area. Meaning that the animals shown would represent different groups or tribes who are all a part of a close community. There are many elements of art that are visible with this sculpture. One element of art displayed is Line. There is a contrast of both regular and irregular lines where some regular lines are incorporated closely to irregular lines. This is shown on the wings of the bird towards the middle of the totem pole where the top of the wing is straight and the lines that are carved in a more vertical direction seem to look irregular due to the lines not being completely straight down. Irregular lines are used mainly here since the lines used look to be reflecting the wilderness of nature and

Walton Ford creates paintings that are based on the style of the naturalist style of John James Audubon. Audubon was a naturalist who studied the biodiversity and anatomy of animals in their habitat or by examining a dead specimen. Ford uses the style of Audubon, however, unlike Audubon, Ford does not make the subject of the painting life-size and proportional to the real life animals.(Ford, Artnet) Ford does this to make the art seem more conceptual, rather than logical and realistic. (Ford, Art21)

Stetooden (2009) reveals that it is possibly Eric Carle’s childhood that has provoked the sensational books illustrated and written by him. Carle’s family left New York after living there six years to return to his parents’ home of Germany. It was in Germany where Carle’s father was drafted into the German Army and then not seen for eight years as he became a prisoner in Russia. The years of war and time without his father took toil on the author/illustrator. A frail father eventually returned, and Carle had to rely on his early memories of his father to encourage him and even give him artistic inspiration. Carle recalls one such memory that has inspired many of his books involving nature as he related that he and his father “used to go for long walks in the countryside together, and he would peel back tree bark to show me what was underneath it, lift rocks to reveal the insects. As a result, I have an abiding love and affection for small insignificant animals” (“Eric”). With his creativity and inner child, Carle who is now in his eighties has illustrated over 70 books, and he also wrote many of these books. His creativity does not end with books; his other interests lie in “painting, sculpture, printmaking, as well as furniture and building design” (Beneduce, p. 428). Eric Carle’s illustrations and books remain and continue to be famous not only in the United States but worldwide because they are creative and full of

I am analyzing the form and content of a stylized painting entitled The Palisades by John William Hill. This was found in the collection section of themetmusuem.org which was painted during the pre Raphaelite movement; when artist emphasized meticulous detail in what was observed rather than imagined nature. This artwork shows the aesthetics of nature, depicting a peaceful scenery with spacious green acres during the year of the 1870s. During the late 18th centuries, natural resources weren’t highly industrialized and that in itself shows how nature was essential for all human species. I argue that this painting shows how everything in nature connects and communicates with one another.

The use of geometric shapes in this painting allows the subject to be viewed in both a recognizable and unrecognizable state at the same time. Overall, geometric shapes and patterns play an essential role in what the viewer sees, which is further supported by a powerful color palate.

Frank Baron, ‘From Alexander von Humboldt to Frederic Edwin Church: Voyages of Scientific Exploration and Artistic Creativity’ (2005)

During free play time were various children sitting at a table doing arts & crafts. They had; markers, grid paper, crayons, color pencils, and construction paper. B.V got a piece of grid paper, a yellow crayon, a black crayon, a red crayon, and a pink crayon. He drew a picture of a yellow figure. I asked him “what did you draw.” He said “Pikachu”. Various children came up to him and were astonished by his drawing. This helped him with his fine motor skills, his creative skills, and his social development. According to the Developmental Checklist a child at four years old should be able to draw a person with arms, legs, eyes, nose, and

Using natural phenomenon as a starting point for abstraction, Mark Grotjahn’s paintings straddle the polarities of artifice and nature. His painting, Lavender Butterfly Jacaranda over Green (Fig. 2), expresses his fascination with nature. Transferring the experience of observation to an intrigue of creative possibility, Grotjahn harnesses the mysticism of nature through aesthetic formality.

Noltie, H. J. (2009). Raffles' Ark Redrawn: Natural History Drawings from the Collections of Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles.