I didn’t know that Varnette Honeywood had died. She was an important artist in my life. In the 1980’s , Bill Cosby introduced her vibrant, colorful, artwork in the backdrops for the sets for the television show The Cosby show. I had been teaching already for a while and loved to cut paper images. I thought nothing of it until the day I say her artwork. Her style of collage and painting everyday scenes really made feel so at home in my soul. I remember, my father buying many of her works of art and adorning an entire wall. We would laugh and reflect on the connections we had every time we gazed at one of her works. Before I knew it I had taken risks in art making by creating similar scenes from everyday life using colored construction paper and other mixed media.
I especially was fond of her silhouettes or profiles of African Americans. The arrangement and compositions were simple but the colors and patterns created such a powerful impact.
In remembrance of Varnette Honeywood, I would like to create a school project reflecting the diversity of our school and world using profiles and silhouettes.
( These are my steps.)
- · Locate or create templates or patterns of facial profiles
- · Gather multicultural colored paper for skin tones
- · Make a list of professions and uniforms
- · Gather collage supplies: papers, fabric scraps, ribbons, glitter, ect
- · Use wall paper samples to create backgrounds for each profile
- · Make templates of accessories
- · Gather Little Bill Book Series for reference
I CREATED SILHOUETTES. I DREW THEM ON TAG BOARD. I THEM TRACED IT ONTO COLORED PAPER. I CUT 3 PIECES AT A TIME. 1/12/12
i think we should apply for the district mini-grant to fund this. papers, gluesticks, and other materials needed to do it with as many kids as possible.
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