Then I charged up my i-pod & headed down to my studio to do some painting.  I really didn’t want to use any whites, or grays, or pale blues…  You get the idea, nothing COLD.  I wanted warm and relaxed.  I ended up with these fiery woods.  Different from my usual style, but I like it.  It feels like an oven.  Dry & bright & HOT.  I’ll take that.

Playing in the paint on an icy day.

They know we feed & water birds – our own domestic poultry & fowl, along with all their little wild friends.

by Deborah Rudacille

Does art improve learning?   Should this be a question we need to be asked?

The article I’ve linked to above is an interesting, if frustrating, discussion on the lack of “hard” data for education theory.  That is to say – any education theory out there today.  But this particular piece focuses on the validity of integrating art into other subjects:  the music in math, the ballet of astronomy, the poetry of language…. (now that last one should be patently obvious without funding a study.)

“An early advocate of developing a pedagogy based on cognitive neuroscience (‘neuro-ed’ for short), Hardiman developed an ‘arts-integrated’ curriculum—using the arts as a teaching methodology—at Roland Park Elementary/Middle School while serving as the school’s principal from 1993 to 2006.”

“Based on her previous research and her experience at Roland Park, ‘I would guess that the kids who have done the work in an integrated way would have that knowledge more embedded in their memory,’ Hardiman says.”

Am I the only one who feels that this should be intuitive?

Sad that the Neuro-Education Initiative would even be necessary to help some educators accept the obvious importance of art & creativity to truly optimize the learning experience. There are many educational “philosophies” which place a priority on creativity and “art integration.” Most notably Montessori, and as mentioned in this article, Waldorf & the Reggio Emilia approach.

After reading this article I can’t help but wonder… Do we really require what would essentially amount to single-blind trials to tell us that subjects are more compelling, students are more involved with their learning experience, and information is more completely absorbed when creativity is firmly embedded in the equation?  I suppose if such research is necessary to convince those at the apex of the system of the validity of such a widely accepted “theory,” then we will certainly have an abundant control group to select from.

I think this little snippet is especially telling:

” ‘When you read about the medical practices of one hundred years ago, you think it’s crazy what people used to do,’ says Charles Limb, scientific director of the Neuro-Ed Initiative. ‘And one day we may feel the same about how we used to teach children.’ “

That will be a cryin’ shame.

–

The article “This is Your Brain on Art,” written by Deborah Rudacille, was published in September of 2010 in the Urbanite magazine.  You can read it here:

http://www.urbanitebaltimore.com/baltimore/this-is-your-brain-on-art/Content?oid=1296770&ref=nf

…

Like all the poor, their safety lies in numbers
And hardihood and anonymity
In a world of dripping browns and duns and umbers.
They have inherited the lower sky.
Their Lake of Constants, their blue modality
That they are borne upon and battered by.

House Sparrows

(an excerpt from the marvelous poem)

by Anthony Hecht

“Yes, I guess so.”
“When you figure it out maybe you can teach me!”
“Why? Can’t you knit?”
“Well, I haven’t been very successful at it so far.”
“You mean you failed at it.”
“No. I have not yet succeeded.”
“That’s the same thing.”
“Gillian, you can not fail at something if you continue to be willing to try. Just because you haven’t yet figured out something, does NOT mean you’ve failed. We only fail by giving up completely.”
“Oh. Okay. Then I’ll help you learn when I figure it out.”

I love it when my children help me to remember the most important things!

www.joycebrandon.com

I’ve double checked all links, but if I missed a problem & you find it, let me know!

"After the Storm" Lady Gould's Finch, the Gouldian Finch - Available in my Etsy shop.

You can currently find this painting for sale in my Etsy Shop.

After the Storm depicts the Gouldian Finch, a little feathered rainbow also known as Lady Gould’s Finch or the Rainbow Finch. The Gouldian Finch is native to Australia & although it is a very popular species among aviculturists, it was classified as “endangered in the wild” in 1992 – due in large part to habitat destruction & predation.

I selected the Gouldian Finch for this piece as a hopeful symbol for a peaceful & prosperous new year. I’ve always found rainbows fascinating & love the all encompassing palette embodied in this one little bird. As I painted I meditated on the biblical story of the great flood. The devastation of all life, and afterward, the promise of the rainbow. I also discovered that the rainbow has been an important sign in many other beliefs & mythologies. The Bifröst, a burning bridge connecting Midgard & Asgard in Norse tales. The gown of Iris, messenger to the Greek Gods. The rainbow is an amazing sight & one can easily understand why so many cultures attributed special meaning to it’s appearance. The Rainbow Finch seems to me a living piece of that magic.

Saw Whet Owl at rest. 9x12 inch Oil painting on artists board by Joyce Brandon. January 2012.

Saw Whet Owl, close-up