Join us on Wednesday December 16th at 2 p.m. for a fun filled session of Art Exploration Teen Edition where we will learn even more about the art of Rachel Ruysch!

Who was Rachel Ruysch?

Rachel Ruysch was a Dutch artist during the 17th and 18th centuries who specialized in richly detailed still-life paintings that commanded high prices. She did what very few artists at the time were able to do which was to achieve international fame during her lifetime.

Early Life 

Rachel Ruysch was born June 3, 1664 in The Netherlands to a wealthy family who had had close ties with artistic and scientific communities that allowed her the freedom that most women did not have of her time to pursue a career in the arts.

A Father’s Influence 

Rachel Ruysch’s father, Frederik Ruysch, was an eminent scientist and professor of anatomy and botany. He owned a vast collection of rare natural history specimens, which Rachel helped catalogue and record. 

He encouraged her in the development of her artistic talents and observation skills that would lead to renderings of plants and flowers. At the age fifteen, Ruysch began an apprenticeship with famous still life painter Willem van Aelst. By eighteen, she was already producing her first still life paintings and starting to establish her long and successful career.

A Long Career 

When Rachel was twenty nine  she married the portrait painter Juriaen Pool in 1693. Ruysch moved with him to The Hague, where they both joined the Guild of St. Luke—a professional artists’ organization that regulated the sales and promotion of artwork in the city—and continued their work for the elector Palatine, Johann Wilhelm von der Pfalz. While Ruysch’s career flourished, she also bore 10 children. Despite her responsibilities, she was remarkably prolific, producing more than 250 paintings over seven decades. Her works were in great demand, and she achieved widespread fame and international recognition. She died at the age of 86 in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, 1750. 

In 1999 a painting by Ruysch was discovered in a farmhouse in Normandy and was sold at auction for $508,000.

Flowers in a Vase

Flowers in a Glass Vase with a Tulip

Flowers on a Stone 

Flowers on a Stone 

Flower Still Life

Flower Still Life

Flower Still Life

Flowers, Fruit and Insects

Flower Still Life

Flower Still Life

If you enjoyed this glimpse into Rachel Ruysch and her art and would like to learn more join us for Art Exporantion on December 16th at 2pm and get to follow along with a fun Rachel Ruysch inspired art project. 

If you want to know more explore these fun titles:

Art: an A-Z guide by Shirley Greenway

The Art of Botanical Drawing: An Introductory Guide by Augatghe Ravet-Haevermans

Resource List:

• Art Net: Rachel Ruysch
• Artsy: Rachel Ruysch’s Exquisite Still Lifes Revolutionized the For
• Britannica: Rachel Ruysch
• National Gallery: Rachel Ruysch
• National Museum of Women in the Arts: Rachel Ruysch
• Rachel Ruysch
• Toledo Museum of Art: Rachel Ruysch, “Flower Still Life”

When you think about creating art what tools or mediums do you typically use? Now take those thoughts and throw them out the window and start thinking about everyday objects as tools and art mediums. Continue reading to learn about some creative ways people are straying from traditional tools. 

Join us on Thursday October 22nd at 2 p.m. for a fun filled session of Art Exploration, Teen Edition where we will learn even more about the use of Unconventional Tools in Art!

What does unconventional mean?
Unconventional is not based on or conforming to what is generally done or believed.

The artist disregards the established standards or the usual/customary way of producing art works to achieve certain designs which sometimes could be seen as controversial in appearance.

A few non-traditional tools that can be used to create art.

History of Unconventional Tools
People have been creating art for thousands of years. The first artists did not start off using fancy brushes and paint. Many of the first recorded art forms were some form of finger painting or carvings.

Cueva De Las Manos,7000 BC,
 Argentina

 Watercolor made out of natural pigments of plants

Spray Paint
Spray paint is not a traditional paint medium but it has become a trend in the past few years to do street performances and paint elorabrate pictures using vinyl stencils and ordinary spray paint.

Spray paint painting by Karen B.

Recycled Materials
The use of recycled materials has become a widespread phenomenon with the large amount of trash that is turning up on our beaches and in our oceans.

Recycled art is creative work that’s made from discarded materials that once had another purpose. This includes anything from old plastic toys and vehicle tires to scraps of cloth and building supplies. Artists who make recycled art take those materials and make them into something new.   

These giant fish were created with thousands of recycled water bottles to make a powerful environmental statement as they emerge from the sands of Botafogo Beach in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Jane Perkins works with everyday found objects. Her specialty is reproducing portraits and famous artwork using waste products.

This was created as part of the Fallas festival in Valencia by an artist known as Nituniyo. The sculptures are burned at the end of the festival. It was made from 6000 recycled cardboard tubes.

This is an example of street art that uses found objects such as tires, bicycles, and even household appliances.

Created from ocean waste by Rachel White. 

RED HONG YI

• Hong Yi is a Malaysian born artist and architectural designer.
• She focuses on the reimagining of everyday objects through the layering of lots of objects.
• She calls herself “An artist who ‘paints without a paintbrush”. 
• Inspired by China’s production power and abundance of materials found in wholesale markets, Red discovered her style of art by using materials in bulk to create portraits of well-known Chinese and world known personalities.

Artist Red Hong Yi

Portrait of singer Adele done using melted candles by Red Hong Li

Portrait of Aung San Suu Kyi created using over 200 white and red flowers.
Pinterest

Red Hong Li likes to create mini temporary works of art using food.

Red Hong Li food art.

Iris Scott

• Iris Scott was born in 1984 and was raised on a small farm near Seattle, WA. Both her mother and father were self employed and worked at home. Mom taught piano lessons and tended the gardens, while Iris’ father supported the family by building custom cabinets in a shop attached to the house.
•  At college, Iris learned fundamentals of charcoal, pastels, watercolors, oils, acrylics, and clay.
• She discovered her signature way of painting one hot and humid day in Southern Taiwan in a moment of laziness. On Iris’ easel an oil painting of yellow flowers was just a few strokes away from finished, but all the brushes were dirty and needed cleaning before proceeding. Too eager to complete the painting in that moment, Iris simply took a few swipes at the canvas with oils squeezed right upon her fingertips. The thick paint went right on, texture was suddenly easier to control. Iris was thrilled to discover what she believed could be mastered, oil finger painting. The next day she hunted down surgical gloves. She paints using her fingers

Artist Iris Scott
Iris has been featured in Forbes, Barron’s, Business Insider, USA Today, NowThis, CBS New York, and American Art Collector Magazine. Several galleries carry Iris’s originals, her collectors have included Microsoft, Coca-Cola, Children’s Hospital, and Swedish Medical Centers.

Painting by Iris Scott done with her finger paint technique.

Painting by Iris Scott done with her finger paint technique.

 Painting by Iris Scott done with her finger paint technique.

Painting by Iris Scott done with her finger paint technique.

Painting by Iris Scott done with her finger paint technique.

Painting by Iris Scott done with her finger paint technique.

Art Time! 

Your task is to create 2 unique pieces using unconventional tools or materials.

We Want to See Your Art 

We would love it if you would share a picture of your artwork with us. It may appear on our website or social media platforms. Send all pictures with complete names and ages of artists to Laura,  l [at ] johnson [at] ccplonline [dot] org .

Art Project #1

It’s time to paint like Iris Scott and get messy and  finger paint. Using whatever material you have at home create a painting using your fingers as brushes. 

Art Project #2

Collect objects such as recyclables or objects found in nature and create something new. You can use the objects as tools to paint with or the actual art objects.

If you want to know more, explore these fun titles:

13 Art Materials Children Should Know by Narcisa Marchioro

Art Camp: A Simple Guide to Making Art with Paper, Nature, Recyclables, Paint, Found Objects, and Everyday Materials by Susan Schwake

Nature’s Art Box by Laura C. Martin

An Artist’s America by Michael Albert

Rad Recycled Art by Emily Kington

Resource List:

• Beyond the Brush: Inventive Use of Media for Painting Students