Vision of the Artist's Soul (VAS) Art Workshop - Tactile Collage Landscape with Mt. Fuji with Guest Artist Erin Schalk

We had an incredible workshop for the “Vision of the Artist’s Soul (VAS)” project by the talented guest artist Erin Schalk where students explored the fascinating worlds of tactile collage and Japanese landscape traditions!  We experimented with layering tissue paper, colorful collage papers, and aluminum foil to make a misty evening scene with Mt. Fuji. The participants also learned from Erin about different types and textures of collage paper, as well as ways to organize the elements of your landscape (composition).  At the end we all had a highly tactile artwork to enjoy again and again!

“Vision of the Artist’s Soul (VAS)” is a holistic arts curriculum for blind/low vision individuals of all ages, and includes a series of 50 art workshops, open-studio opportunities, and conversations with blind artists and artists, educators who work with the visually impaired. 

Our program continues to grow with 36 participants present during this event! This meeting size allowed people to connect with a diverse group of new individuals, while still creating a close-knit community and fostering interpersonal relationships. After getting to know one another, Erin walked us through the history behind Japanese landscape collage and explained essential techniques for multimedia work.

Erin explained how to layer different materials to create a dynamic piece and guided us through creating our own depiction of Mt. Fuji. The project was inspired by the art series 36 views of Mt. Fuji, which allowed every person to personalize their work and create a distinct representation of the landscape. We had so much fun interacting with new materials, embracing the creative process of experimentation, and honing our collage skills.

The materials for the collage were mailed to all the participants prior to the workshop and included 8’x10’ canvas panels, blue construction paper, translucent blue tissue paper, colorful collage papers, textured mulberry collage paper, cotton balls, pipe cleaners, and glue. However, this project is adaptable to any common household materials, making it accessible for all people to make.

Under Erin’s direction, students used the canvas panels as their base and used the blue construction paper to cover the canvas. Translucent blue tissue paper was used for the misty sky, colorful collage paper for the mountain, textured mulberry collage paper for the rocks/rugged landscape surrounding the mountain, aluminum foil for clouds and cotton balls to depict snow-capped mountains.

Thank you so much to Erin for such a memorable workshop! Please see below a few pictures of Mt. Fuji collage that students created:

Golden Mount Fuji: Mixed Media Collage

A beautiful landscape collage with a blue background of various hues and textures contrasting warm-toned mountains forming orange, red, and yellow layers in the foreground. In the center, Mt Fuji is textured with various lines running down the mountain. Reflective tinfoil forms clouds and a moon in the distance.

Purple Mount Fuji Landscape by Alex

Expressive paper streaks of light and dark blue form the sky, which is accentuated by tinfoil clouds and a silver moon. A purple Mount Fuji rests in the center, decorated with cotton ball slow and orange and yellow paper layers at the base.

Alex Holding Purple Mt. Fuji Collage

3D Mount Fuji with Pipe Cleaner by Tiana

A red pipe cleaner forms Mt Fuji in the center, which is obscured by a hazy sky of blue tissue paper. Cotton ball snow emerges from Mt. Fuji onto the background, along with thin tinfoil clouds and a round moon. To contrast the cool colors, a bright band of orange paper is placed on the bottom of the collage.

Mixed Media Collage of Red Mt. Fuji

This collage depicts Mt. Fuji in a more abstract way using ragged fabric strips. The background contains layers of Purple and Grey. In the center, a red mount Fuji is outlined by a dark pip cleaner and a white cotton ball. Reflective tin foil calls rest on either side of the mountain.

Mt. Fuji with orange foreground and reflective background

This artist has created a sky with strips of blue paper and large chunks of reflective tinfoil. Their mountain is dark purple, which is outlined by a pipe cleaner and a cotton ball. In front of the mountain, swirling patterns of thin orange have been placed as the foreground.

Purple Mount Fuji with Yellow Foreground by Kaila Allen

This Mount Fuji collage utilizes horizontal patterns and jagged strips of paper to create the horizon and background (which is a mixture of blue and silver). The snow-capped mountain is triangular and placed in the center, where it is surrounded by a yellow foreground.

Three children displaying their collages

Brown Mount Fuji with Rectangular Patterns by Kylie Sykes

This Mt. Fuji is slender, and it is outlined by a pink pipe cleaner and cotton ball snow. Beneath the mountain is an organic pattern of dark purple fabric and white paper, which creates a rectangle.

Here is an instructional video created by artist Erin Schalk on making a tactile collage landscape with Mt. Fuji (if anyone needs a refresher on the steps)  

Tactile Collage Landscape with Mt. Fuji instructional video by Erin Schalk

Artist Bio: Erin Schalk
Here is a bit more information about Erin Schalk and her impressive experience:

Erin Schalk is a visual artist, writer, and educator who lives in the greater Los Angeles area. She graduated with her MFA in Studio from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 2017, and she has exhibited her art throughout the United States, the United Kingdom, and Japan.

 In 2011, Schalk’s career as an educator began overseas in Okinawa, Japan where she taught visual art and English as a Foreign Language (EFL). Since 2016, she has focused on teaching adults in non-profit and higher education settings, including accessibility-driven programs for individuals with visual impairments, as well as on the autism spectrum.  She currently develops, manages, and teaches the visual arts educational programs for the Braille Institute of America, Orange County.

If you would like to learn more about her, feel free to visit her website.

Additionally, we will be continuing these artistic opportunities throughout the month. Vision of the Artist’s Soul welcomes all participants, and is a great way to learn about new mediums, explore tactile art, meet inspiring artists, and connect with others. Stay tuned for more events, blog-posts, and workshops; we would love to see you there!

About Vision of the Artist’s Soul Program: "Vision of the Artist's Soul" is an after-school Tactile Art Program founded by Rishika Kartik that serves as an engaging creative outlet for students who are blind or have low vision interested in accessible tactile art.

The program, with workshops that roll out in three phases, is the recipient of 2020 Arts In Society grant. Each session will focus on utilizing three-dimensional media to create artwork that explores spatial relationships, texture and form. The workshops will integrate educational concepts to strengthen the overall arts curriculum. As participants explore the materials and creative process, they will hear from an inspiring artist to learn about their story and artistic practice.

About Arts in Society Grant:

Arts in Society is a collaborative grant-making program that fosters cross-sector work through the arts by supporting the integration of arts and culture into multiple disciplines critical to the health and well-being of Coloradans. The program is administered by RedLine Contemporary Art Center and funded through a cohort of Colorado foundations.

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#tactilceart, #Artfortheblind, #touchart, #visuallyimpaired, #blindartist,, #accessibleart, #artforall, #sensoryart, #BlindandVI, #accessibility, #inclusion, #artmuseums, #artforeveryone, #accessiblemuseum
#lowvision, Art for the visually impaired, Art for the Blind