LIFE IN THE ARTS
"ARTISTS IN THE CLASSROOM" TELEVISED PROGRAMS
WEDNESDAY, May 12, 1999
10:30 - 11:30 AM
LONGTIMERS PRODUCTIONS IN ASSOCIATION WITH
THE MONTEREY COUNTY OFFICE OF EDUCATION
PRESENTS
Mobiles with Laurent Davidson
Special guest LAURENT DAVIDSON a local artist who lives in Carmel who experimented with "Mobiles" at the age of thirteen when living in Sache, France, next door to Alexander "Sandy" Calder, the world renowned artist who developed and popularized the unique art of mobile making. Together, with television personality and series host Maia Carroll, they will introduce your students to the art of mobiles.
When you register for this free MCOE-TV program you will receive:
* Teacher and student classroom materials and activity packets
* An access identification number allowing your students to speak live with the
artists via a toll-free telephone number from your school site.
* Ability to fax your student produced drawings to our studio for sharing with our
guest artist and other participating Monterey County students.
*Your students will have the opportunity to participate in one more of the following:
* Learn elemental shapes composed in rhythms and colors * Learn how to take your shapes and set on a point to create and suspend in air * Learn how mobiles float in space and time and can be interpreted as "harmonic progressions" and their movements as "variations"
I.
All manner of sizes of relatively pristine card board , the thinner the better. Single ply and corrugated...paintable...Think recycled "Priority Mail" boxes, strong construction paper and the like.
II.
1. Sharp cutting instruments:
a. Xacto knife or scissors..
b. cutting mat, piece of press board to position and cut their shapes.
c. metal straight edge and a spot to hang the mobile
2. Steel wire (19 gauge) cutting pliers and needle nose pliers
**Optional materials/ paper clips, fish line, thin string
3. Thumb tacs, pins
4. Adhesive tape, masking tape, glue
5. Paints (fast drying or acrylic preferred) brushes and paper towels, or color papers that may be collaged with paste or spray glue.
STUDENT PROJECT:
1. Presentation of tools and materials
A. Preparation of balancing instrument:
Assembly of two thumb tacks on thin card board
2. Sketch of projected Mobile and layout of shapes on card board
3. Cut out of shapes (not all of them as the design might evolve in different direction after a few steps)
4. Begin assembly of lower part of Mobile with paper clip links or wire links custom made with wire and pliers.
5. Cut out next shapes and assemble (repeat steps 2 thru 4)
6. Finish shapes with paint or collage
**Collage if not uniform will most likely unbalance the Mobile.
Maia Carroll-Stefan and Laurent
LAURENT DAVIDSON, an American artist, lives in Carmel, California since 1987. Before his settling in Monterey County, he lived and worked in France where his family has been established since 1953. His creativity in the pursuit of beauty through the Arts has taken many forms. Some people know him more as painter of dream scapes and other invented figures, others remember him as a printer of lithographs and monotypes. Laurent first experimented with "Mobiles" at the age of thirteen when living in Sache, France, next door to Alexander "Sandy" Calder, the world renowned artist who developed and popularized the unique art of Mobile making. it was the study of music and chromatic harmony that initiated Laurent's renewed interest in Mobile making.
Made of elemental shapes composed in rhythms and colors, set on a point or suspended in the air, Mobiles can be considered to be part of the wind instrument family. Exploring their similarity to musical scales or phrases, Laurent aspires to convey the relationship between the visual arts and music. Mobiles floating in space and time can be interpreted as "harmonic progressions" and their movement as "variations".
Working with aluminum and steel, Laurent creates solid-based Mobiles for tables and desktops as well as for larger settings, and suspended models to fit in any size of interior space. Each Mobile is painted with Japan colors, an oil base that dries to a flat finish so that the colors are visible from all angles. Other finishes are available and outdoor sizes are in the works.
The grandson of internationally distinguished portrait sculptor Jo Davidson, Laurent attended the Beaux Arts school in Tours, France, prior to working in lithography printing and art conservation and restoration. He first discovered Carmel in 1977-78 as the recipient of an artist-in-residence fellowship, and returned to California in 1987 where he has been working to date on paintings, music and Mobiles.
Laurent has shown his creations in one man shows in Northern California, at the International Air Fair in Paris (FIAC) and at his family's gallery in Tours, France. his works are present in many private collections.