Activity
Title: 'Earth Paints'
Subject
Area: Science
Theme:
Colors from the Earth
Grade
Level: 4th - 6th
Students
will investigate how colours occur naturally in the earth’s
surface. They will discover how artists created paintings with
these natural ochres and dyes.
Colorado
Standard(s) and/or Benchmark(s) addressed in this activity:
|
Grade
|
Content
Area
|
Standard
|
Benchmark
|
|
4th
- 6th
|
Science
|
1-
process of investigation
|
1.1-use
appropriate tools to gather data
|
| 4th
- 6th |
Science |
4-
processes of Earth’s systems |
4.1-composition
of Earth |
| 4th
- 6th |
Science |
5-relationship
of science/ technology |
5.1-describe
how people use science and technology |
National
Standard(s) and/or Benchmark(s) addressed in this activity:
|
Grade
|
Content
Area
|
Standard
|
Benchmark
|
|
4th
- 6th
|
Science
|
A-science
as inquiry
|
A1-abilities
necessary to do inquiry
|
| 4th
- 6th |
Science |
D-Earth
science |
D1-structure
of Earth’s systems |
| 4th
- 6th |
Science |
E-science
and technology |
E1-understand
science and technology |
Introduction:
“Ochre:
any of several earthy mineral oxides of iron mingled with varying
amounts of clay and sand, occurring in yellow, brown, or red,
and used as pigments.” Before rock art, there were minerals
from the Earth. These minerals became valuable to the rock artists
of the Australian continent.
The
rock paintings of the original Australians demonstrate creative
uses of available materials. The most popular colours are red,
white, black and yellow, which are found throughout the continent,
although different regions favour various mixes and pigments.
Some areas provided an abundant supply of natural pigments, whereas
other clans had to trade with neighbours or travel long distances
to gather pigments for paints.
Black is easily obtained from charcoal,
white from pipeclay, gypsum or burnt selenite. Yellow was the
most difficult to obtain and occurs least often. Aboriginal legend
tells of deposits of yellow ochre in Arnhem Land, Northern Territory
as being totemic centers, the ochre being deposited there by mythological
beings. Purple and brown are obtained from ochres and the blue,
in the Kimberleys, comes from glauconite. The blues of north Queensland
come from ochre found on the Johnstone River. It is the red ochres,
which vary from pink to a deep reddish brown, that represent many
objects in Aboriginal paintings.
The colours vary with the origin of the
ochres, originating from manganese, iron oxide and ferruginous
sandstone. Red was also obtained by burning yellow ochre, clay
and rocks. Near Adelaide, decorative reds were gathered from the
roots of certain plants. Once obtained, the pigments were broken
up into powders on a portable stone mortar, then mixed with water.
In areas where water was scarce, the powder was mixed with the
fat of fish, emu, possum or goanna. Animal fat also had great
penetrating properties, allowing the paintings to remain on the
rocks for hundreds of years. Some art has been carbon dated from
several hundred years ago.
Coastal
tribes often mixed the paint in shells. The paint was applied
with a finger, a brush (made of a twig chewed and teased out at
the end) or with feathers tied to the end of a stick.
Charcoal
and lumps of ochre were also used as crayons for drawing on rocks
and for decorating the body, possessions and sacred objects.
Rock art was created using ochres sometimes
mixed with animal blood collected from ceremonial rituals. Fixatives,
such as plant resins from spinifex (a desert plant) wax or egg
yolks are often added to the pigments. Pigments used in bark painting
are mainly red and yellow ochers, white (kaolin) and black from
charcoal. The colours are gathered from special sites. They provide
a soft, earthy finish to the painting.
Vocabulary:
- fixative
- pigments
-
decorative
- perishable
Materials:
- resource
books of geology and rock types
- resource
materials depicting cave art, i.e., Painters of the Caves, Patricia
Lauber
- sand
paper
- glue
- sand
- dry
tempera paint
- pencils
- spoons
- brushes
Preparation:
- Gather
clean sand, free from dirt and leaves (a finer grain of sand
is optimal)
- Investigate
various symbols that portray animals or nature
- Make
a pattern of a symbol that has importance to the student
- Simplify
designs to reproduce on to the sandpaper
Procedure:
- To
color sand, mix one tablespoon of dry paint into one cup of
sand. Mix to coat evenly, using this procedure for each container
of colored sand.
- Transfer
the symbol from the pattern to the sandpaper. Plan the colors
to be used for each section.
- Spread
the glue around the first section to be coloured. Spoon the
sand over the design, completely covering the first section.
- Allow
the glue to dry, then tap the excess sand into its container.
(tap over construction paper, then create a funnel with it to
pour sand easily)
- Continue
covering the symbol in this manner until it is completely covered
with the coloured sand. Allow to dry overnight.
Analyze
and Conclude:
- Ancient
artists created designs out of earth’s natural features
by using sand as a base. Explore various cultures that portrayed
images in sand paintings. Investigate their ceremonial significance.
- Identify
regions around the world where cave art has been found. What
steps are being taken to preserve and protect this historical
record?
- What
symbols where important to the cave artist? How do these symbols
reflect the daily life of the people? Why was this portrayal
important in ceremonies of these clan groups?
- Create
a map of Australia identifying locations of cave art. Can you
find where the ochres originated that were used in the paintings?
How did the Aboriginal people obtain the ochres that they used?
