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September to March: Circle of Life
Here are the videos from the Circle of Life is a series. This series is about our connection to the natural world. The videos include mini art workshops, teachings from Indigenous elders, and information about plants that Indigenous people use for food or medicine. The activities shown in these videos are for anyone ages 5 to 99! They vary in difficulty and so look at them as we post them over the next few months and do the activities you would like to do. These videos have been produced, shot, and edited by Edgar Hernandez and Marg Boyle of the Eagle and Condor Collective.
Each photo below is a link to a video on our youtube channel. We are adding many more videos over the coming months!
Marg Welcomes you to the Project
Marg Introduces Herself
Edgar Introduces Himself
Alma Introduces Herself
Mini art workshops
These videos were shot at the Museum of Nature's ecosystem gardens or in Alma Lo's yard. We will be posting more videos during the next few months.
Marg tells you how she uses sketchbooks
Mini drawing workshop on using shadows of plants to create movement drawings. Join Edgar for this activity!
Mini drawing workshop about gesture drawing of a tamarack tree. Join Marg for this activity!
Edgar and Marg work together to show you how to do blind contour drawing which develops your eye hand coordination!
Edgar shows you how to do texture rubbings. Try these outside on trees bark, or with some of the items in your nature kit!
Alma's garden
These videos are about Alma's garden and plants in that garden! We are posting these regularly. IF they inpsire you to do a drawing or painting or perhaps a poem, we hope you will share with us at eagleandcondorcollective@gmail.com
Alma talks about the white pine tree in Haudenasaunee oral history, Do you know stories about trees? Perhaps draw out the story you know or take time to draw a tree in your neighbourhood!
Alma talks about working in the farms near Six Nations as a youth. Have you gardened? Did you have a job? Perhaps a parent could tell you about their first time working. You could do a drawing inspired by her story, or one of you own!
Marg shares some traditional knowledge about the raspberry including its use as a tea (the leaves). What traditonal medicines do you know about in your own culture? Perhaps you could write about this or do a painting of a plant that is medicinal!
Alma talks about mint in her garden and some uses for it. Do you drink mint tea? Do you plant tea in the garden or in a pot?
Marg shares other info. about mint as a medicinal tea
More mini art workshops including composition and colour!
These videos were shot in Alma's yard or at the museum with both Edgar and Marg teaching art ideas related to the cycle of life!
Marg shows how to use a viewfinder to create a composition!
Watch this brief video where Marg introduces using colour in your artwork of plants and other aspects of the natural world.
After watching this video on monoprinting consider doing some with supplies in your art kit or around the house! We did printing like this in circle of life with voc free paints on recycled fabric and canvas boards! Check those photos out in that section of our website!
In these three videos, Edgar shows how he drew feathers that Alma gave us. Marg and volunteers collected feathers in L'nu territory from beaches on the Atlantic Ocean. Those feathers are in our nature kits that come with each art kit! After watching the videos, you can try drawing the feather in your art kit and do it on good paper or in your sketchbook or both! Click on each of these photos to see the three videos.
More videos from Alma's garden - plants and more!
These videos were shot in Alma's garden. We give you some thoughts on how they can give you ideas for artworks about plants!
Alma shares the sage plants she grows in her front yard and harvests for smudging! In your own culture(s) are plants used in prayer and ceremony? Perhaps you could draw memories of how plants are use in your cultural traditions. Do this in your sketchbook and if you like it, do a colour version on art paper!
Alma talks about the ostrich fern that grows abundantly in her garden!
Marg talks about mosquitoes and the fern plant!
The fiddle head is a traditional food and medicine for the L'nu. Do you have plants in your traditional territories or land of origin that you can pick to use as tea, or food? IF so, draw a memory of how someone uses it or serves it to others!
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