Art exists in a wide range of styles, some realistic or abstract, others symbolic. The style always indicates to the perceptive viewer the state of mind of the artist when the image was created. As Leonardo said, "All art is self-portrait."

As artists/teachers, we have an opportunity to help our students reflect and understand their adolescence. We can offer them a symbolic introspective mirror that looks at the diversity of their thinking, moods, and emotions that they experience each day. In doing so, we are offering our students opportunities for greater understanding and personal expression.

Visual Problem:
Students will develop a larger-than-life bold self-portrait which reflects both their physical qualities and their unique internal psychology, using the language of art as their means of expression.

Materials:
18" X 24" newsprint paper 18" X 24" white vellum paper 12" square. (mirrors one per student) Portfolio Series Oil Pastels ( 24 per box)

Pre-Activity:
Begin with a general discussion about the significance of expression through the use of artistic materials. Remind students that as human beings, we are multifaceted and unique in our personalities and perceptions about life. As a result, we have many varied ways of self-expression and thinking.

Share that our human minds are very complex and that in adolescence this can feel like trying to put together puzzle pieces that don't seem to fit naturally or easily. Complex struggles can ensue as the individual wrestles with significant growth changes, both physically and psychologically. Another major influence that impacts their lives is their home life and those people who affect them in the most dynamic ways.

Explain to students that as human beings, symbolically we have an internal universe locked inside each of us, filled with complex feelings, emotions, cognitive thought processes, and spiritual energy. We only allow a small portion of these personal aspects to surface and be expressed. It is through this expression and reactions to it that we gain understanding about ourselves and others. Through introspective thinking, reflecting, and expression, we grow and become the complete people we are meant to be. Artists are some of the fortunate few who have an outlet for their thoughts, feelings, and emotions.

Show examples of the visual changes seen in the portrait work of Vincent Van Gogh throughout his life. Also share examples of Frida's portraits to show the emotional impact of color. Picasso's work offers powerful emotional impact through varied styles. Also share any other expressive contemporary portrait images that you feel will motivate the students (such as American painter Chuck Close).

Process:
Part 1 - 1 Students begin the cognitive process of this self-portrait study by creating two written lists, one of their physical qualities and the other showing more subjective qualities that describe who they are as human beings.

Students begin by listing words that describe their easily identifiable physical characteristics such as color of eyes, hair, etc. Also included is anything that would be unique to themselves such as wearing glasses, piercings, length of hair etc. Basically this should result in an honest perception about how they physically perspective themselves.

Students then list their personality traits, values, emotional strengths and weakness. This list can be of single words such as thoughtful, considerate, loyal, angry, positive, creative, etc. Encourage them to allow the adjectives to flow freely, choosing those words that describe and define who they are as a person. This list is confidential and will be shared in terms of how they apply the information artistically to their work.

Part 2 - Students are then asked to translate symbolically this written language into artistic language, using qualities such as line, color, texture, form or shape. This is a symbolic interpretation and not intended for the use of literal images. Students are not permitted to use hearts, flowers, lightening bolts, question marks, etc.

Examples given:
An angry or aggressive personal quality might be represented by bold lines, angular shapes, strong colors, rough textures, etc. A friendly quality might be represented by rounded forms, soft warm colors, flowing line, smooth texture, and so on. Students are asked: "What kinds of lines could represent you? What varied colors, shapes or textures best describe you? Is only one kind of visual representation in any given area enough to share your unique qualities?" In answering this students are to explore varying qualities of line, shape, color mixing, and changing color density, as well as varied textures. This part can be completed in the student's sketch book, adding a degree of confidentiality to the visual thinking.

Continue by asking students:
"What makes a successful self portrait?" Also: "What do you want to say about yourself that will give the viewer an indication of who you are?" Engaging images in art museums and art books are the ones that invite the viewer back to see more.

Part 3 - The drawing process begins with a light line drawing of a larger-than-life self-portrait on an 18" X 24" newsprint paper. Provide each student with a mirror to observe their features. The students' images of their heads should fill the space and include their neck and collar. Instruct students to be as honest as possible while observing their image. They are therefore encouraged to exaggerate any aspect or dominant features. This process is not intended to be a realistic or a fully developed portrait study, but a loose, expressive first draft. This newsprint image can be used to experiment with oil pastels before the large white final image is begun.

Students then draw their image in light pencil line on the white vellum paper (18" X 24") as a guideline for further development in oil pastels. Oil pastels by nature are an expressive media, offering fluidity of line, color, and texture. The image will combine how a person looks from the outside with symbols showing how they see themselves on the inside. These two elements coming together on this large paper will create a bold and highly personal self portrait.

Student Choices:
the degree of symbolic personal exposure in words and in imagery size of work

Evaluation:
Have students use reflective writing to respond to the following questions. This is not part of the grading assessment but to have the students understand the depth of their thinking.

Ask Students:
"How Does your image best represent your unique characteristics? (both physical and psychologically) " "Which aspect of your portrait is eye catching?" "Why?" "How did you apply your specific knowledge of your personal attributes and qualities to enhance your self portrait?"

Results and Observations:
The confidential symbolic visual descriptions (first developed in their sketchbooks) encouraged the required honesty which impacted their final color image. The beginning newsprint sketch, used experimentally with oil pastels, became a valuable part of the process. Students defined their visual form in pencil, understood the application of the oil pastel media, and began the thinking process by using the language of art to express their personal attributes. Students worked thoughtfully as they developed their image in personalized color. They used some of their chosen colors to unify their image to the background. They also appreciated the soft blendable quality that the Portfolio Series Oil Pastels offers. Most students used 18" X 24" paper, some worked 22" X 30", and one chose to work 4 ft. X 8 ft., creating a truly dynamic self-portrait. Students' reflective writing revealed their thinking process and offered me, as their teacher, valuable insight into how they see themselves as people. This was confidential and only made public if they chose to share the information. There were some overall similarities to the meaning students attributed to their color selection. In describing their personal qualities, some used yellow (happiness/upbeat thinking), green (life/creativity), blue (thoughtfulness/determination/ shyness/calmness), black (aggressiveness/sadness), and red (anger/irritability). Complimentary colors represented conflict or contradictions in emotions. These subjective interpretations reflected their thinking and gave richer meaning to their work. Time Frame: 10 Class periods (46 min. periods)

1 class to introduce project and generate the two lists 2 classes to draw on newsprint and experiment with color on this rough draft 7 classes to create the final image on white vellum Resources:

Scholastic Art Magazine Post cards from the BP Portrait Award 1999, National Portrait Gallery, London, England Varied art books from school media center Conclusion: Because we were artists before we became art educators, we realize the importance of our own personal visual expression. I believe this concept is an important one for high school students to understand. With this in mind, one significant goal in art education is to provide opportunities that encourage our students towards a richer understanding of themselves and provide outlets for their personal expression. Expression is first based on introspection and reflection, then combined with increased skills and understanding of media. This process will ultimately result in greater personal results in their work.

My perceptions about adolescence remained consistent with my previous understanding. Adolescents are in a process of trying to put all the puzzle pieces of their lives together and therefore are filled with conflicting feelings. They feel both secure and insecure, profoundly happy and sad, balanced and unbalanced -- all in a relatively short amount of time. Their visual work and evaluative writing reflected this thinking.

Students understood that really great self-portraits are both expressive and personally revealing. Success of this visual challenge spans a combination of factors. It includes seeing a wide range of portrait examples, students reflecting on both their physical and psychological attributes, the creation of a bold image, and the reflective writing that offers the students insight about their process. As a result, impressive and engaging expressive images were generated.