Chance

After reading about chance, I believe that whether artists have recognized it or not, there has always been an element of chance involved in the art-making process. Whether the chance occurred in the changing color of drying paint, blending of watercolors when they run together in a painting, or the way the ink reacts on a plate during printmaking, as artists we can never be exactly sure what the final result will be as we begin a new piece. I had not known the background behind the word Dada before reading this text, and now I will always remember the meaning of this "idea" in art. The perfect nonsense word to represent work created with such a lack of control - "the voluntary destruction of the bourgeois world of ideas."

I find this concept to be extremely refreshing. There are times when we create artwork simply because it pleases us. Some of these works turn out to be the most aesthetically beautiful. I am one who love the element of chance in artwork and I think it's equally as important to teach in art that "mistakes" are opportunity as much as it's important to be intentional in creating. I plan to give my students a variety of exercises throughout the year that encourage them to simply experiment, play and take chances! I think it's important for me to remember in my own artwork to take time to make art with chance because that is where some of the greatest discoveries happen. How can I expect my students to take chances in their artwork if I don't take time to experience chance myself?