Nature inspires artists in many different ways. Charles Ross is an artist and scientist who uses sunlight and starlight as the source for his art. He makes large prisms that focus light into different indoor spaces. He uses other media like photography and printmaking to show how the prisms change light. A prism is a clear piece of glass or other see-through material that reflects light in a special way. Prisms usually have three sides and are shaped like a long triangle. When white light passes through a prism, all the different colors that make up white light separate, creating a rainbow! Ross’ silkscreen “Star Space Daylight R” shows bands of light separating into colors.
What do you notice about the order of the colors? What does this print look like to you? What is a way nature inspires you?
In this activity, you will use nature to create a rainbow.
For this activity you will need:
- A sturdy piece of paper
- Glue
- A rainbow of natural elements
To make your nature rainbow:
- Head outside! Take a nature walk around your yard, your neighborhood or a park.
- Collect different pieces of nature. You will need as many red, orange, yellow, green, blue and violet (purple) elements as you can find. Look for flowers, leaves or even pieces of grass. How many different examples of each color can you find?
- Organize your nature treasures into a rainbow on your piece of paper. Try arranging them into the same color pattern as Ross’s print.
- Make your rainbow into a shape. We used a prism for inspiration and made a triangle.
- Finalize your design, and glue down the pieces. Tip: Use a glue stick for flat pieces and wet glue for larger bits.
