R.A. Miller was a Georgia artist who is best known for his cut-out metal works of art. He was a self-taught artist, which means he didn’t go to school to study art. He made art about everyday life in his community. Miller liked to make simple figures using blocks of color and wide brush strokes. What do you notice about the colors in this work of art?
R.A. Miller (American, 1912 – 2006) and Durwood Pepper (American), “(Self) Portrait with a Blow Oskar Cutout,” n.d. Enamel paint on tin. 67 3/4 × 24 5/8 inches. Georgia Museum of Art, University of Georgia; The Mullis Collection, Gift of Carl and Marian Mullis in honor of Larry Forte. GMOA 2009.132.
Miller worked together with another Georgia artist named Durwood Pepper to make this cut-out. They used found objects to make it. Found objects are materials that you can find around your house, yard or neighborhood and turn into art. This cut-out is a self-portrait of Miller holding a figure named Blow Oskar. Blow Oskar was his cousin. He got that nickname because he would drive by Miller’s house each day blowing his car horn! Is there someone in your life you would make a work of art about? What kind of found objects might you use?
In this activity, you’ll create a popsicle-stick portrait of someone important to you using found objects. You can choose to create your portrait by yourself or ask someone to collaborate with you!
For this activity you will need:
- craft or popsicle sticks
- markers
- scissors
- glue
- found objects like fabric scraps, aluminum foil, buttons, pipe cleaners or ribbons
To make your popsicle-stick portrait:
- Think about the person you’re making a portrait of. Is there anything about them that stands out?
- Cut off the bottom third of a wide popsicle stick to make the body. Cut a second popsicle-stick in half and glue the two halves to the bottom of the first stick to create legs.
- Think about what you want your popsicle person to wear. Is there a color or type of outfit that they like? Using the found materials, create an outfit for them. You can lay the figure on a piece of construction paper to create an outline for a shirt, dress or another type of clothing.
- Cut out the clothing and glue it to the popsicle figure on the opposite side of the legs.
- Create arms using a pipe cleaner or other materials. Attach them to the back of the figure. Draw a face on the popsicle person using markers.
- Complete your popsicle-stick portrait by adding buttons, pompoms, bottle caps or any other materials to create a hat, hair or other accessories. What makes your popsicle person unique?