Jackson Pollock / Drip Painting

Mini Biography

Jackson Pollock was born in Wyoming on January 28, 1912. He was the youngest of 5 boys. Jackson had a bad temper and was kicked out of several schools. During his childhood his family moved to Arizona and California where his father worked as a land surveyor. In 1930 Pollock joined his brother Charles in New York City to study art with Thomas Hart Benton (another famous painter). Even though Pollock didn’t copy the subject matter of Benton, he did like the wavy liquidness of the lines he used. (See Martha’s Vineyard by Benton).

Pollock style of painting became known as abstract expressionism, which means emotion is shown through an idea. There is nothing in the painting that was supposed to look like anything. He painted lines and color to show emotion only. Pollock became famous for laying his canvases on the floor and dripping paint onto them. He used regular house paint instead of art paint. His brushes never touched the canvas; instead they dripped and drizzled paint all over the surface. These paintings were usually very big, similar to a bed sheet in size. He would also fling, splatter, and pour, but he said nothing was by accident, he controlled everywhere the paint went by how his body moved while putting it on the canvas.

Pollock was married to another artist Lee Krasner, who also did abstract expressionism. She helped him achieve his fame by helping set up shows. Pollock was patronized by Peggy Guggenheim. He died when he was 44 years old in a drunk driving accident. He had been in treatment for alcoholism for many years.

Tie In to Project

Pollock used dark colors to show emotion when he was sad and brighter colors in more happy times. Choose 3-5 shades of color for your painting.

Project

Create an 8x10 drip painting.

Find an area where painting can dry on the floor for 24 hours. Cover the floor with newspaper, place 8x10 sheets of paper on the floor. Let the students choose 3-5 different craft tubes of left over acrylic paint (or fill with non-toxic house paint). With clothes protected with long smocks, gently squeeze the tubes to release paint. Try doing straight lines, dots, and circular motions. Do not try to draw anything with the drips. Try different effects from being close the paper and far away. Layer the colors and use some of the layers that were on the bottom again. When finished let it dry. Don’t touch the paper until it is finished drying.

Materials

Newspaper

Paper

Tubes of craft acrylic paint

Variations

Do as a large group project on an old bed sheet or canvas. Start in the center and build your way out.

Follow up

See what emotions are conveyed through color and layers.