Artists for Kids: Joan Mead-Matsui
Art education can inspire creativity and originality by opening children’s minds to the imaginative works of contemporary artists. Joan Matsui is a “Paper Artist”, who creates beautiful artwork using the Japanese technique of torn paper collage, which is called Chigirie. Joan discovered her passion for paper art at an early age. As a child, she used to made doll clothes from facial tissues. When she was a teenager, she created her own stationery to write to her friends. Later, she married and traveled with her husband to Japan, where she discovered Chigirie.
What Kids Can Learn From Matsui
(Art for Kids)
Chigirie is the Japanese art of tearing paper to create a collage. It is also known as painting with paper, but there are no other materials involved except paper and glue. Children can do basic Chigirie when their motor skills allow them to tear paper and paste scraps on just about any surface. The paper needn’t be fancy or the design elaborate, just about any decorative gift wrap or colored tissue paper can be used to teach children how to use paper to paint a picture. Finished Chigirie is a collage comparable to a painting. Matsui brings creativity to children by introducing this new media using her style and technique for inspiration.
Matsui’s art is wonderful for kids. It challenges the children to use their right brain while they apply this new art technique. Children will continue to develop fine motor skills by tearing the paper and by learning to overlap pieces of paper. By creating layers of paper they will create different colors and textures in their collage, all without using scissors or paints. With Matsui’s art style art education takes a new twist!
Learn more about Joan Matsui on the web at: