Local Materials Used in Creating Art

Quarter 2, Lesson 2

The choice of art materials is a vital part of the artist's approach to his or her work and it is important to pick
the right kind of materials. As a new or budding student-artist, any artwork that you will be creating is
considered as contemporary art provided that it is an original concept. It should be conceived by the artist
him or herself. Call it reproduction or personal rendition, copying somebody else's work is short of making
some kind of artistic plagiarism. It's duplicating an original artwork with or without insignificant changes.

In creating a unique and original contemporary artwork, many artists rely on the appropriate and adequate
supply of art materials. Local art materials are locally available materials from the region, province, city or
town. The availability and accessibility of local art materials make them convenient and easy to use in
creating art. Local art materials in combination with the tools and equipment used to create art are referred
to collectively as art media. For example, paint and brush, paint is the material, and brush is the tool,
together they make art media.

LOCAL - belonging to or connected with a particular place or area that you are taking about or with the
place where you live

Examples: local hospital, local church, local music

LOCAL MATERIALS

o The resources that can be found readily in large quantity at a particular location or area at a certain
time
o Materials that can be used to fabricate (create) a finished element (product)
o Materials that could be abundant in some area but are not available in another

Local and Indigenous Art Materials

It is important to distinguish the difference between indigenous art materials and local art materials.
Anything indigenous naturally comes from the place or locality. It is not introduced to the place or imported
from somewhere else. Whereas, anything local also comes from the place or locality but may or may not be
originally part of that place or locality. It could have been introduced to the place or locality by colonists or
settlers from other places.

Indigenous art materials are materials that are natural or inherent from the place or locality. It has been
there right from the start. All indigenous art materials are local materials but not all local art materials are
indigenous. Local art materials could be a mix of indigenous art materials and introduced art materials.

What are some of the local materials used in contemporary art?

 Abaca
- Abaca belongs to the family of bananas.
- Its fiber has a natural luster of colors ranging from pure white to ivory and dark brown.
- Famous products out of this local material include: slippers, ropes, twine, hammock, frame, display
jar, and Chelsea chair.

 Coconut Shells or Bao

- Are actually used for wood carving, improvised cooking utensils and myriads of other uses.
Laminated coconut shells are considered as almost the same as the quality and appearance of
turquoise shells or ivory. Coconut shells are bountiful anywhere in the country where coconut palm
trees, scientifically known as Cocos nucifera, are planted. These shells are byproducts of coconut
fruit processing.

 Bamboo
- Bamboo is used as a raw material in creating many products. It is typically used in construction, or
textiles, and as musical instruments or weapons.
- Famous products created from this local material are Kubing, bungkaka, tongatong, angklung,
pateteg, and gabbang.

 Capiz or Kapis Shells

- Come from the windowpane oyster, a bivalve marine mollusk in the family of Placunidae. They are
abundant in the Philippines, commonly found along the coastal waters. Cleaned and processed capiz
shells are used for various artistic applications like windows, lanterns, and walling.

 Rattan
- Rattan belongs to the palm family which can be high or low climbers, single stemmed or clustered
rattan species.
- One can see baskets, picture frames, furniture and other novelty items, Zoya lounge chair, Valencia
queen size bed, Rest divan, wall coverings, upholstery materials, folding doors and window hangings
out of this local material.

 Small or Cowrie Shells or Sigay

- scientifically named Cypraea chinensi, measure about 2 centimeters each. They are often used in
shell jewelry and shell craft work. They are popular for their vibrant color. They are found on sandy
seafloor around the Philippine islands.

 Junk
- which are old or discarded articles, are considered useless or of little value but for the creative eyes
of an artist they are essential in creating a well- known art form called junk art. The discarded
materials stored or hidden away inside homes or thrown in garbage bins are usually made up of
plastic, wood and metal.
  Dried leaves
- falling off from branches of trees and plants are inexhaustible. Ranging from pale yellow to dark
brown, dried leaves are plentiful throughout the year. Dried leaves art is already considered a craft of
its own. Palm, pandanus, or sea grass leaves are used to create artistic mats or banig.

 Plant seeds
- can be acquired from farms and rural areas. Others can be bought commercially like corn, sorghum,
mung beans, sunflower and the like. Seed art can be found in certain localities. They are distinct for
their creative and colorful designs.

 Rocks and sand

- of various types are abundant. allowing for varied art forms.
- They vary in size and color, allowing for varied art forms.

Local art materials can be classified as traditional and non-traditional. Traditional art materials available
locally are those that are usually bought from department stores and bookstores. They include crayons, oil
pastel, watercolor, colored pencils and other usual materials used in school. Non-traditional art materials are
materials that are not usually used in creating art like coffee, plastic bottles and recyclable materials that are
similar to those used in junk art.