Robyn’s post about her potato print task stands out to me immediately because she mentions digging her potatoes out of her garden and teaching art. I also enjoy vegetable gardening and I am also an art teacher.
Like Robyn, I also did not pre-draw the letters onto the potatoes and I also used acrylic paint as my ink. Like Robyn, I was also aware that I would have to carve certain letters backwards so that they would appear correctly when printed. After reading Robyn’s post as well as a handful of others, I am left wondering how much the arts has helped Robyn and I be able to more naturally understand that we when printing letters or text, directionality is important. For many others this task seemed challenging. I suppose this may be because it has been years since they have done anything like potato printing, so it is not something they are accustomed to doing. Reflecting on this, I realize yet another way the arts can help students in developing their ability to think through problems and conceptualize their work. In a similar vein, I have recently realized that I am quite skilled at writing upside down. Because I often work across my desk from students, I write so that it is the correct orientation for them when they are sitting across from. This means, it is upside down for me. Yet, with some practice, I have been able to refine this skill.