Resource for Elisabeth Frink and Graham Sutherland, Willow Brook Primary School Dame Elisabeth Frink (1930–1993) Long-Eared Owl Lammergeier two prints from the Birds of Prey portfolio 1974 etching and aquatints Lammergeier shows a type of bearded vulture that lives in remote mountain areas across southern Europe, Africa and India, and is a species threatened with extinction. This huge bird has a wingspan of up to 3 metres. About the artist Dame Elisabeth Jean Frink (14 November 1930 – 18 April 1993) was an English sculptor and printmaker. She was born in Suffolk, and studied art in Guildford and London. While she was a student, the Tate Gallery bought one of her sculptures and this was the start of her successful career. Themes in her early drawings include wounded birds and falling men. Birds of prey were one of Elisabeth Frink’s favourite subjects in her art. As a child, living in the countryside, she remembered watching bomber planes flying overhead, while her father was abroad fighting in the Second World War. As an adult, she was interested in exploring different personalities of birds of prey. Their fierceness reminded her of how scared she had felt as a child. She was part of a postwar group of British sculptors, dubbed the Geometry of Fear school, that included Reg Butler, Bernard Meadows, Kenneth Armitage and Eduardo Paolozzi. Frink’s subject matter included men, birds, dogs, horses and religious motifs, but very seldom any female forms. She lived for a time in the mountains of the south of France, before returning to live in Dorset. She had many exhibitions around the world and made sculptures for St Paul’s Cathedral, London, and Salisbury Cathedral, Wiltshire. In 1982, the Queen awarded Frink the special honour of a damehood, and one year before she died, she was awarded the ‘Companion of Honour’, in recognition for her work as an artist. Frink was one of five 'Women of Achievement' selected for a set of British stamps issued in August 1996. Her Times obituary noted the three essential themes in her work as "the nature of Man; the 'horseness' of horses; and the divine in human form". Links Frink at Tate: https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artists/dame-elisabeth-frink-1124 Listen to Elizabeth Frink discussing her work - a British Library recording. https://sounds.bl.uk/Arts-literature-and-performance/ICA-talks/024M-C0095X0164XX-0100V0 ART ACTIVITY Make an owl mask Reception upwards After looking at the owl prints, try this art activity. Materials: paper plate scissors felt tip pens or paints scraps of craft materials, eg feathers to decorate paper cup cake cases (optional) glue Draw eyes and cut out holes Carefully trim a shallow ‘V’ from above the middle of each eye to the centre cut it out in one piece. Save the trimmed paper (this will be your beak). Cut away the same amount below the eyes, leaving the serrated paper plate edge at each side. Paper cup cake cases can be attached around the eyes. The beak is made by sticking the paper plate trimmed from above the eyes. You can paint it first, then stick it under the eye holes. Decorate the mask. Once mask is dry, it can be attached to the face with elastic or held on a stick, or simply held. Explore moving like an owl. Try moving as quietly as an owl. Make a monoprint Monoprints (transfer prints) are a simple form of printmaking that can be made using non-toxic paints and without a printing press. This simple activity allows students to be spontaneous in their markmaking, and provides an introduction to using processes. Materials: Ink roller Water based printing ink A sheet of A4 plastic or Perspex thin paper, such as newsprint objects for mark making 1. Use a roller to evenly roll out ink on the surface of the sheet 2. Place a piece of thin paper over the plastic sheet 3. Use the rounded end of a pencil and other blunt tools to draw onto the paper 4. Carefully lift the paper to reveal the drawing on the reverse. ADDITIONAL OWL ACTIVITIES The following activities in this Teachers Pack: Key Stage One are suggested as ways of using the process of learning about owls as a route into activities in many parts of the curriculum. Science The owl’s place in the environment Activities 1. Find out what Owls eat. What do their prey eat? Introduce simple food chains. Make a class picture / chart of a food chain. 2. The owl is a raptor/hunter. What other raptors are in the UK? What other raptors can you identify in the world? What do raptors have to help them catch prey? 3. Play the “Find the Bird of Prey” game. 4. Find out about flying Wings instead of arms. The role of feathers. Hollow bones with “honeycomb” strengthening structures make the bird very light. Owls fly almost silently – can you find out how they do this? Resources for Teachers Pack: Key Stage One 1. www.owlpages.com 2. www.ypte.org.uk 3. “Find the Bird of Prey” sheet 4. “Facts about Owls” sheet Geography Owls are found on every continent except Antarctica. There are over two hundred different species which range in size from tiny Elf Owls only 5 centimetres long to the huge European Eagle Owl which can be as long as 80 centimetres. Owls have a high profile in almost every culture – they are either venerated or despised, worshipped or feared. Activities 1. Select a geographical region and an owl that lives there and find out as much as possible about the habitat / environment. Food. Hunting times. The people’s attitude to owls The threats to the owls’ sustainability etc. 2. Make a picture map of the area and put the results in your investigations. Find the country/area on the globe. Resources 1. www.owlpages.com History Owls appear in Egyptian Hieroglyphics ( opportunity for a side investigation of picture writing) and are mentioned in the bible. William Shakespeare is probably the originator of the” Tuwhit Tuwhoo” transliteration of the Tawny Owl’s call (This is usually two owls calling and responding to each other rather than one owl. One says, “Tuwhit” and the other replies, “Tuwhoo” ). Athene the Goddess of Athens, Wisdom and War had Little Owls as her messengers. The people of Athens venerated the Little Owl and encouraged them to live in the city on the Acropolis. For centuries a little owl could be found on the four drachma coin and is still depicted on the one Euro coin of Greece today. The following suggested activities and the accompanying resources should give teachers ideas of how the study of owls and other birds of prey can illuminate and bring a focus to learning across the curriculum in the latter years of primary school work. KS2 Science Activities 1. Create a diagram of a food chain or pyramid with either the Barn Owl or the Tawny Owl at the top. What does each animal eat? What are its habits and habitat? 2. Identify raptors among the bird species of the UK/your local region/ a specific local area. Find out about the places where they live – habitat. In what ways have each of the raptors developed adaptations to hunt in their habitats. Consider appearance, physical adaptations, sight, hearing and choice of prey animals etc. 3. How do you recognise different birds of prey? Name the different parts of a bird’s anatomy. Language Development and Story Telling Activities 1. Find story books that include owls as characters. Work out a “sequel” to the book. 2. Some people see owls as wise, friendly creatures. Tell a story using a “wise old owl” as a character. Other people think of owls being frightening, ghost-like apparitions. Make up a story about a ghost owl! 3. Put up a picture of an owl and see how many adjectives the children can come up with to describe it. 4. How many words rhyme with – owl, hoot, flight, eyes. Physical Development Activities 1. Owls are known for their silent flight. Develop ways of moving around without making a noise. 2. Blindfold one child or get them to stand facing a wall. They are the “mouse”. See how close the others can get before the mouse hears them! Numbers Activities 1. Using the internet, find out how many Flight feathers birds have How many mice and voles a Barn Owl family will eat in a year. 2. Find a pattern for an owl nest box and draw out the pieces needed full size. You can do this on flip chart paper or on a suitable floor/wall/ board using chalk etc. https://theowlstrust.org/owl-hub/owl-education-programmes/teachers-pack-ks2/ PROMPT WRITING ABOUT BIRDS (Comprehension) “It's fierce, and it's wild, an' it's not bothered about anybody, not even about me right. And that's why it's great.” ― Barry Hines, A Kestrel for a Knave Background A Kestrel for a Knave by Barry Hines was first published in 1968. Troubled teenager Billy Casper lives in a Yorkshire mining town. His life holds little interest or meaning for him until he finds a kestrel hawk. Billy teaches himself falconry and begins to work with Kes. Through this relationship he begins to learn about trust, responsibility and love. Billy's teacher has persuaded Billy to share what he has learned about falconry. Billy has never before shown much interest in class so his teacher is surprised at his specialist knowledge and vocabulary.