We recently spent a creative weekend in East Hampton touring the famous Pollock-Krasner House and Study Center and afterward participated in a drip-painting workshop on the gorgeous grounds.
The property was home to husband-wife artists Jackson Pollack (1912-1956)—famous for his drip-art technique—and Lee Krasner (1908-1984). The main house is a slice of well preserved-history, built in 1879, and our visit began with a tour of the home. It’s a classic 19th-century farmers’ and fisherman’s home that still holds many furnishings and relics that belonged to Pollock and Krasner at the time of Krasner’s death. Although this part wasn’t of much interest to our 6 year old, she maintained enough attention to complete the tour.
We ended the tour in the barn, which served as a converted art studio where we could see remnants and drippings of Pollock’s original drip paintings. The designs on the floor were enough to inspire our daughter for her dip painting session, which started just after the tour and took place on the lawn right outside.
The drip-painting workshop was led by artist and writer Joyce Raimondo. She provided a canvas, paints, and Popsicle sticks for kids to use to try their own drip painting. Our whole family joined as we made angry splatters, happy splashes, silly drips, and slow trickles across our canvas. We brought a smock for our daughter, who managed to still get paint in her hair, though fortunately it washed off easily. The activity took about 30 minutes and we now have our very own Jackson Pollock-inspired drip painting hanging in our home, which our whole family made.
This fun experience is $35 per person and includes: artist canvas board, paint supplies, museum admission, and private tour geared to families before the museum is open to the public.
You can also arrange a private lesson or private museum tours.
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