Language Arts Tutoring - Online Programs and Resources for Students

Language Arts Tutoring - Online Programs and Resources for StudentsOnline language arts tutoring has been increasing in popularity as students are seeking to augment their language learning capabilities. These programs have proven themselves in offering the best language learning facilities and educational programs. Those who plan to pursue higher education or those who just need to brush up on their language abilities will find the services of these tutors useful. Most of the online programs are equipped with online interactive lessons that enable users to practice as well as acquire more knowledge at their own pace.The most common tutoring package offered by universities and colleges is that of language tutoring. With this, students can learn the basic conversational Spanish in a fast and convenient manner. This is especially useful to people who wish to move ahead with their career in the field of business or studies.Students may also opt for online programs that offer teaching in a classroom setting. The advantages of this option are that students can meet like-minded individuals who may offer extra tips and support during their studies. Furthermore, it helps students explore different styles of teaching that may be different from their peers. Additionally, the interaction between tutor and student facilitates the development of a deep understanding.Online programs are offered for every level of Spanish speaking abilities. These include elementary, middle and high school students. There are also specialized online, Spanish tutoring programs for college students, adults, business people and even for families who need a little help with their child's Spanish learning.Today, online language arts tutoring is offered by universities and colleges as well as private companies. The cost of tuition is affordable for those who need the assistance of native English speakers. Students who enroll in these programs are provided with an international environment where the y can immerse themselves in a variety of study materials such as books, audio tapes, video clips and video lectures.It is important for students to explore all the resources available before selecting a language online program. This will help them understand the learning objectives and expectations of the program and will also enable them to select the best online program suited to their needs.In addition, it is important to research the reputation of the online program you are interested in enrolling. It is essential to consider whether the program is accredited, whether they have qualified instructors and how they ensure a good standard of learning in the language they teach. Lastly, students should investigate on the fees charged for the language arts tutoring program.

Bayan Gardens School

Bayan Gardens School Bayan Gardens School Community: Located in the Eastern Province of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Alkhobar is a thriving commercial and industrial center. The main industry is oil. Parents of students are employed in medical, business, banking and engineering fields. 60% of the parents have a college degree. Schools: Bayan Gardens Schools are a college preparatory K-12 private elite schools with two branches, one for girls with a student body of over 600 students and 200 faculty members and the other for boys with a student body of over 100 students and 30 faculty members. The schools opened in fall of 1999 and its first senior class graduated in the spring of 2012. Bayan Gardens Schools is accredited by the Saudi Ministry of Education and AdvancED. Calendar: BGS schools year begins in September and ends in June. Students attend schools 179 days, divided between 4 quarters and 2 semesters. Classes are 40 minutes each and meet 5 times a week, Sunday to Thursday. Curriculum: Bayan Gardens has a unique dual Arabic and English curriculum. In grades 1-3, the day is organized in 10 periods, with five periods taught in Arabic and five periods taught in English. In grades 4-12, BGS follows the American Diploma Program, where 7 periods are offered in English and 3 in Arabic. Elementary core curriculum consists of English Language Arts, Math, Science, Arabic Literature, Islamic Studies and Social Studies. In addition to the core academic subjects, students are required to take Computers, Math lab, Science lab, Art, Guided Reading and P.E that is included in the instructional day. BGS Middle and High schools (MHS) offers 2 programs: The Math and Science Academy and the Regular Program. MHS core curriculum consists of English Language Arts, Math (Pre- Algebra, Algebra 1, Algebra 2, Pre-calculus, Applied calculus, Geometry, Statistics) Science (Integrated Science, Physics, Biology, Chemistry, Anatomy and Physiology, Biochemistry and Gateway to Engineering), Economics and Personal Finance.

What Kind of Job is Right for You

What Kind of Job is Right for You Image via unsplash.com Take a career test (or multiple) as a starting point Just as there may be multiple guides or career center counselors helping guide you into the decision on which job is right for you, there are also plenty of tests designed to help you narrow down a list of career option. Of course, this is going to be a lot different than setting up an appointment with a counselor from your campus career center and getting personalized advice solely for you, but it may be helpful to take a few career tests to help you narrow down a list of careers that you can use to find the job that is right for you. If you do decide to take multiple career tests, try identifying jobs that reoccur in every test result. Something that comes up more often can be seen as more accurate and can be something worth looking into as a career option. Career tests wont always give you the right answer or the perfect career fit, but it can help you start out by identifying specific career paths that are worth your while in a world where there a seemingly endless amount of options for you to pick from. A typical career test will ask you for your strengths, your weaknesses, your job aspirations, what you value in a career, and more. Career tests are definitely not the end game situation or will offer you up the job that is right for you on a silver platter, but it can definitely serve as an effective starting point when the options seem endless at the beginning of your job search. Identify your strengths and use them to your advantage When it comes to deciding what job is right for you, why not take advantage of the strengths and skill set you already have to help identify a job that is right for you? Something like a career test can help you identify your strengths, but you can also look to your past job experience and education to help you look for strengths that you have put to the test. Think back to a few positions you have filled out, whether it was in an extracurricular activity or a job, and recall the types of work you were expected to complete. Were there specific tasks that you excelled at over others, or skills that have been proven time and time again by different situations? Consider your communication skills. Are you often described as a people person or a team player? Are you often praised for your ability to deliver exceptional customer service skills? If so, look into careers that you can use your strengths to your advantage. Are you great in collaborative settings, or are you better off working alone? Consider your productivity levels when it comes to work environments if you are better off working alone or tend to be more self-driven, use that to your advantage when picking out which job is right for you. Here is a list of strengths that you may have and may want to consider using as the basis for your journey to find out which job is right for you: Communication skills customer service abilities, collaborative efforts. Human Resources may be the area you want to look into. Language skills if you can speak multiple languages, use it to your advantage for jobs that having fluency in multiple languages can help accelerate your career. Writing if you are known to have your way with written words, jobs that require you to write may bring you the successful future you are looking for. If youre lost on identifying your strengths, you may want to consider asking around to people who know you well friends, family, coworkers, supervisors that have gotten to know you and are able to identify your strong points. While you may not be able to recognize certain strengths on your own, those you surround yourself with may be able to do the job for you. Likewise, people that you trust and people that know you well will also be honest with you about something that you may think is your strength, but is actually not your strongest point. Infographic by Kaitlin Hurtado, via canva.com Dont rely solely on   passion, but dont rule it out completely   The phrases follow your heart or follow your dreams can often be thrown around when it comes to discussing your possible career options. It is the ideal option being able to do what you love and get paid for it when it becomes your actual career. However, we cant always realistically pick our career based on whatever you are most passionate about and the job that is right for you is not necessarily going to be based on whatever you are most passionate about. If you are thinking about narrowing down passions to consider when looking for the job that is right for you, here are some methods: Previous experience. Think of any extracurriculars or jobs that you have had over the years. Is there anyone in particular that you would be interested in building off of in order to build a full-time career? Hobbies and leisure activities. What leisure activities or hobbies do you stick to in your daily life? Building a career or finding out if you can turn your hobbies into a career is something worth looking into. What sparks your creativity? This may be the same as your hobby but think about the topics or interests that spark your creativity and productivity. What activities prompt you to be innovative and allow you to constantly challenge yourself and grow. If you can think of one, you may want to consider making a career based on it as it is something that allows you to have some drive. Passion can be a stepping stone in the journey that is singling out which job is right for you. Have a couple of causes or topics that you are really passionate about? Research what careers you can get related to that one passion. For example, if you are passionate about animals, you might not be able to just adopt every animal you can to help them out, but you can go into a career field where you can put energy and work into helping out the animals that you are passionate about. Picture yourself as a marine biologist and dedicating your career by contributing to the life of the animals that you love. Incorporating your passion into your process of picking out a job that is right for you is important, but its also important to consider other factors such as your fit for the job. Just because you are passionate about something, does not mean that you are automatically going to be the perfect fit for a certain job related to it or that the job is going to be a fit for you and your own personal needs. Consider your long term goals   Yes, change is bound to happen as time goes on, but when picking out which job is right for you, its important to consider the long term goals you have in the future. Your initial thoughts of long term goals will probably be your long term career goals, such as what company you want to work for, what position you want to reach, or general achievements you want to accomplish. These long term career goals are important, but it is also equally important to consider long term goals in other areas of your life. Do you plan on settling down into one place to create a stable life for yourself, or to stay grounded with your current support system close to what you call home? Choosing a job that allows you to stay in one place to establish a life for yourself with stability may be the perfect fit for you. Or if you want to spend your life traveling more often and having more freedom to move around as you please; this can be picking a career that allows you to travel and get paid to do so, or pick a career where you can have more control over your schedule and hours in order to travel. If you have a target salary that is high on your priorities list when it comes to the perfect job for you, you should also place importance on the type of career that would realistically give you the target salary that you are aiming for. Dont let any one specific goal be the ultimate deciding factor on choosing what job is good for you try to achieve a level of balance so that even if your goals change over time, it wont completely affect your career as your initial decisions were not relying on a single factor.  Be honest with yourself Picking out a job that is right for you starts with being honest and realistic with yourself. Sugarcoating reality will not do you any good it can actually hinder you from finding that job that is right for you. If youre looking at a certain career option and it sounds nice at the surface level, like it being a job that would make you look successful to your peers or that job just seems like a dream come true, it might not actually be the perfect fit for you when it comes down to you. Think about any one career option and focus on envisioning yourself in that career. The daily tasks, the lifestyle it will force you to take up, where the position will take you in your career and life. Can you imagine it as a possibility you want to actively seek out? Or is it something you would like for a couple of years then abandon when you realize that it doesnt make you happy? Remember that as much as you may want to start a specific career, you might not be able to be successful in it due to not have the right skill set or not being able to mesh with the lifestyle that it demands. A job that is right for you is a job that you can work successfully in and a job that will bring you the level of success you want to reach. Image via unsplash.com While you are trying to figure out which job is right for you, you may turn to different individuals or guides on how to find out which job is right for you, but at the end of the day, the job picked is the job you are going to have to do for yourself. Remember that your opinion, above all, is the most important when it comes to deciding what job is right for you because you know your priorities and needs better than anyone else ever will. The pressure may feel high and overwhelming at first, and you might not get the right choice at first, but just remember that every attempt and try is a learning experience and you will get to where you need to be! A mistake is just another opportunity to learn, and just another stepping stone to get you closer to finding out what job is right for you. Good luck!

Kumon Staff Pick Fever, 1793

Kumon Staff Pick Fever, 1793 Kumon Staff Pick: Fever, 1793 RRL Title: Fever, 1793 by Laurie Halse Anderson Grade/Kumon Level of Book: 9-12/H 7 Why do you personally enjoy this book? Fever, 1793 is a moving work of historical fiction that, once begun, is a hard one to put down. While it is a quick read, the character development is such that readers can feel as if they are reading about actual people and events. The narrative makes it easy to imagine what it was like during this devastating time in late 18th c. Philadelphia. This novel was awarded the Scott ODell Award for Historical Fiction in 2009. Why do you think students would enjoy this book? Mattie Cook, the protagonist and narrator, takes us through the horrific effects that yellow fever had on the citizens of our nation’s capital, Philadelphia, in the summer of 1793. Students may enjoy this novel, as it is told through a series of journal-type entries made by fourteen year old Mattie Cook. Her outspoken personality and quirky imagination keep readers engaged and wanting to know what is going to happen next. When one of her friends dies from the fever, it’s only the beginning of a chain of events that tests Mattie’s moral fiber. In order to survive, she must employ the independence and fortitude gained from helping her widowed mother and paternal grandfather run their family-owned coffeehouse. Mattie is forced to grow up quickly and leave her carefree youth behind to come to the aid of her family. This is a great story for students who are interested in American history. What skills and/or values might students gain by reading this book? Reading this book gives students an insight into what it was like to live in the late 1700s. Mattie has to trust her own judgement and, at times, remind herself of the right thing to do. Perseverance, dealing with loss, and hanging on to a dream in the face of adversity are a few of the values that are evident throughout the story. Students will also learn about the invaluable importance of a strong family bond. You might also be interested in: Kumon Staff Pick: Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry Kumon Staff Pick: Were Going on a Bear Hunt Kumon Staff Pick: My Father’s Dragon Kumon Staff Pick: Clown by Quentin Blake Kumon Staff Pick Fever, 1793 Kumon Staff Pick: Fever, 1793 RRL Title: Fever, 1793 by Laurie Halse Anderson Grade/Kumon Level of Book: 9-12/H 7 Why do you personally enjoy this book? Fever, 1793 is a moving work of historical fiction that, once begun, is a hard one to put down. While it is a quick read, the character development is such that readers can feel as if they are reading about actual people and events. The narrative makes it easy to imagine what it was like during this devastating time in late 18th c. Philadelphia. This novel was awarded the Scott ODell Award for Historical Fiction in 2009. Why do you think students would enjoy this book? Mattie Cook, the protagonist and narrator, takes us through the horrific effects that yellow fever had on the citizens of our nation’s capital, Philadelphia, in the summer of 1793. Students may enjoy this novel, as it is told through a series of journal-type entries made by fourteen year old Mattie Cook. Her outspoken personality and quirky imagination keep readers engaged and wanting to know what is going to happen next. When one of her friends dies from the fever, it’s only the beginning of a chain of events that tests Mattie’s moral fiber. In order to survive, she must employ the independence and fortitude gained from helping her widowed mother and paternal grandfather run their family-owned coffeehouse. Mattie is forced to grow up quickly and leave her carefree youth behind to come to the aid of her family. This is a great story for students who are interested in American history. What skills and/or values might students gain by reading this book? Reading this book gives students an insight into what it was like to live in the late 1700s. Mattie has to trust her own judgement and, at times, remind herself of the right thing to do. Perseverance, dealing with loss, and hanging on to a dream in the face of adversity are a few of the values that are evident throughout the story. Students will also learn about the invaluable importance of a strong family bond. You might also be interested in: Kumon Staff Pick: Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry Kumon Staff Pick: Were Going on a Bear Hunt Kumon Staff Pick: My Father’s Dragon Kumon Staff Pick: Clown by Quentin Blake

The New Energy Source From Carbon Nanofibers

The New Energy Source From Carbon NanofibersA new and innovative option for students in a Chemical Engineering course is the Carbon Nanofibers, a synthetic molecule that uses nanotechnology to make polymer panels from the inside out. The innovation that they provide is a new method of fabrication and an extension of polymer science, which is able to resolve the main issue facing materials scientists of various industries, namely how to manufacture cost effective but versatile polymers using their existing synthetic materials.Carbon Nanofibers (CNF) offer many advantages over their traditional counterparts. For one, the quality is better and the overall structure is stiffer, while the functional properties are better because of the inability of the CNF molecules to easily break down. In addition, the process of fabrication is more suitable for real industrial applications.The cost of carbon nmr is also lower than traditional manufacturing processes, because the material is more flexib le. The material can be manufactured with greater density, and hence faster production. The material is also more stable in temperature and is produced more efficiently in large volume to increase the output.On the other hand, the main disadvantage of carbon nmr is that they don't have physical structure as rigid as traditional materials. These drawbacks have been overcome by the incorporation of Graphene, which is a novel one-atom thick compound of graphite and carbon. Graphene is a one-way molecular channel of carbon and oxygen that facilitates the electrochemical transfer of electrons between these two layers and thus makes it a perfect conductor of electricity and water.Carbon nmr exhibits a large range of useful properties and gives an important advantage in industrial applications that one must consider while designing structures. Other advantages of these materials include superior quality, stiffer structure, large surface area, electrical conductivity, and potential to prote ct the environment from pollution and greenhouse gases.A team of carbon nmr researchers, led by Chemical Engineering Professor Daniel L. Deolali, has just released a new type of nanocomposite polymer, which offers the best combination of performance and flexibility. However, they are still working on more advanced systems to add extra features to enhance the functionality of the material.At present, carbon nmr is the first and foremost polymer that offers a stronger material with improved quality and functionality in an inexpensive way. So, why wait?

How Does a Soft Tutor Help You Learn How to Read and Write?

How Does a Soft Tutor Help You Learn How to Read and Write?If you are a person that has trouble with learning how to read and write, you may want to consider a soft tutor. A tutor is a person who offers tutoring for kids with the help of soft toys. A lot of people would agree that learning how to read and write can be very difficult. While it is important to use your brain in reading and writing, it is also necessary to develop other skills.To get these skills, you may want to get tutoring from a tutor, whether it is in the form of book reading, watching TV or even playing video games. In fact, you may want to consider getting your tutor to help you get good grades in school. There are several benefits of getting a tutor such as; they will help you in your studies, they will help you learn at your own pace, they will make your classes easier, they will give you time to learn on your own, and they will help you to develop other skills that you may need in life.If you have a hard time learning, there are several reasons why you may want to consider getting tutoring from a tutor. Some of the reasons include; the way the teacher is teaching you, the way the classroom is set up, or the way the teacher keeps things interesting.If you have a hard time figuring out what is going on, you may want to consider a tutor. Teachers usually have a difficult time keeping their students interested in the material. It can be frustrating to sit in class and not understand what is going on. If you are having trouble understanding the material, then you will want to get a tutor to help you learn how to read and write.Learning how to read and write is a skill that is used by all professions. Not only will you need to learn this skill, but you will need to learn how to use it so that you can succeed in the future.Getting a tutor can help you learn faster. Since they have more experience with teaching, they will be able to teach you new techniques and methods that will help you improve your grades and also to make your learning fun.You can get a tutor in your local area and get tutoring at no cost. A lot of times you can find them on the internet, which is a great place to start your search for a tutor.

Learning to Read Music An Introduction for Singers

Learning to Read Music An Introduction for Singers Suzy S. Learning to read music can be a daunting task for beginner singers! Here, Ann Arbor, MI voice teacher  Elaina R. shows you how to get started Not to point out the obvious, but as singers, we don’t have keys on our instrument. We don’t have buttons that emit the same pitch every time they are pressed. Most of us don’t have perfect pitch, either. This makes learning to read music quite different for singers than for other musicians. Not only do singers deal with learning how to read what is on the page, we have to learn how each note feels in our voice. We have to learn to mentally map intervals and translate them from the page to our instruments. We have to stay in tune, even when singing a cappella (not an easy feat!). But don’t despair! Learning to read music is easy if you separate out the two basic components that make up music: rhythms and pitches. Feel the Beat Drums or clapping can keep rhythm because rhythm is independent from pitch. This is helpful, since you can practice the rhythm of a song before you sing a note simply by clapping or speaking it. If you do this work in advance, you don’t have to deal with learning the pitches and the rhythms simultaneously. Rhythm is controlled by several elements on the page: • Time Signatures: The time signature usually consists of two numbers, one stacked on top of the other, that come before the first note in a song. The one on top signifies how many beats are in a measure, while the one on the bottom signifies which note gets one beat. For example, 4/4 fits four quarter notes into each measure, 2/4 fits two quarter notes into each measure, and 2/2 fits two half notes into each measure. • Notes and Rests: Notes have different durations depending on how they look. They can look like round holes (a whole note, go figure), a filled-in note with a stem attached (a quarter note), a note connected to a bunch of other notes by a single line (an eight note), etc. Rests also have durations. Learning note and rest duration helps you with the rhythm of the music. Once you’ve familiarized yourself with the different kinds of notes, rests, and time signatures, try to put it all together. Start by speaking or clapping with the time signature. For example, for a piece in 4/4, start by marking time in four (one, two, three, four, one, two, three, four, etc.) Then add the notes and rests into the structure of the time signature. The Keyboard is Your Best Friend Once you’ve learned the rhythm to your song, you will need to know a little more musical theory to read the pitches. The basic gist of it is simple: the staff is made up of five lines and four spaces. Each line or space represents a specific pitch. A note placed in a particular line or space means that you have to sing that pitch. Here are some need-to-know terms for reading pitches: • Treble and Bass Clef: These determine which line and space corresponds to which note. Treble clef is generally used for higher voices, bass clef for lower voices. • Sharps and Flats: Sharps raise the notated pitch by a half step, while flats lower it by a half step. To illustrate, if there is a note on the lowest line of a treble clef staff, it is an E. Stick a sharp sign next to it and it becomes E sharp. A flat sign changes it into E flat. As I’ve already pointed out, singers are at somewhat of a disadvantage as compared to musicians with instruments that aren’t body parts. We can’t press a key and expect to hear the same note every time. Therefore, we can’t pick up a piece of music and read it perfectly without a starting pitch. This is why, for singers, the keyboard is the best tool for learning to read music. Learn your pitches at the keyboard, listening to each one and repeating it in the context of the rhythm of a song. Learning to Read, Learning to Sing Of course, it’s important to reinforce learning to read music with learning to sing it. A voice teacher can help you hit those high notes easily and comfortably, create nice phrases, and breathe in the right places. And if you get stuck trying to read the music, your voice teacher is there to help you learn the notes! Elaina R. teaches opera voice and  singing in Ann Arbor, MI, as well as through online lessons. She is currently  working on a Master of Music at the University of Michigan, and she has a B.M. from the University of Southern California.  Learn more about Elaina here! Interested in Private Lessons? Search thousands of teachers for local and live, online lessons. Sign up for convenient, affordable private lessons today! Search for Your Teacher Photo by Jennifer Brandel

How to Prepare for Business School Final Exams

How to Prepare for Business School Final Exams Whether your business school runs on semesters, trimesters, quarters, or terms, you will likely face a final exam at the end of each of your classes. Each MBA course covers a great deal of information during each session, and you are often expected to do additional reading on your own. It can be hard to keep track of everything you need to know for each subject, considering the many demands outside of the classroomincluding networking functions, class mixers, and recruiting events. So how can you get ready for your tests with so much going on? Ways to prepare for b-school final exams include visiting your professors office hours, forming a study group, and looking into tutoring. Keep reading to learn four tips to help you prepare for business school final exams: 1. Visit your professors office hours prior to your business school final exams Like your undergraduate instructors, your business school professors should have office hours. Attend them with specific areas of the curriculum to discussfor instance, particular case studies that you have found difficult to understand despite multiple readings. Note that the week before your final exam should not be the first time your professor has seen you during his or her office hours. This should be a continuation of your relationship with your professor, not the beginning of it, and it should help you feel more comfortable with the material that you will likely see on the exam. [RELATED: 4 Questions to Ask Your First MBA Professor] 2. Visit your teaching assistants office hours prior to your business school final exams If your course has a teaching assistant (or TA), then that TA often has his or her own office hours, as well. The TA is typically a second-year student who has taken the course in the previous year, so he or she knows what to expect. Over the span of the course, the TA may hold one-on-one consultations with students, or conduct sessions in a short lecture style for small groups. Again, you should develop a relationship with him or her over the entire semester, not directly before exam week. Determine the areas you would like to improve upon for the test, and talk with your TA about how he or she can help you. [RELATED: 4 Things to Accomplish in Your First Semester of Business School] 3. Form a study group when preparing for your business school final exams You are likely not the only person in your MBA program who needs help. So, speak with your fellow classmates to see who would like to study together as a team. Ideally, your study group will have members who each have different strengths and can provide new perspectives on the material. Instead of a group comprised of five former chemical engineers, your group could include: An accountant An artist A chemical engineer A lawyer A teacher Dividing the work among multiple people with various backgrounds and then coming together to share what you have learned will help all of you take in the material in a different and perhaps more efficient way than you would from simply studying on your own. 4. Consider hiring a tutor when preparing for your business school final exams To make the best use of your time, working with a personal tutor may be the ideal course of action. By creating a strategic plan with your tutor, you can focus on the areas where you need the most help and concentrate on improving them. The individualized attention you receive from a tutor can help you understand concepts that may be too difficult to grasp during class. Furthermore, your tutor can assist you not only with knowledge of the material in your MBA courses, but also with test-taking skills to help you navigate the different formats of your exams. In many instances, both in-person and online tutoring is available. Overall, reaching out to other people for help is one of the most effective ways to prepare for your business school final exams. Whether you attend office hours or join a study group, you will likely find it easier to get ready for your test by connecting with the people in your MBA environment. Plus, working with a tutor can boost your understanding of your courses before you have to prove your knowledge on exam day. By using these four tips, you will be well prepared for your b-school final exams. Any topics you want to know more about? Let us know! The Varsity Tutors Blog editors love hearing your feedback and opinions. Feel free to email us at blog@varsitytutors.com.

Who was Helen Frankenthaler

Who was Helen Frankenthaler Beyond Surrealism: Helen Frankenthaler’s Innovative Style ChaptersWho Was Helen Frankenthaler?Style and InfluencesUnderstanding Abstract ExpressionismAnalysis: How Does Helen Measure up?There is no denying that Americans tend to march to the beat of their own drummer, even as they emulate their European ancestors.Well, not as far as the need to create art is concerned. In that respect, Americans, like their European ancestors, obey the very human drive to make beautiful things.To be sure, during the Italian Renaissance â€" the time when painting and drawing evolved and eventually set the standards for European art in general, the Americas had been discovered but had not yet been colonised.By the end of the European Renaissance, in approximately 1700, the French, Spanish and English were battling each other (and the native inhabitants) for the greatest and choicest plots of land in the New World.Out of those conflicts arose a people uniquely opposed to mainstream ideas and conventions.  Still today, Americans resist outside influence, invent ing and establishing their own means of accomplishing just about anything.It is that fierce independence that gave rise to a uniquely American style of painting, opening the doors for generations of artists to explore singular artistic expression.Well, that and an optimal sense of timing...Today, Superprof looks at American painter Helen Frankenthaler, the artist who established the soak-stain technique of painting. Helen was born and raised in New York City, later she associated with the art scene there Image by Free-Photos from PixabayBennington College in Vermont.How Helen developed an interest in art is not clear; she might have been inspired by her sister, Gloria â€" a tapestry artist who worked closely with painters and other weavers.What is well-documented is her reaction to Jackson Pollock’s work. She was 22 years old when she saw his brand of art for the first time; she said she ‘wanted to live in the land he created and learn its language.’Pollock’s unique style of applying paint to canvas did not call for brushes, even when he was painting representational art - say, a still life or a self-portrait. He preferred to use palette knives, trowels and sticks.Eventually, he graduated to ‘the drip method’, a technique in which he placed a large, unprimed canvas on the floor of his studio and dripped or splashed paint over it.This method of abstract painting resonated with young H elen who, at that time, was making tentative inroads into the art world through her relationship with Clement Greenberg. As shown in this picture of Jackson Pollock, Helen would place large canvases on the floor of her studio A 'fair use' file from Wikipedia, photographer: Hans NamuthStyle and InfluencesInspired by Jackson Pollock, Helen placed her large, unprimed canvas on the floor of her studio.However, rather than using the heavier oils or house paints that Pollock employed, she diluted her oil paint with turpentine and, once she achieved a satisfactory consistency, she carefully poured it onto the canvas.Her dilution method had the effect of softening the colours and, because the canvas was not sealed with primer, it absorbed the tones and hues more readily â€" effectively achieving a fusion of canvas and colour.The downside to this technique is that the oil in the paint caused the canvas to discolour; invariably, because of the unprotected canvases, her early works succumbed to rot. By the 1970s, Helen was no longer using the ‘soak-stain’ method she had pioneered.She had graduated to thicker acrylic paints and bright, vivid colours reminiscent of Fauvist painters like Henri Matisse.Frida Kahlo, another painter who loved vivid colours, also found her style through trial and error.Understanding Abstract ExpressionismTiming was crucial for American painters to in taking centre-stage in western art.Helen grew up during the Great Depression, a time when a large proportion of the global population was starving whether they were artists or not.In Europe, shadows of the Great War and concerns of another brewing impacted every aspect of life and hit the artistic community especially hard; many European artists found refuge in the United States.Europe’s drawing inexorably closer to another devastating contest of military might caused a vacuum in the art world which opened the door for American artists to take the lead in bringing about the next big art movement.After WWII, America â€" specifically, New York City supplanted Paris as the centre of progressive art.The new style th at first generation of artists â€" Pollock, de Kooning and Gorky created a modernist art movement that incorporated elements of impressionism, fauvism and surrealism â€" mostly surrealism.Art critics called this style abstract expressionism but that was not a new term or, necessarily, a new art movement; it was used to describe expressionism in Germany as far back as 1919.And then, art historian Alfred Barr used it in a 1929 art review to describe paintings by Wassily Kandinsky.What made it remarkable in the 1940s was the uniquely American spin of such works, which catapulted art produced in America to the epicentre of the western art world.The painting and sculpture produced in the United States since the turn of the century and especially after the Second World War had an anarchic feel to it; it embraced and represented the American spirit of rebellion and, some might say, nihilism.When thought of in those terms, Helen Frankenhalther (and other such artists) pouring paint on canva s â€" as opposed to standing in front of an easel, palette in hand and making measured brushstrokes, fits right in.Action PaintingHelen’s ‘soak-stain’ method of painting and Pollock’s drip technique are described by a term that does little to relate them to any specific American painting movement.Instead, it connects the physical interaction of the artist and her canvas; stopping just short of describing an assault on the pristine whiteness of it. One might envision an angry clash: paint flying, landing wherever it may...Some call action painting avant-garde while others disdain the movement entirely, labelling it simplistic and contrived.No matter what you might call it, these works continue to intrigue and awe whether they are on permanent display at the Museum of Modern Art in New York or on loan at the Tate or any other museum of art.Still, for as big a splash as this expressionist movement made in art circles, not every American artist conformed.  Georgia O’Keeffe, a female artist famous for painting giant flowers, became known as the ‘mother of modernism’ Like her idol, Jackson Pollock, Helen did not use any paint brushes Image by DarkWorkX from PixabayAnalysis: How Does Helen Measure up?What inspired her to become an artist is not known, although there is an assertion in certain circles that she had always wanted to be an artist.Unlike Artemisia Gentileschi and countless other artists from Picasso to da Vinci, Helen’s father did not take her under his wing or especially prod her toward becoming an artist. Neither did her mother, as far as anyone can tell.Equally unlike Mary Cassatt, who defied her father and bore the scorn of society at large and the art world in particular for having the temerity to want to paint; a woman who, for that craving, gave up marriage, children and financial security â€" all requisites for the females of her day, all because she felt she must paint or die...Helen, by all accounts, made no such sacrifices and, while she lacked the mentoring of her father â€" only because he was not an artist himself, she did enjoy the guidance of several big names in the art world such as Ruffino Tamayo and Paul Feeley.She also benefitted from the wisdom of art critic Clement Greenberg, with whom she had a long-term relationship. He was much older than she was and had cultivated deep ties within art circles by the time they met; it was he who ensured the inclusion of her work in the 1964 exhibition of Post-Painterly Abstraction.Mary Cassatt would sooner have died than submit to the ‘sponsorship’ of a male to ensure her work would be seen!Nevertheless, Helen made a name for herself and made a living from art. She experimented with more than one medium and mastered more than one form of artistic expression.She pioneered novel uses of paint and, for a while, created an abstract world that invited people to plunge in head-first and try to understand her particular brand of expressionism.Even at the end, she wouldn’t give in to convention. She never used paintbrushes to depict ordinary subjects: st ill lifes and portraiture, landscape painting, genre or even historical/religious works.Helen was unique in the field of visual arts; even Jackson Pollock didn’t take the concept of dribbling paint on large canvases to the depth that she did.If only for her innovation â€" if not for the visual treats she gave the world, Helen has earned her place in art history; her work ensures her inclusion in the pantheon of great women who painted.