Isle Be Green for the Birds

Today was the fourth annual celebration of SWAN Day. A day set aside to honor the work and value of women in all facets of the arts. SWAN being an acronym for Support Women Artists Now. So to every woman who may read this, and to every woman who won't, I honor you and your creative soul and I am so happy that we are on this amazing planet at the same time. May we all continue to raise our creative voice in whatever way we may!
To honor the holiday (it is being called a holiday :-) I spent the last two weekends with a group of girls who gathered with me to make art from recyclables.



Isle Be Green is a plastic bag recycle
education project in Isle of Wight. I was invited by the fabulous Rachel, Director of the program, to come to the beautiful bright and colorful Smithfield Art Center to present a two part workshop in turning trash into treasure.
Our group of eager young girls each designed their piece of animal art during our first session. We had a lesson in breaking form down into simple shapes. A drawing was then created. After a demonstration the girls stuffed plastic bags and cut cereal boxes to 'sculpt' their animal. Masking tape holds everything together. A time honored and obvious next step is using recycled newspaper for a top layer of paper mache. Finally when all is dry we add a layer of gesso and... ta da the glorious paint.
Here you see Hunter the dog in his early and then in his finished stage...isn't he one handsome hound. His person sits in the center row beaming with joy. She explained to me how much she missed her dog. The real Hunter had been taken away from her over a year ago with no explanation.















A day like this reminds me of how very grateful I am for the teachers and mentors who nurtured my early love of nature and making things with my hands. My dad helped to form my character by taking me and my dog for walks in a nearby woods. I realize now that my dad was pretty tapped in. He set a great example for me because he always carried a folded paper bag in his back pocket for picking up trash as we walked among the trees. He also collected other peoples cast offs and so our home environment was rich in materials for building and experimenting. He made us stilts to walk with, brought huge wooden spools home that we could do 'circus acts' on and he allowed me to construct all sorts of obstacles and 'chutes and ladders' for my dog training experiments in the back yard. When I was really young he offered me a huge old spike and suggested that I carve pictures into the hot asphalt alley that we lived on during the summer afternoons. Now I love sharing this 'inventor and detective' aspect of life as artist in every workshop and studio I design.

When I work with a group of young ones I invariably sense the expanse of life challenges and adventures that lie before them. It reminds me to wrap my arms around the beauty that life has given me, embracing it all. After enduring extreme violence and trauma I discovered yoga and solitude. I 'went back to the land' planted a garden and went to work. I've been working in the studio for over 40 years. During that time I've owned and managed a saucy little gallery that focused on exhibiting the works of emerging artists in a teeming arts district. I had a mammoth studio space (more than 20 rooms!) in what had long been a high security lock up ward for women in an old psychiatric hospital. I started Creativity Salons held the first Saturday of the month open it to anyone in the community who wanted to come and be creative. A core group of about 12 of us met for 5 1/2 years and forged friendships that will last our lifetime. I've traveled to the top of the world and sipped yak butter tea with Tibetan monks. I've danced with the mask makers in Bali and snorkeled in the Java Sea. Now, in my sixth decade, I'm considering the value of leaving a 'trail of art studios' for young ones to follow. I design all my studios to bring attention to nature and our relationship with the environment so this two part adventure was a great fit. Thank you Rachel.

Don't you love when you can offer discovery, adventure and creative problem solving while inventing something never before seen? I adore sharing that experiment with young ones in an open studio/apprentice setting. It reminds me of a favorite line from Thoreau "To affect the quality of the day is the highest of arts." I'm so grateful I get to do that. I'm so happy I was able to do that today on a day that is being set aside each year to honor women making art no matter where, no matter with what. That reminds me of the women artists of Mithila...how great to honor them and their tradition on SWAN Day. I'll share images of the pieces I brought home from Nepal in an upcoming post.

~Sing the Day

Art Classes for Children

I love this time of year when the Contemporary Art Center kids art classes conclude and I have the chance to share a few of the results.

These images are from the 9-11 year old 'Saturday in the Studio'. Each of the ten artists design their own project, do research, develop drawings and then bring their concept to a successful conclusion. Those working in 2D end up with a portfolio of work.

Creative Contrast

It has been cranking in the 'Saturday in the Studio' as ten artists age 9-11 worked to accomplish their individiual projects. It's such a treat to witness the process of concept to completion. It's all up to them...no assignment...no one telling them how to solve their problems...it's the creative nature plowing through the ground of the mystery for each of them. There is so much happening in the studio all at once that trying to get photos is rather pointless but I did snap these two wonderfully contrasted pieces as they came closer to being done. The mallard is the work of a nine year old girl who practically shocked herself as she went from the initial drawing (which must be done to scale and must show all views) to the 'sculpting' using recycled materials. The finishing touch and the only purchased part was the addition of google eyes...kids love em'.

The dragon is a grand and mighty fellow. He was finished with a base to stand on, feathery wings, a beautiful cobalt blue stipe down his back and yes...google eyes. The work done by an incredibly gifted 11 year old boy who makes magic happen with Model Magic and who here expanded upon one of his small pieces...this dragon stands about 28 inches at horn tip.

The only formula for Saturday in the Studio is the pattern of: first 3 weeks =research and development of the idea followed by week 4-7 as the studio holds a whirlwind of creative problem solving and production...for some reason almost all the artists in this age range want to work in 3-D and I love seeing their proud smiles and amazed parents when they carry out the first thing they've ever built from start to finish on their own.

Jack Russell News

Thanks to Mary Reid Barrows , the Virginian Pilot Nature writer, for this piece reprinted here from Sunday's paper and today's online post:

Artist gives new meaning to dog's paper-training
The Virginian-Pilot© October 6, 2009
By Mary Reid Barrows

Had artist Donna Iona Drozda tried, she could not have come up with a more creative depiction of Val, her Jack Russell terrier.
The papier-mache pup, in a play bow, mouth wide open, red tongue lolling off to the side, and a ball between its paws, has Jack Russell terrier written all over it.

The sculpture of Val will be one of three papier-mache animals that Drozda is entering in the Virginia Beach SPCA show, "Once is Not Enough," a show for art made with recyclables.
The show opens from 6 to 8 p.m. Friday, Oct. 9, and runs through Sunday, Oct. 11, at the shelter.

What makes Drozda's art show entry even more special is that her droll dog is made entirely of recycled materials, the bulk of which are plastic bags.
Her other entries, a fox and a whimsical raccoon, also are made from plastic bags.

The art show is part of the SPCA's green event this weekend called "There is no Planet B."
In addition to the show, the SPCA is sponsoring a household hazardous waste collection, a blue jean and denim collection and a plant and book swap on Saturday.


Hazardous wastes include items such as pesticides, herbicides, paint and harsh cleaning products, mercury and propane tanks. Denim, collected separately, will be recycled into insulation. Visitors also can bring a plant or a book and swap it for another.

As for Val, the Jack Russell, her sculptured image is not only made of recyclables, but Val herself also is "recycled," because she was adopted by Drozda 9 years ago.
Drozda works in her studio with yet another "recycled" pup under her feet, Ruby the rescued Airedale.
Drozda made the body of her recycled art critters by stuffing a used paper bag tight with plastic bags, also used, and wrapping the paper bag with masking tape.
The legs are old paper towel or toilet paper rolls. Cardboard from discarded cereal boxes make good ears and such. Eyes are found items little like rubber bumpers, or seeds.

"The fox might have acorn eyes or wisteria seed eyes," Drozda said. She was working on the fox legs that day.
Drozda made the papier-mache that covers the bodies with torn scraps of more old paper bags and white glue. Glue and the final paint jobs of acrylic are the only real "artist" materials.
"It's so much fun," Drozda said.

This is not Drozda's first foray into recycling materials through art.
She taught a children's camp for The Contemporary Art Center of Virginia at the Virginia Aquarium recently. Campers created sea creatures out of plastic bags and other recyclables. The colorful whimsical stuffed sea stars, fish and other sea animals belie their beginnings.
Drozda began using recyclables in some of her art after thinking about how to use more inexpensive art materials.

"I think I was just looking around to see if there are materials available to use for the creative process that are not so expensive."
She began saving toilet paper rolls, cereal boxes, paper bags and the "plethora of plastic bags everywhere to see if we could recycle something wonderful out of something we would throw away."

Val, the papier-mache dog is one of those wonderful things.Throw the ball quick or else she might bark!