Last But Not Least

Here's the last installment...the teacher whose classes were doing the bird sculptures also had some of the young artists do bird paintings based on my style....tempera on watercolor paper. and here are three more of the upper level artist's paintings...acrylic on cardboard...

Hands That Do No Harm

The last group of artists worked on Mandala pieces, either on paper or silk, that addressed the ways in which they intend to use their own hands to do no harm as they interface with nature.

River in the Sky

I love visiting the elementary schools in Virginia Beach. I usually spend one week working with all the students, one class at a time.

Since I am an artist who is inspired by the nature right outside my back door, I tend to focus on the mysterious assortment of water creatures and birds that live with us here.

As a gift to the 500 students who I worked with in April at King's Grant Elementary I painted a ceiling tile to hang near the library.

Something Even More Wonderful

The Painting titled 'One Hundred Steps Along the Lynnhaven River' will be installed in the library at Kingston Elementary on Monday. It felt great to bring her home for the weekend, let her rest a bit and then with some additional time in the quiet of the studio to come to a point of... 'OK, now I'm a ready'.

Always a mysterious process, this allowing a painting to appear, this week's circumstances brought another opportunity for growth and discovery. It's the first artist residency where I simultaneously taught and painted. It was fun. I really enjoyed it. The kids were terrific and the entire experience provided a good stretch and a new level of flexibility.

Something Wonderful is Emerging

This has been the first day of my week long Artist Residency at Kingston Elementary School. I'll work with every student throughout the week K-5. The focus is the Lynnhaven River watershed and the animals and plants, insects, birds, etc. that would have lived along the shores 400 years ago prior to the Jamestown settlement. To celebrate the beginning of this project I'm posting the empty canvas that I will paint during the week. Isn't it the most amazing experience each time we look at the blank surface...I love to wonder what will show itself.

Today I engaged the young artists in the first 5 classes out of the 26 that I'll work with in a lively adventure of imaging what we might have discovered if we had walked along the banks of the river 400 years ago....before settlements of any kind, surely before their neighborhoods, shopping centers and the roads that drove wildlife away. They were then asked to each draw what they think may have lived in this area at that time. They are inspiring me, I am inspiring them. Perhaps I'll keep the daily process posted ...by the end of the week the goal is for me to have a canvas tapestry for their school library 52x95 inches....and for them to go forward working with their art teacher to create a small work utilizing the techniques they'll see me applying.