Art Update

Lovely friends and former students, I haven't had much time to reach out to you or even to make a painting, sketch a drawing, or write an idea down lately.  The weekends have been full of fun trips to see family and getting ready for the end of the school year, but I wanted to let you know that I haven't forgotten about ART and how fun it is!

As a matter of fact I am hoping to do a lot more of my own art this summer and develop my style.  I hope that you will understand that that means scaling back on teaching art, which I love, but can't do simultaneously. There are other local classes in case you need to spark your creative output this summer: the library has free classes on Mondays, July 8, 15 and 22; Colorful Kids in Amesbury is offering art summer camps for $225/week; and my friends at Youth Services have artistic classes as well.

Just keep on drawing and making art using whatever materials you have available like shells, stones, or Legos.  There's a lot that you can do on a bright sunny day or a summer night without the pressure of school and sports hanging over you, and I hope that you will take full advantage of it.

Tell your adult to read this well-written article on creativity, hopefully they will be inspired to make art with you too! - https://creativesystemsthinking.wordpress.com/2014/10/25/every-child-is-an-artist-by-nature/. Here's a sampling of what it says (see below).  I look forward to teaching you art again in the fall.

One of the best ways to inspire learning and enjoy being creative is to to study and imitate what we most love. All artists begin by copying and imitating others who inspire them. Bob Dylan imitated Woody Guthrie’s style of singing, Van Gogh made copies of Japanese prints and pointillist paintings, the Beatles began by covering the songs of other musicians they enjoyed.

Children will benefit if they are encouraged to spend significant time with (and learn from) the creative works of skillful people who inspire them.  This kind of engagement is a critical part of a child’s education, and does not have to happen in school. As a teacher, I often give this as a homework assignment, encouraging my students to spend time with creative works they enjoy and then write (or make a presentation) about their experience.

Have fun friends and a very Happy Summer to you all!