My Mission
Doing art is fun and I love to share that joy with children. A child's joy is tapped into when their art is about them instead of creating a planned project. So, I invite children to freely create by expressing their memories, thoughts, emotions andobservations using a variety of art materials. I love quality art materials so I order materials that are satisfying to the eye and stimulating to the touch. It is my belief that good, honest materials have an infinite life and value for children of any age. They don't tire of working with paint, pencil, clay, collage/construction as long as they see them as full of possibilities. As the children grow they can do all kinds of fresh things with the same materials and express their ideas with more sophistication. In the art room I strive to create a beautiful working environment where the children feel safe, comfortable and emotionally secure. I want their art experience to be exploratory and nonthreatening. I encourage and respect each child's way of working and let each one work at their own pace. I try and keep myself out of the work so that it can come totally from the heart and mind of the child who produces it. I do this by asking a series of motivating questions designed to tap into and focus on the child's personal experiences. They then use their own experiences as art inspiration. I also use storytelling and picture book reading as a way to inspire art. I gently guide a child by observing their work. When I observe I start by telling the child what I see them doing which prompts a conversation. My comments help them to review their work and gives them a vocabulary to talk about it. I believe it is important that children have the real world experience of sharing their art with others. To do this the students and I plan an ending celebration after each session. Here each child can share what they have accomplished with their family and friends. Ta Da! Our creativity is our life force. When we learn ways to express our creativity our lives are vibrantly colored. |    |
