Inner Child Artwork
By Antonella Novi As a child, from three to nine years old, I had the pleasure of attending Kiers Kids N Stuff. In Martinez, California- the San Francisco Bay Area- it was the best day care around. Mrs. Kier had lots of qualified help, thus my sister Laura and I had many friends. To this day, 20 years later, I am still best friends with Kristen Dippo, my first friend ever. My favorite memories of my day care experiences are of doing art projects. Whether it was working with the salty clay, or simply coloring, I enjoyed the creative process. I loved bringing home my completed art so Mom and Dad could put it on display. I grew up and we moved to Washington. I continued to enjoy art, especially the natural flow of watercolors. Since I was young I took my time with my art pieces, so its no wonder I didnt meet the set deadlines in art class in high school, thus receiving a poor mark. While in college I used art as a means of de-stressing after a hard week of studying. One class I took incorporated natural environmental sculpture into the curriculum. It was fascinating to use the earth as my easel and its stones, leaves, and twigs as my tools for expression. Upon returning to Anacortes, I met Monica Oppel, the Arts and Crafts Coordinator, or the Art Lady of the Boys and Girls Club here in Anacortes. She told me it would be nice to have some help. So, in the summer of 2002 I joined her and about 15 kids for Art in the Park. Together we helped kids from ages 6-15 produce natural art through photographic paper (sun prints). As I helped the kids, I remembered myself when I was their age- curious, imaginative, and creative. Each piece of art produced was so different from the next. Each beautiful in its own way. I was excited to Volunteer the next day to see what the kids would make next with Monicas idea and my help. I will never forget the project the next day: Plant squishing (flower pounding) onto special absorbent fabric. This time I did the project with the kids. I asked THEM to help ME. A six year old boy handed me what flowers he thought would press well. The outcome was truly beautiful! At first I could only help The Art Lady at the Boys and Girls Club for an hour at the max. My tolerance and patience level was not strong enough to handle 20 kids all at once. But as the weeks and months wore on I built up stamina and courage. Now the longer I stay in the presence of the children the more fun I have. I learn from them, and I have become patient and aware of their creative needs. I now work two or three days a week with Monica. I even go in early to help her set up for projects, and sometimes stay long enough to help her clean up the messes. The Art Room is in a quiet nook, kind of separate from the rest of the Boys and Girls Club. The room is peaceful; we listen to relaxing music or show tunes. Some of the kids are regulars, while others rotate in and out. On a normal day The Art Lady and I usually handle from 10 to 30 kids. The art projects are different everyday. Sometimes we have three different projects going at once depending on their level of difficulty. Origami has been very popular recently. I have taken to sitting at the childrens level at the tables, and helping them one on one. I talk to them about their day at school and their families. I share my stories of what I was like when I was their age and what its like to be a young adult. We enjoy talking about animals, since I pet-sit a lot. I have many funny stories about the animals in my care. I have noticed that if I work on the project with the kids instead of just telling them what to do, I have more energy, and I have more fun too. So scattered around my home are remnants of my weekly rendezvous in the Art Room. I have a bean mosaic, three collages, a colorful woven rag rug, a hand-made picture frame with positive words, a salted watercolor, painted ceramic magnets, and I am sure there are more goodies that I have passed on to friends. I framed two art pieces made by Chloe (a bunch of leaves in the pattern of a frog) and Amanda (a princess). Everyday that I attend the Boys and Girls Club Arts and Crafts Room is like an adventure. It is a time warp back to my childhood. A chance to be creative, yet helpful. First I would like to say a personal thank you for taking the time to read this article. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. My interests vary from character sketches, slivers of insight into my life, stories about animals and nature, and more. If you have an interesting idea for a story, but can’t seem to get your ideas to fit into form, please contact me and we can work on your story together. I love to brainstorm, and talk-story with people who also appreciate the craft of writing. You are welcome to learn more about me on my web-site: http://www.myspace.com/teefrog I am open to suggestions and encourage honesty in reference to my writing. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Antonella_Novi http://EzineArticles.com/?Inner-Child-Artwork&id=471827 list of states last paycheck laws how much taxes are deducted from a paycheck boston massachusetts secured personal loan money cash fast easy business opporunity sucess online
