Hannah and Purple Choo-choo.

Whenever Hannah is finished with other projects, she likes to bead.

This time something new happened when she and Zaccai discovered that they could bead with colorful pipe cleaners and beads using a braiding system.

We were all very pleased with the bright new bracelets--never saw anything like 'em!

In the foreground is our finished papier mache choo-choo train engine which we also pleased with.

Have a Creative Day!

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Aloha Margaret

Zaccai, Margaret, Hannah.

Today, Friday March 26, 2010, is Margaret's LAST DAY working in the Activities Room at the care center where we meet as a creative workshop. As I said a couple of days ago, she has been on the job for 14 years--so she is an institution here.

We gave her two pizza-box framed pictures made by workshop people and a big, colorful papier mache bowl which we made last year.

Margaret has a very kind and friendly nature which everyone appreciates.

She has saved newspapers for our papier mache projects for us and has always been pleasant and supportive.

Aloha, Margaret and bon voyage!

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Aloha Margaret

Aloha, Margaret.

Friday, March 26, 2010, is Margret's LAST DAY at the care center where our creative workshop meets.

She has been doing the "activities" thing there for 14 years! And THAT takes a LOT of heart!

We all wish her all the best and know that she leaves with a lot of "stars in her crown"!

ALOHA, Margaret!


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Montezuma's Pyramid

Montezuma's Pyramid.

Our home-school kids are now studying the Spanish Conquest of Mexico.

To help visualize some of the amazing pre-conquest buildings made by the Aztecs, we are making our own little papier mache pyramid--using bread-stick boxes again since we still have lots of them.

It is well known that Montezuma and his priests and advisers believed in a prophecy that one of their founding gods, Quetzalcoatl, was going to return from the east and destroy their civilization and bring forth a new one. (One which would not need or allow human sacrifices,)

And it is quite a coincidence that Cortes appeared on the shores of Mexico in the very year predicted!

Of course, we know that bearded Spaniard Hernan Cortes was no "Return of Quetzalcoatl", or was he?

He, with his soldiers in armor, horses, war dogs, crossbowman, cannon and harquebusiers sure made an impression on the mighty Aztecs--and did, in an unexpected, but in a practally miraculous way, end one civilization and start another.

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Katya Back

Katya.

We are very glad to have Katya back!

This young artist seems to know exactly what she needs to do--and she gets right with it!

No dainty little puny paint brushes for her either--she goes right to the biggest we have and chooses THAT one for her work!

And no little dabs of paint on a sissy palette! She goes to the BIG containers and pours out enough in a dish to really get going with!

I think Katya is a REAL artist!!

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Kaeli Checks In

Kaeli's Coloring

Another neighbor kid, 7 year old Kaeli, wants to join the young artists in in our "Creative Workshop".

She gave me the above picture as proof of her talent, and her mother says when she is older she can join us.

Isn't that how life is? Two of our old-timers passed on last week and a young one wants to join and to be a creative artist as soon as she can.

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Choo-choo Beginning

Basic Choo-choo.

These cardboard bread-stick boxes and a cleaning powder can wanted to be a choo-choo train engine--so we stuck 'em together with tape, coated 'em with papier mache---and as soon as we paint 'em, we'll show you a choo-choo train engine!

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Elsie Gone

Elsie Drawing.

We learned today that Elsie, one of the residents who helped out occasionally with our Creative Workshop, passed away last week.

She was a long-time friend of Al and would often roll to his side in her wheel chair to check his progress with painting or papier mache work.

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Maria Passes

Maria Coloring

We have learned that Maria, who did such fine coloring work with our Creative Workshop until she left for another care facility nearer her family several weeks ago, has left her body.

Maria had a wonderful gift of color and though her vision was failing, she very much enjoyed using bright felt-tip coloring pens to complete black and white cartoons--especially those with religious themes.

I have the completed picture which she was working on in the above photograph mounted in one of our pizza-box frames hanging beside my computer monitor as I write this.

Thanks, Maria.

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Elsie Helps

Elsie Helping.

Elsie was an amateur artist in her life before coming to the care center. She keeps a very nice portrait painting of her daughter which she painted years ago in her room.

She occasionally stops by the Creative Workshop area of the Activities Room to see what we are up to and sometimes feels like helping us work.

In the photo above she was coloring some cards we were making to send to ill residents and others.

Last week she suffered a bad night and was taken to the hospital. She has not returned yet and is much missed by all of us and most especially by her old friend Al.

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Papier Mache Car

Zaccai Paints Papier Mache Car.

We are VERY fond of dollar store bread sticks and we always save their nice, long cardboard boxes to use for our papier mache projects.

We have discovered that the boxes are just right for making toys--like cars, trains and even boats! (Just keep 'em out of the water!)

So now we are well launched on papier mache toy-making!

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Faithful Al

Faithful Al

Here's our faithful Al putting Polymer Medium Gloss on one of our signature pizza-box picture frames.

To our surprise and delight another art lover and patron from the Municipal Art Gallery bought one of the frames a couple of weeks ago!

We use the money for paint and an occasional "good work" banana!

Al is continuing his interest in art by coloring commercial coloring pages with crayons or felt-tip pens before and after our regular work time.

He is surprising himself with his creations. "Its the first time I have done anything like this." He says.

His work and even temper are always good for all of us.

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Pink Elephant

Pink Elephant!

Hannah has been visiting relatives in Texas for the last week or so and has just returned to complete her papier mache "sort of elephant" mask--painting it pink with purple polka-dots.

Good job, Hannah!

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Mongol Horseman

Mongol Horseman

This is the first project we have done using salt dough.

Salt dough is a modeling medium composed of flour, water and salt. It is fairly inexpensive and models like cookie dough.

Zaccai is studying the history of Asia and is very interested in the Mongol warriors of Genghis Kahn and his ilk--so this is our attempt to make a model Mongol Horseman.

Under the dough skin is a wire and aluminum foil form. The whole is painted with watercolor.

We have not baked the figure for a longer lasting artwork--but only allowed it to sun-dry. We will have to see how well it holds up. Baking (250 degrees for several hours) is just too expensive.

Zaccai did most of the modeling and painting work.

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