Mary Thinks It Over

Mary Thinks It Over

Resident Mary came over to watch us "being creative" for a few minutes yesterday and, when invited, made a mark or two on a cartoon with a red felt-tip pen.

That's a start anyway.

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San Martin

Al Paints San Martin

Al has only been working with watercolors a few hours but he is really enjoying the process.

So far he works mainly with pre-set designs and applies the color as he sees fit.

He may try making his own designs sometime soon.

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Watercolor Al

Watercolor Al

Al told me today that he is developing cataracts and so expects to go blind sometime.

Meantime he is learning to paint with watercolor better and better.

There have been several excellent blind piano players--I wonder if he would like to learn to play a keyboard?

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Holy Family Picture

Holy Family Pizza Box

The picture above is framed in one of our recycled pizza-box frames.

The picture itself was inspired by a folk-art rendering of the Holy Family--Joseph, the carpenter with a carpenter's square--Mary as a sort of middle-Eastern housewife, and a bright little boy pointing up to heaven--with a dove hovering over all.

This work was finished by most of the people involved in our Creative Workshop.

It is dedicated to our "colorista" Mary--who decorated the cartoon with felt-tip pens and who has gone on to greater things.

It presently hangs in an office at the Light and Life church in Escondido, CA.

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Zaccai Geometer

Zaccai Geometer.

While Hannah has been working on the details of our Papier Mache Aztec Temple/Pyramid, Zaccai has been practicing his geometry skills.

He always does a little more than is required to finish his drawings.

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Kids is Kids

Kids is Kids.

Posing for our finished Aztec Temple project photo, the kidness of our young scholars got the best of them. The above is the true reaction to our distinguished project!

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Aztec Temple

Hannah, Al, Zaccai, Aztec Temple.

We finished our papier mache Aztec Temple and here it is. (It may LOOK like a wedding cake, but it isn't!)

We were all impressed by the truly fantastic conquering of the Aztec empire by Hernan Cortes's small force of treasure hunters--and by the subsequent historic development of Mexico as a modern American nation.

I personally appreciate the opportunity to re-study this amazing five hundred-year old series of events along with our two home-study kids.

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New and Old

New and Old

Strange what eighty-odd years will do to a person, isn't it?

But here we are all together "being creative" as well as we can --breathing the same air and maybe even dreaming the same dreams.

To Life!

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Finished Wolf Mask

Painted Wolf of Gubbio Mask.

We had the fun of painting the Wolf of Gubbio mask yesterday.

This final step in the creation of a papier mache mask is almost always the most fun.

By this stage the "hard work" of developing the shape and applying the multiple layers of paste-soaked newspaper strips and the many hours of drying time has been completed--and now we just enjoy the decoration of the mask!

Now we will get together with the players and develop the drama for which this mask was created.

Wish us well!

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Wolf Mask

Wolf of Gubbio Mask

We were asked to create a mask for a play about Saint Francis and the Wolf of Gubbio for kids.

So here it is--unpainted at this time but nice and solid for wear!

It fits me nicely so I expect most kids and adults could wear it.

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asd