Depot Museum

Depot Museum

I thought you might like to go outside a bit--since most of the blog photos I use are taken indoors at the Care facility where Tomasito's Creative Workshop meets--but a couple of weeks ago I did a papier mache demonstration in Grape Day Park in Escondido for any people who are interested in the medium.

The photo above is a view of one of the historic buildings from Escondido's past which have been moved into the park.

The photo was taken late in the afternoon--after the demonstration--so the shadows are dark, but the day was typical of the fine autumn weather here--warm, bright  and sunny.

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Al Again

Al Again

Al is one of the most active members of the Creative Workshop.

Sometimes we have to wake him from his after-dinner nap at 2:15 but when he is awake he is READY.

We are trying something new for us--again using pizza boxes or other cut-down cardboard boxes, we are strengthening them with iron wire and several layers of papier mache and then adding color from torn magazine photos. yarn and bright bits of cloth. We then coat the whole thing with epoxy.

It is fun, easy. and I think we are getting some interesting visual effects .

I enjoy tearing pieces of magazine and handing them to Al, He dips them in paste and applies them to the growing work in the place wherever  he thinks will be the best fit.

Two of our most recent works have been accepted for show at the Escondido Municipal Gallery--which has always been supportive of our Workshop.

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Neighbors and Jason

King Neighbors and Jason the Argonaut.

I wanted you to see this new papier mache  mask I made.  From here it went down to the Municipal Gallery and was on show there for a few days.

I made this mask especially for movement so visibility inside the mask is pretty good--the wearer can also hear and be heard. I tried to include a "megaphone effect"-- but was not as successful as I hoped. The wearer's voice is still muffled--but not as bad as usual.

I colored the mask with photos torn from magazines and newspapers--it is pretty effective and since I use very little paint it is cheaper and "greener".

It is not as heavy as it looks!

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Colleagues in Creativity

  Kaile and Linda.

The Dumbest Generation , by Mark Bauerlein.

I picked this book up at the library because of the title.


I always thought MY generation was the dumb one, but it seems the new generation of technology savvy kids is the generation the writer is describing--part of the "dumbing down of America" with Face-book and Twitter, etc.

He generally makes good sense, I think and has done a lot of homework--quoting surveys and studies aplenty.

He also remarks: "...instead of regarding youngsters as inferior minds and unformed egos in need of tutoring, educators should treat them as colleagues in creativity, voices at the community table with a unique perspective."

I appreciate that comment and believe that our Creative Workshop is in that direction. 

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Watching

Watching. (Tomasito photo 2010)

Sometimes residents of the Care facility are wheeled into viewing range of our activity work table--not necessarily to participate, but to simply watch what is going on.

I think this kind of watching is OK. 

Most of the watchers are not capable of any kind of physical craft activity, but they still may be thinking. They still may be participating in some personal creative activity which is not apparent to anyone outside their own mind and watching us work may be of some benefit.

Everybody is welcome.

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Kaile Number One

Kaile Drawing Number One

New Creative Workshop worker Kaile (now age seven) gave me this drawing several months ago and I recognized TALENT.

Since then she has joined our work force and has never missed a weekly session.

Nice to have you aboard, Kaile.

Tomasito

Grape Day Park Demo

Brian Gibson as "Jason", me as "moo".(Tanya photo)

Friend of Tomasito's Creative Workshop, Education Director at the Escondido City Children's Museum, Brian Gibson, kindly stored an overflow of artwork done by the Workshop between the Dia de los Muertos exhibit and the "Green Scene" papier mache demonstration at the Grape Day Park.

Papier mache masks, pizza-box pictures and frames, maracas, bowls and other artwork by our small group will be shown to the public Saturday 13 November 2010 from 10 am to 3 pm.

See you there!

Tomasito

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At Fresh and Easy Market

Tomakua and Eric (Tanya photo)

Today we stopped by the Fresh and Easy grocery store and had a photo snapped with the manager, Eric, and me wearing our Tomakua papier mache mask. (See the Hawaiian luau dance at the Palomar Care Center a few posts ago to view the dancing mask in action.)

The reason we did this is because the mask is colored with papier mache advertisements from the market--no paint. 

Eric was impressed, I think by our use of recycled paper--especially since Fresh and Easy is a "green" store.

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Kaeli

 Kaeli REALLY likes art--and the best art medium for her is PAINT!

When there is any choice in activities, she grabs a brush and a selection of tempera paints and goes at it.

We are making some nice, gooey papier mache constructions with absolutely no regard for pictorial content and she is getting nicely into the spirit of things by mixing vivid background colors on cardboard to add a nice dimension to the stuff we paste on--gobs of newsprint, shreds of cardboard, cotton yarn and anything else around which seems to want to be part of our non-objective world view.

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