Creative Growth

Papier Mache @ School.

I have had the fun of taking "Tomasito's Creative Workshop" on the road this week with a three or four day papier mache mask-making session at a local private intermediate school.

(I have had too much experience of the "train wreck" which is the public schools in California to want to experience more of THAT!)

The kids enjoyed working in what was to most of them a new creative medium and I enjoyed seeing first hand what the new crop of kids are like and demonstrating for them some of the arcane skills of making papier mache masks.

About the new crop of kids: nothing has changed very much it seems from when I was that age except now I am the older generation.

I suppose the older generation of my youth who taught me what little I know of "art" had higher hopes about US--but it seems we have turned out to be pretty much the same as THEY were--though some of us--including me--have tried to grow in creative ways to the best of our ability.

But if we as a species are going to overcome the extreme ecological problems we have caused for ourselves and the earth by our careless lifeways, we are going to have to learn to change somewhat faster and in more creative ways it seems to me.

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Family Help

Everybody at Work

Seven-year-old artist Katya could only stay with us a half hour in our last meeting but she is so calm and focused that she completed a large page of colorful paper weaving to take home.

Some of her family appeared just before she left and pitched right in to help.

Everyone likes to decorate things and to make things more beautiful!

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Paper Weaving

Bright Border

The very colorful border for yesterday's blog is a bit of woven construction paper.

I found the idea for this project in a book from the public library: "Creative Paper Crafts in Color" by Chester Alkema.

This is a very nice little book full of projects and practical advice for producing the projects for kids and adults--just what the doctor ordered for us.

The bright border above helps show some of the interesting effects which come from weaving varieties of papers together.

The youngest of our workers is seven years old and she got the hang of it quickly and made a couple of very creditable woven sheets in the half-hour or so of the time she had.

We will probably do more of this soon.

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Vivid Alberto

Alberto--one of the long-time residents--stops by to observe our work almost every day--but today he surprised all of us by sitting down to watch.

Alberto NEVER sits!

He was so amused by Al's painting of a pizza-box picture frame that he just couldn't help it. I suppose.

Since he was sitting--almost for a portrait--I thought I would go ahead and sketch him. And since Al was painting anyway, he finished the cartoon with watercolor.

And here it is. Vivid Alberto!

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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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