Promoting Art at all Ages

From the time they can hold a crayon, pencil or brush, a child leaves their mark. Even thought it may be on the walls, their efforts are art in progress.  As they experiment, children are easily guided to explore in a variety of media.  Without stifling their creativity, a good teacher can help the child see ways to express their ideas and develop their skills.

Too often, the artwork of children has a short life on a fridge at home before it hits the garbage bin.  Often there is just too much produced to keep it all.  Parents can provide a file or portfolio, helping the child decide which ones to select.  Over time, this can also start a conversation about what growth is shown and why the piece should stay in the file.  The point is to validate the art of the child.

In December,  at the Edmonton International airport,  I was so pleased to come across a gallery showing of student artwork from Grades 1
 to 12.  What an amazing display of talent!  Unfettered, imaginative and inspiring. 

How honoured these children must have felt to have their work displayed in such a professional manner in a public space.  I have seen the positive responses of young artists when their efforts are recognized. 

Schools that regularly make such displays in the hallways and classrooms encourage their students to appreciate the work and to continue to create.  As well, it is farsighted towns and cities that stage gallery showings of student work, promoting the local arts community at the grassroots.  Young artist and artisans are nurtured through the exposure and feedback.  If we value artistic expression, we need to fully support it at every age level.

The above photos are from a showing of student art from elementary schools in Melfort, Saskatchewan. 

I have been so grateful to Engage Social Pub and Eatery in Outlook for allowing me to use their space as a gallery.  Promoting art at all ages!

The Gift of Art

Christmas is soon here! Preparations might be frantic or at a measured pace, on a grand scale or a simple one, but anticipation is high.  We look forward to good food, warm gatherings, special events and gifts.  Whatever I do, I want the preparations to be meaningful, not just traditional.  I want the gifts to reflect our values as we recognize how very privileged we are.  This year, our gifts will support the work of Canadian World Relief in developing countries,  local stores and local artisans.


Christmas is a good time to rethink how we give over the whole year as well.  I can give my time instead of money, but I can also encourage artists and artisans when I choose my gifts.  My decision to buy from someone in the Arts aligns with my appreciation of creative skills and originality.  Artist A might be trying to establish their name as an artist.  Artisan B might want to revive a tradition or skill.  Artist C might want to honour their culture and build pride in that heritage.  There are many goals but each person wants to be recognized for their talent and skill.  While purchases are wonderful gifts to the artist,  even showing interest by talking with the artist about their work provides encouragement to persevere through positive feedback.  Most of these of these talented people are supplementing their income but some hope to make their living through their art.  Did my purchase add to their growing confidence to do just that?

Original works in our home have also increased our appreciation for the Arts.  As we enjoy a CD, we recognize the talent and effort needed to produce it.  I am similarly inspired by the artists whose paintings hang on our walls.  I have followed their stories and growing success on Facebook and Instagram where I am introduced to other artists.  As a fledgling artist who admires their work, I am encouraged to keep improving my own. 

Finally, those who receive these one-of-a-kind gifts of art will also grow in their appreciation of the artists, artisans and the Arts.  A plastic do-dad from Walmart certainly won't do the same.  The artist doesn't have to be famous  but those who give and receive their work recognize their creativity and talent.  Handmade is far more than a marketing claim.

Christmas giving is just once a year but gifting that supports artists, and artisans in their many and varied fields can happen throughout the year.  Those purchases create a growing awareness and a healthy arts community for all to enjoy. Give a gift that gives back.

Scratch the itch

A child explores their world in color, line and form on every surface available from an early age.  They are unhampered by convention, color wheels, rules or comparisons of quality.  At some point though, many children become shy about what they produce, unsure of the value.  They start to compare their creative play to examples in their homes, schools and the media.

As a highschool teacher, I found this was too often hardened into fact in my older students.  "I'm no good at art", "I can't do that", or  "I don't sing/act/write".  So sad that they had given away hope and didn't want to take the risk.  And yet, I know that these people would still respond if given the right encouragement at the right time. It's never too late to scratch the creative itch.

I firmly believe that we are all created with a need to connect imagination and perspective to our hands, voices, and bodies.  From early years, how we keep that spark alive depends on a supportive environment that feeds it.  The results take many forms- art, song, dance, writing, entrepreneurial spirit, invention...  anywhere creativity blooms.

We have all been given talents to nurture.  When we do, we also scratch that itch! Someone may approach the blank canvas at a paint night with doubts but they are willing to take the risk of creative play.  With some instruction and permission to ignore comparison, they discover a degree of satisfaction.  These adults know that their artwork will not hang in a gallery but that was never the goal.  The process, the connection to creativity is much more important.  Their smiles and positive responses is proof of that as they feed the inner child.

Those accomplished in their respective fields are not the only ones who respond to the desire to create.  However, as a person practices, trains and learns, their talent develops and enriches their lives.  So too, my experience has been enriched over the years no matter what materials I have used.  Even as my current efforts are supported and encouraged,  I still value my dabbling in many crafts over my lifetime.  It was play, it was fun, and it was creative expression. 

Never underestimate the importance of creative play and discovery for children. But also, as adults, remember to take the risk in whatever way you can to continue that discovery.  Scratch the itch!

Acrylic pours from 10 year olds.

What inspires you?

We all enjoy the grand sites of nature. The mountains in any season, towering majestically,  challenging the imagination of those at the base as well as the climbers. The ocean vastness swelling with the tides, crashing onto rocky shores  and stretching beyond the horizon.  Forests of all climate zones teeming with variety, swaying just below the heavens, creating life on the forest floor. Sands shifting and moving at seaside, lakeside or within a river's flow. Flora growing with infinite beauty in all shades and  colours, shapes and sizes. In nature there is an endless supply for inspiration to delight everyone.

But what moves the heart? What causes the soul of the viewer to embrace the scene, the image? Perhaps clichéd but "home is where the heart is" has application here. Certain views never get old because we are tied to the positive emotions of the place or event.

I started taking photos of the South Saskatchewan River because we often walked and kayaked there. We still enjoy the ever-changing elements of water, sky, sun and clouds from our favorite spots in all seasons.  Fields, pastures, the sweep of the land, the changes and growth from early spring until late harvest remind us of those who have loved and worked the land as we have. Each person feels the pull of a landscape that holds their memories.

As an artist, I paint what I know and love.  When I have walked the trail and taken the photo, I am reminded of the what I hold close as I paint the scene. The finished piece brings a smile because of the memory it evokes.  In my choice of scenes to paint,  I hope that I can also capture a similar remembrance for those who enjoy my work. I know from their reactions that we have been inspired by similar views, a piece of home that is dear to us. I am always warmed by comments like, "That's just like our pature gate when we were on the farm." Or, "I love our prairie skies." Or, "We feed these birds in our yard all winter." I know that we are sharing what moves us, the experience or memory that the painting reminds us of each time we look at it.

There have been a few extra special times when the person who has bought or commissioned the piece has been overcome by that connection.  I am also moved by the tears and the hug but also delighted that the artwork will do it's real work in their hearts and homes. 

What inspires me as an artist? It is both the scenes that move my heart and the hope that I can place a painting in your home that might bring you joy daily.

What inspires you? Does it bring joy?

One step at a time, small beginnings

This blog is intended to be an exploration of the mind and motivation of an artist. Perhaps it is also my way of feeding the writer side of my creativity.

LCBI art class in the late 1990's, with students who were already amazing artists in their own right. One such student, Kathryn Gorectke (nee Akre), has continued to expand and market her talent in acrylic paintings. It might have been the persistent influence of my students that first encouraged me to paint.

I remember that their difficulty with water colors prompted me to head to our cabin over the summer loaded with paper, paints and brushes to work through the two art books I had borrowed. By the end of the month my efforts were not that bad with method I had employed. Returning to school in the fall, I brought samples of the steps to take, teaching my students some of the basics that worked for me. They ran with it, outstripping my work in leaps and bounds to my delight finding new techniques as they worked.

As I guided their classes, those many students taught me to take risks, to believe in what might happen, to look at the subject with new eyes and to find joy in the process.

Years before I retired, I worked in watercolors until I discovered my preference for acrylics. For a few weeks each summer, I played in paints at the cabin sporadically. It wasn't until 2013, after my last year of teaching full time that I started painting more seriously as one of my goals for retirement. I had waited until nothing could distract or hold me back from pursuing this goal.

At first, I was nervous about sharing my work. Was it good enough? Would I seem like I was boasting somehow? I didn't need to worry. The look on the faces of my daughters was enough. Perhaps they were a bit taken aback that their mom had this flicker of talent showing up in paint. The year I offered them their choice of an acrylic painting for a Christmas present was affirmation that I had arrived as an artist.

The first watercolors and canvases were also well received by friends and even by purchasers at fundraisers.  My work was worth something! I think that the first small offering brought in a bid of $45 and the next one was over $100.  More than that, the comments encouraged me continue to explore, risk and learn more.

Simple beginnings, small steps over perhaps 10 years but a process that has been rewarding in many ways. I have learned to humbly trust the talents entrusted to me, as well as the positive comments that gave me hope.  This has been as much about self-discovery as it has been about practicing a skill.

Thanks to all those who have supported my work with kind words and purchases.