Art Camp Adventures

I went to art camp for a week once when I was a kid.  I was like 10 or 11 and we sat around silently working on still life drawings in pencil all day.  One still life was two cow skulls.  The other consisted mostly of  a houseplant.  Ugh.  To think I spent 5 precious days of my summer vacation staring at old bones and indoor vegetation.  It's a wonder I stayed in art at all after that snooze fest!! 

Yesterday I went to the art camp I wish I would have been at nearly 20 years ago.  Sue Cox runs a great program at Pleasant Hill Art Center and she was kind enough to invite me to teach yesterday. 

Giving me the big head.

It was a lot of fun!  I took some of my work to show the kids and we talked about combining drawing with watercolor.  I showed them a technique involving saran wrap on wet paint, and I brought empty bookmark sleeves and tassels so they could make their own bookmarks like the ones I create.  They even got to use the real deal materials I use like quality watercolor paper and yes,  permanent Sharpie markers because Sue's cool like that.  The kids (1st - 5th grade) did a really good job on their watercolor paintings.  They also chatted and laughed, enjoyed their snack time, and made a big ol' mess.

Dang kids.  They have no idea how good they have it.  When I was their age, we didn't have anything at art camp except dull pencils.  You were lucky if you got one with an eraser.  Plus I had to walk 10 miles, barefoot, in the 100 degree heat just to get there...

P.S.  Pleasant Hill Art Center also does art classes, birthday parties, and adult painting parties so check them out if you live in or near DeSoto County!