Young artists discover talents
Posted September 04, 2007
Maggie McVeigh, 6, of St. Clair held a drawing close to her face and cheerfully announced it was a self-portrait.
“This is what I looked like in kindergarten,” she said. “I had long hair then, but now I have short hair.”
Portraits were one of the many art forms about a dozen children ages 6 to 12 have been learning this week in Art Camp, hosted by Studio 1219 in Port Huron. Students will be able to choose their favorite work and display it during a Studio 1219 event next year, said Maureen Scallen, the studio’s educational director.
As part of the camp, students learned about famous artists, such as neo-impressionism founder George Seurat and impressionist Mary Cassat, and were able to practice their own work in painting, drawing and pottery.
Scallen said the camp is designed to educate young community members about artists. She hopes enough people get involved to help Port Huron become a more cultural area.
“We need to grow our little artists,” Scallen said.
Pottery classes, during which students made clay tiles, pencil holders and an item of their choice, was the most popular part of the weeklong camp.
“Pottery was my favorite because you get to get messy,” Maggie said.
She made a tea set from clay for her final pottery project.
Jack Dobel, 7, of Port Huron Township also found pottery the most exciting part of camp. He used his new skills to make a tiny pair of clay cowboy boots, similar to a pair he has at home.
“If I get good enough at pottery, I might even take classes to do the spinning wheel,” he said.
On Wednesday afternoon, students were learning about Seurat and his technique called pointillism, which students duplicated using Q-tips dipped in paint to make small dots on a piece of paper, eventually creating a picture.
Bibi Aubdoollah, 10, of Port Huron used the new technique to draw a picture of a barn. She plans to show her family how to do similar things at home.
“I’ve never drawn a barn with dots before,” she said. “It’s something new to me.”
Jack Dobel, 7, of Port Huron dabs paint onto paper with his cotton swab Wednesday, making a picture of an elk at Art Camp in Studio 1219. The students made impressionist art pieces. The week-long day camp taught kids different aspects of art and how to create their own.
Julie Fink, 10, of Riley Township paints with a cotton swab Wednesday with Adriana Mirabel, 7, of Port Huron and Mikaela Dobel, 8, of Port Huron in Studio 1219. The kids were able to experiment with different mediums.
Story originally published in the Times Herald by Shannon Murphy on August 30, 2007
Times Herald photos by MARK R. RUMMEL