In today's fast paced world it's a challenge to find family time.  Families find themselves running from this game to that birthday, from one class to the next, with the parents on the fringes watching and driving.  It's a beautiful thing to see a family just play.

One of the classes we are currently offering is "Oh the Drama" and I couldn't ask for a better class! We currently have two families who honestly exemplify the power of theatre, in this case the simple act of "playing pretend", to bring people together.  Throughout the fall session I have had the chance to watch this group of youngsters transform into animals, chefs, royalty, and anything else our imaginations could come up with. 

What has been so inspiring is the parents involvement; These parents actively participate in engaging their imaginations as well.  It's easy to get wrapped up in the idea that we have to act a certain way, and pretending to fight a bear that your 3 year old son is imagining looming over you, ready to attack, is rarely seen as the "right" way to be an adult, but that's just what these parents are doing.  They are letting their kids make the decisions, and following along as a character in their story! Whether we are pretending to cook a gourmet meal or protect the throne of the kingdom, this class, these kids, and these parents are a highlight of the week.

The throne created by Prince Tristan and Princess Adriana

Painting by Cork&Canvas participant, Meghan Dinsmore

Last Friday we ran our Cork&Canvas event which involves paint and wine.  It's a new painting fad that is all over the place lately because it is kind of a blast.  The whole deal is that it's a take on what Bob Ross was famous for, which is walking people through a painting regardless of the student's painting experience. We've just added music and wine.

Bob Ross, what a gemstone.

We made Sugar Skull paintings in preparation for the Mexican holiday Día de Muertos (Day of the Dead).  The imagery from these celebrations are so beautiful, I couldn't resist getting going with them this month even though the celebration traditionally takes place on November 1st.  This Sugar Skull in particular is a lot of fun to walk a class through because there is so much space for each person's personal touch.  I show everybody different examples of embellishments they can paint on, like the flowers and some of the swirly shapes, and from there people basically just pop them all over their piece wherever they think it works best. 

I have a lot of fun teaching these classes, but creating the original painting that we work from is a pretty huge highlight of the process.  For the sugar skull, I pulled pretty hard from the traditional Day of the Dead imagery, but I was also sure to take look at some of the artists who inspire me regularly. 

Artist: Quyen Dinh

I pulled the flower layout from artist Quyen Dinh of Parlor Tattoo Prints.  I'm so into her artwork and endlessly impressed at the rate in which she pushes out new pieces at such a solid high quality.  Looking at the above image, I'm realizing now how much I need to purchase that calendar for my office.

Artist: Paula Tamara Hoss

Paula Tamara Hoss has made several amazing Sugar Skull paintings that I've seen, in addition to this triptych, that really get my mind going on the endless possibilities of bling (no, squiggly red line, bling IS a word) that can be added to these skulls.

Next month we are making a painting that will make you feel all warm and cozy on the inside:

More info on how to sign up for this one here

This month we had a fabulous group of participants visit Laura's Center for the Arts from the Marshfield Boys & Girls Club.  During the week of the gallery opening we met twice, once at the B&G Club and once at LCA.  During both visits we talked about some of the staples found in most landscapes like foreground, background, middle ground and horizon.  While at LCA we spend some time looking at all of the artwork on display and talking about things we noticed.

Luke LeWand
Roadtrip, 2013
acrylic on panel 

Luke LeWand's "Roadtrip," was one that caught some of our participants eyes.  The fact that there are cars in it was an immediate pull for some, and for another student it was it's more abstract right half that pulled her back to the piece.  Luke has several diptychs which consist of one panel based more in reality and the second panel focused more on mark making and color.  It was in "Roadtrip," that one of the ArtsReach participants made the discovery of the matching color palettes between the two halves of the piece.  It wasn't something that I had thought to point out to the group, so I was really excited when that discovery was made because she was exactly right.  Luke creates the first, more realistic piece, and then with the remaining paint he has mixed, he makes some loose movements which contrast nicely when put next to the tighter original painting.

Luke LeWand
Thanks For the Energy, 2013
acrylic on panel

After spending so much time looking and talking about art we decided to get outside and make some art of our own.  We made a quick pit stop at the stage and danced around a bit before heading out to the LCA lawn with some drawing boards and oil pastels.  The art is a little hard to see here because of the glare but these participants made some amazing things out on that gorgeous afternoon.

I think this picture might make it into the Marshfield Mariner! I'll post the link to our facebook page (link at the top) once I see it.

real time pose

ride back to Boys & Girls Club

Ty and Amy Lemerande, the hearts behind Knighthorse Theatre Company, are some of the most talented theatre artists I have had the privilege to meet. They are passionate professionals, intensely committed to their craft and their community. They're also a great story...

Ty was born and raised in San Jose, CA and served as an active duty officer for the US Navy, but he also has his MFA in Theatre and can perform a one-man sword fight which is unlike anything else I have seen in theatre. He is still a commander in the Naval Reserve and recently served for seven months in Operation Enduring Freedom in Kabul, Afghanistan. And yes, he even performed Shakespeare while in Afghanistan. This guy is just too much.

Amy, the love of Ty's life (he recently called her a "babe" in a conversation with me!), is local to MA, born in Dorchester and raised in Marshfield. She has spent time teaching theatre to handicapped and terminally ill children at Mass Hospital School in Canton and also has her MFA in Theatre. She and Ty met while touring with Shenandoah Shakespeare and she is a beautiful mom to their two young kids, Declan and Bridget. Ty is known to say that Amy is "the brains" of their duo. All I know is that she is a talented performer and a warm, kind soul.

We are thrilled to once again have Knighthorse Theatre Company taking the stage at Laura's Center for the Arts. For the next three weeks- opening tonight!- Ty will be performing a one-man production of MACBETH. Ty's acting is not to be missed. You will be floored by his adaption of Shakespeare's work and then simultaneously stunned by his ability to sustain such enthusiastic energy that you forget there is only one person performing in front of you. Seriously, don't miss this.

See you in the audience!