Our January edition of ArtsReach went off without a hitch!  I think that we are really hitting our stride with the way program is designed and it is so great to see ArtsReach start to catch on with the kids.

We've matched the kids up into mentor/mentee pairs to promote collaboration and joint discovery.  These kids were great about this new aspect of the program and our mentors did a fabulous job of taking ownership over their important role.

This month we made artwork that responded to the work of Karie O'Donnell who is our gallery artist this month.  As a Brant Rock native, Karie creates artwork that is inspired by the sea.

 After we were finished making artwork everybody brought their piece back into the gallery space to share the decisions they made with the group.  We got into discussion about what "mixed media" means as well as what it is to create artwork as a response to another piece.  "Is it copying?" "Is it tracing it and then coloring it differently?" It can be both of those things and more!  A lot of the work made that day had a bit of a tropical feel to it, which you can't blame them for with these bitter days we've been having.  Even though their art seems as though it is from the tropics, and Karie's work is based more firmly in Marshfield, it is still the sea no matter where you find it.

Thanks for coming ArtsReach participants!! Hope to see you again next month for the February edition of ArtsReah where we will be looking at artwork made from artists from the group called SNAC.

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