As a staff member in the Fine and Performing Arts department at the Emilson Y, I always take pride in the programming we offer, whether I am involved in said program or not. Recently I had the amazing opportunity to participate in a Cork and Canvas event offered by our Fine Arts Coordinator, Beth Gilmore, and I was simply blown away.

Having known Beth for a number of years, and even sharing an office since the opening of Laura's Center for the Arts about a year ago, I knew that Beth was both an accomplished artists and a thoughtful, articulate educator. Having seen her working with the campers, students and community members that participate in our classes and events I thought I knew what it would be like to be on the other side. My expectations were far exceeded.

If you are unfamiliar with our Cork and Canvas events, the basic idea is wine and painting.  The instructor walks the class through recreating an original painting step by step. I do not have any painting ability and I certainly didn't leave with a museum worthy work, but let me tell you, my mother wants in hanging in her living room! 

During our first break to allow the paint to dry!

One of the most amazing things was walking around and seeing the way the other people in the class interpreted the same instruction. There was no pressure to be right, and when that pressure was eliminated it made it easy to sit back, enjoy a glass of wine, and have a blast.  Beth's cheesy jokes and effortlessly casual demeanor made it feel like everyone in the room had known each other for years, providing the perfect environment to allow our muses to mingle.

The finished product

It was amazing to be on the other side of a class, especially with someone who I have spent so much time working and growing with.  We even had a chance to snap a great picture.

It MAY be good enough for a museum...What do you think?

Last week we had a group of Brownies from Norwell come to Laura's Center for the Arts to earn their Painting Badge.  We had two abstract painting activities for the girls to do and they breezed through it like old pros.

This first painting involved creating a group of shapes on the canvas using tape and then mixing different colors with acrylic paint to fill in the various shapes.  When they were finished painting they pulled off the tape and discovered the unique abstract painting they had created!

The second painting project had a bit of a challenge.  The girls were welcome to use whatever they wished for color and imagery, BUT they could not use a brush!

At the end of the class, we played some games as our paint dried and as parents started rolling in for pick up. I learned a game and taught a game so it was a successful game time by my standards. What a pleasure to work with this group, they were such natural art explorers I do hope to see them again.