Followers

Saturday, July 23, 2011

Children and Clay

Thirty years in the Montessori classroom has shown me how important this medium is to the child's physical development, and to their budding creativity. It's great for fine motor practice--call it 3-D scribbling.  Children love the gorgeous colors and are astonished by the things they can create. We start with ball rolling and pinch pots with the very young--then coils and coil pots. These girls are doing some advanced techniques with Sculpey.





“If a child is to keep alive his inborn sense of wonder without any such gift from the fairies, he needs the companionship of at least one adult who can share it, rediscovering with him the joy, excitement and mystery of the world we live in.” Rachel Carson


All adults should remember these words. Parents should share basic living skills--just how to do each little thing such as self care, independence skills. Artists can mentor children. Anyone with a skill to share out there? Share it with a child. They need us more than ever.


Wednesday, July 20, 2011

Too Hot For Chickens

I spent the day inside in air conditioned luxury making a fluorite necklace. Love the colors and striations in this semiprecious stone that Illinois claims as state mineral...



But imagine if you had to spend this day outdoors wearing three sweaters--that's what it's like for the poor chickens. I ran bags of ice out to their favorite shady spot and treated to frozen watermelon! Liza Jane has decided that she prefers the bird bath for my wild friends. She's thinking, "Take a dip?"

Tuesday, July 19, 2011

Obdurate People

An extremely hard-headed person could figure out how to use their weak and shriveled left hand to place beads upon memory wire, and produce a few wrap bracelets for a gallery. By shoving one's needle-nosed pliers down onto one's cast--oh heck with "one", it's me--I can even make a wrapped loop. Not many because it hurts heejus.

These are for Second Act Gallery, Sullivan Illinois.