Juggling Pumpkins, hues, and Obama

It's been a beautiful week... in many ways! On Monday I was able to attend my weekly Bible study group... something that I'd missed for several weeks. I had even been thinking that I should just drop out altogether. After all, I had missed at least three chapters of reading, all three discussions. How could I catch up with all the things I had still to finish for school? But one of the group members approached me and said that it wasn't ALL about content study...that we were each of us part of this group, and each giving to the group. When one is missing, it's noticeable. My pastor reminded me that I wasn't so far behind, and that all I had to do was show up. Another member said she'd missed me. Another asked if I was ever coming back. Okay, I had promised, I would try to make it Monday night.
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So glad I went back. Our pastor didn't have to, but, like the good teacher that he is, he reviewed the past few weeks to catch me up. I felt welcomed again, I knew that no matter how busy my weeks are, there's always a friend or group of friends who will miss me if I don't show up for the commitments I have made. I feel the same way about them when they don't show up. I know they have busy lives too, with their work and families. Mine is no fuller than theirs. Time management is a big issue with me. And biting off more than I can chew at times.

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Juggling is probably an apt way to describe what I do. When one of my commitments becomes too heavy, I toss it into the air so I can attend to another one. And when a prior obligation becomes more urgent, I will toss something else into the air so I can take care of what seems more important at the moment. Hmm, I really don't care for that analogy. Tossing things into the air seems a bit irresponsible somehow. Even though my hands will be on all these things at one time and another, they're still getting tossed when I have too much for my hands, heart, and mind to attend to at any given time.

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I'd rather adopt the image of one who carries her load to the end, and who helps others when her load becomes lighter. And maybe even accepting help from others who offer. The dilemma, though, is determining what that load will be. As one journeys, the load doesn't stay the same. Challenges arise, barriers appear out of nowhere, and endurance levels fluctuate. You shift the load. Life has a way of teaching us to be strong, to endure, to be faithful, and trustworthy. We gain knowledge of ourselves through the challenges we accept, as well as through the failure of them or the success of them. The good news is that even the failures contribute, in a beautiful way, to our development. We do become stronger, we can endure, and we can change. Yes, we can!

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I can say this assuredly because I did get to sleep late this morning and I feel completely rested and well. I write this because I want to remember this beautiful day, weeks from now, when I might well be tired and exhausted, or even sick with the flu. (A flu shot next week should remedy that, though).

Here are some of the pumpkins first graders have been working on these past couple of weeks. Oil pastel pumpkins, cut out, glued with cardboard tabs under them so that they stand out from the black paper. Then the kids draw leaves, weeds, vines, etc on the black paper. We've been calling them 3D pumpkins.

Second graders worked on an oil pastel piece called The Sun... they are learning about warm hues... and the fact that they now understand the difference between hues and colors impresses me and the other teachers. The question I posed to them was "How can we express a warm object in a piece of art?" After I had shown them several examples of art works that did express warmth through use of color, they were able to answer that question easily.

Each student created their own sun-like image using only red, orange, and yellow. Oil pastels blend so easily. When they are through with the drawing, they will paint black tempera or water color over it... resulting in a resist.



And then there were the elections on Tuesday ... I was thrilled that I had voted early because it meant that when I got the email at school telling me that I could hang some student art work at the local Starbuck's, I was totally free! I carried the stack of mounted pieces in a large plastic pouch through the parking lot in the dark and drizzling rain. Two hours later, voila!

Kindergarten through fourth grades were well represented. My only complaint was that the room I was directed to was very small... in fact, it was a vault. The place used to be a bank. Vaults make for tiny coffee shop rooms. Cozy and private, yes... but not roomy in the wall space. I made good use of it, though.

I was pleased with the look of the display. The next day, I typed up a sheet with all the names of the students whose work is on display. Parents will be told so they can visit and admire.

The best day of the week had to be Wednesday morning when kids walked proudly into my room, telling me who had won the elections. Had they thought I hadn't heard? Or were they letting me know that they already knew?

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"Hey Mrs. G, did you know that Obama won President?" one boy announced to me.

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I smiled and said, "Yes, he did!"

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The rest of the week the sun did shine! And today is a beautiful day.

A Fall Display: Student art, and Visual Journaling

It took me a couple of afternoons to get the pieces up, but it was worth it.

The single tree drawings are from a kindergarten class (a combination of oil pastel and crayon drawing). The apple drawings are from a first grade class (oil pastel). The three tree reflection (watercolor) is from a 2nd grade class.

At first I was just going to hang the kindergarten tree drawings in one of the main halls of our school, but then I remembered that one of the first grade teachers had not yet hung up her students' work, the apple pictures. I asked her if she had sent them home. She said no, but she wasn't sure where she'd hang them. I suggested she let me hang them with the other drawings I wanted to display, and she was thrilled.

When I hang a display, I don't just tape them to the wall... I mount them on poster board first... to give them that framed effect.

Well, while I was hanging the K's and the 1st grade drawings, I thought about the 2nd grade watercolors that were finished a few days earlier. I had not sent them back to their classroom yet. So I asked their teacher would she mind if I hung them with this other display, and of course, she was more than glad to let me do it.

As I hung them, and I hung them all from all three classes... I did not leave anyone out... I heard many positive comments from the teachers and parents that walked by. Many were surprised that the drawings and paintings were from the younger students. A couple of people shared their childhood memories of when they loved to draw and paint, and how they wished they hadn't stopped.

I hear that a lot now that I'm out. I say I'm 'out' because there was a time I didn't tell people of my interests and talents. I kept it hid from most people. Only my closest friends and my family knew that I could and would draw. I didn't tell people, I think, because when some people find out about one's talent for drawing, they will either ask you to draw something for them, or they will tell you what you should be doing with your talent rather than what you already are doing with it. I learned the hard way. Just keep it to myself.

But that was me when I was younger. Younger meaning under 40 years old. I've got a better handle on it now. People know, and if they do try to tell me what I should be or could be doing other than what I already am doing, I don't hear them. I do it with a genuine smile, and nod my head, but I don't hear them.

The other people, the one's I enjoy speaking to the most about what I do, are the ones who confess that they always wanted to draw, but quit. And they don't remember why they quit.

The conversation then opens up for me and I offer my ideas about why some people let their interest in art go the way of childhood toys. Probably someone (close to them, a parent, a teacher) deflected their aspirations with well-intended criticism which did more harm than good. In high school other more demanding interests took over, like dating, sports, and hanging out with friends who didn't like being reflective. Or their parents couldn't afford to buy the materials and supplies they needed or wanted. As adults, they became overwhelmed with the process of getting degrees (serious degrees... "not many people make good money as an artist, you see"), finding jobs, earning incomes, paying bills, and raising families... too much to do, not enough time to pursue something as trivial as art. Who were they trying to kid??? They weren't good enough... they remembered when someone long ago told them they'd never be an artist because they weren't good enough.

Inevitably, somewhere in that monologue, my words strike a familiar chord, and they start sharing their experiences with art. And their desire to pursue it now that they're older, with more time, less bills, kids are grown and moved away, and they even can spare a few dollars to buy the supplies they need, maybe take an art class.

Yesterday that happened. I was speaking to a woman who stopped to express her amazement with the children's art, and a conversation soon followed, it wasn't long before I discovered that she wanted to draw and paint. I suggested she get back into it... she could join an artist group or take classes at the local community college.

I talked to her about visual journaling, how it helps an artist get in touch with her dreams and express her ideas and images... her creativity... even..., no, especially her spirituality. The inner seeking we often turn away from when facing worldly problems. I showed her one of my visual journals... not many people get to see inside them, but I do open up for those who seem (to me) to be coming awake to their own inner seeking. She said it was something she would like to do... the visual journal... and after I talked with her, I thought to myself, I would like to get back into visual journaling myself. I haven't done it in six or seven years.

There are many ways to approach visual journaling. My first experiences began w ith Julia Cameron's book, The Artist's Way. Here's an excerpt of her book if you are not familiar with her work. I didn't have time to write all about her, or the book, but I think I provided enough links to get you started, at least to find out if you'd be interested.

You might also consider illuminating your paper journal. Often the journal entry will inspire you to create a page of art. Other times, something you paint or draw on your journal page will allow you to access deeper thoughts, and lead to a totally unexpected journal entry. Here's another link for some ideas on how to get started.

This is definitely a topic I could write about extensively, but that's enough for tonight. Have any of you taken up visual journaling? How did you use it? Are you doing it now? Let me know.