Community Art Project : Do It at Cotuit

It felt great to work on this life sized mural that connects artist while we are apart. Literally intertwines humans on the canvas and sparks art making in a time when it is easy to feel a loss for the arts.

https://artsonthecape.org/explore/community-art-project-the-connected-together-apart-mural

Textiles In Service to Others... Mask Making

So last week, I didn't post a lot. Why?
Well, my alma mater had reached out to students and alumni and asked that we make masks for hospitals and nursing homes in the NYC area.

I volunteered!

And it became a family project.

As I have mentioned before in other places, I feel very strongly about teaching kids community service! I focus on the fact that it makes people resilient and helps us overcome trauma.
Well COVID-19 is just that. The time to use the gifts you have received... the talents, the skills, the materials, the time.. to help others. And by helping others you will help yourself to overcome the possible trauma that you may experience from the anxiety, fear, stress, etc. from this experience.

Cards for kids in Foster Care Project that talks about how helping others, helps ourselves.
https://www.capenews.net/sandwich/news/sandwich-students-create-cards-for-foster-children/article_463c2a60-4098-57e5-8636-4d5b00973f21.html

Once I volunteered, we were hit with some challenges. I had tons of fabric scraps growing up in a family of sewers. But I didn't have elastic. And it was no where to be found locally. I searched stores, asked friends, etc.

So we opted for using hair rubber bands after learning about that on some websites.

I sewed. I sewed some more.

And my kids, sewed on the elastic! It became something they loved to do. They had some quiet time, listened to an audiobook and hand sewed on the elastic bands!

We completed our first 25 and sent them out!

It felt good! And we are doing more!

A New Canvas that spreads Hope, Cheer and More!

All over our town, people are putting up signs of hope during this pandemic. Lots of lovely children's artwork, mostly rainbows and hearts, appear in windows and doors. In the heart of or downtown some homes have had professionally made signs with wonderful messages of positivity, united efforts and strength!  We love love them!

                        

Everyday when we get out for our exercise we savor them. I soak them up and smile! It is so nice to see how artwork can spark hope in us all!

I wanted to let me kids really make signs that everyone on our busy road would see, not just the ones peeking from our windows.

I found blank yard signs on Amazon, and ordered some new Sharpies.
It became a fun evening project full of good intentions and positive thoughts!

Yourself in a Mask

Masks mean so many different things for us.

Make a list of all the ways people use masks. Some positive some negative

• Halloween
• For ceremonies... I was thinking of cool African masks I have seen. 
• To protect yourself against the cold in the winter when you ski
• For surgery or at the dentist office
• When you see a sketch of a bank robber or that scary person in the movies

I am sure you can come up with more. We know the references to "That person" wears a mask, when they don't want us to see their true colors or to present themselves a certain way. We know that part of the disconcerting feelings of masks is that we aren't able to read expressions that people have under the mask. 

So this new state of being in society is very loaded and hard to get comfortable with. Some of our basic instincts are being taken from us in our interactions with others. Not only are we being challenged by distance in our socializing we are being thrown off by not being able to see people's whole face. It feels eire. 

I thought doing some sketches of ourselves wearing masks might helps us get more comfortable with the necessary situation. I feel strongly about the positive role portrait have on people. It gives you time to reflect, time for you to see how you change from one time to the next when you do a portrait. So this is an important moment in time and it will help us to see how we feel about ourselves in a mask and to get time to "sit with it". 

What is out your window?

Being stuck inside, we get a lot of time to look out....


We spent time talking with our friends in other countries about what they are seeing out their windows.

Kids are posting rainbows, People are waving to friends, Spring is coming and trees are starting to bud.

Some are just seeing other buildings and maybe just concrete or graffiti or trash.

Wouldn't it be nice to be able to change what we could see out our windows?

Yay for Art! you can! You can change what you see! You can create the world outside your window!

And make it 3D!


Have Fun, Stay Safe, Be well!

If I Plant a Seed....

So we read one of my favorite books. Actually I was lucky enough to have someone read it to me!

If You Plant a Seed by Kadir Nelson

If you plant a seed of frustration, anger, grief.... that's what will grow!

We all need to plant seeds of hope, love, faith, kindness and let them bloom!

We did a drawing of what our seeds would look like and grow into.

Now create yours! Be Kind... Grow kindness while you are in the soli of the dark place called COVID-19.


Be Safe!
Have Fun!
Stay Well!

The Light at the End of the Tunnel

Somedays this feels like a dark tunnel we are in and it is hard to see where the end is...

I want to see the light at the end!

So we drew tunnels! And we made our light!

Give yourself the light....
Get creative. It doesn't actually have to be a light... it could be whatever your light would be.
A star of hope...
A school bus pick-up...
A smile....
A loved one...
Freedom.

Have fun!
Stay Safe!
Be well!

Brighten things up!

Brighten things up!

There is a lot to say for the way your home is, will affect the way you feel. We talk about clutter, about keeping up with maintenance, making beds, etc...

But here let's take a moment to brighten things up with happy thoughts!

Make your home exude happiness on the outside! So it is contagious... yes, like COVID-19, but in a GOOD, HAPPY Way! Pass it on, so when you look out your door or windows you feel happy and when people look over they feel happy!

I envision cites full of happy windows :) Town where you drive down the street and everyone have happy things paint o their doors!

Smiley Faces!
Rainbows!
Hearts!
Spring Flowers!

Go For it!

Make sure the paint is washable. We used Crayola washable paints... but any will do. And you can make washable paint by taking tempera paint and adding liquid dish soap to it.