"Diversity Rocks" 6 x 6 acrylic on canvas

 

Each teacher at the South Shore Charter Public School teaches their content area (middle school Math in my case) and also teaches a project.  The projects are service learning-based, meaning the students learn skills necessary to fulfill a need of the local or greater community.  This year, my art project was asked if we would like to create a mural for the back wall of the school library with the theme "Celebrating Diversity".  My project students were enthused, and we embarked on a series of design discussions, division into teams, design sessions followed by group critique to refine their ideas.  The space measures 6 x 6 feet.  We decided to create the mural on canvas rather than the wall itself in case the library was ever reconfigured.  Our discussions resulted in a decision to show religious, racial, cultural, and global diversity.  The students arranged themselves into teams, and began working.  They chose a globe as the unifying element in the center of the mural. What did they learn?

Giving and receiving constructive criticism, scaling up, color mixing, perspective, vibrating color within a value range, teamwork, among other things. 

 This is the finished product.  The students are thrilled with their effort, as they should be.  The mural was assigned a new home behind the front desk in the entryway of the school where it is seen every day as the students enter.  See our process photos below.

 Thanks for looking.  You know I appreciate your comments

Adding hand prints to racial diversity quadrant

. 

painting flesh tones

global and gender diversity

 

scaling up the racial diversity quadrant

measuring where the central globe will fit

"One Fine Day" oil 9 x 12

While we were staying on Monhegan Island last summer, two of our friends visited with their Moms.  The four of them stayed at the Island Inn, and we spent a morning painting up on Lighthouse Hill.  I came away from our few hours together so grateful for connections, time together, and reminded that everyone's story is fascinating.  We met on Lighthouse Hill on a blustery, gray morning, with mild temperatures.  I met Mary and Ellen, my friends' moms.. both octogenarians, both artists who raised families, and who had interesting stories of from their pasts, including Ellen's working with Dean Cornwell for a time when he was rendering his murals (I believe in the New England Telephone building, though I need to check the locale with her.)  A Ellen said, she was rendering the projected mural designs, and Cornwell was adamant that the drawing be done with a very specific type of straight line which he instructed her in and monitored closely.  Fascinating.

  
I had a wonderful time on Lighthouse Hill that morning, discussing painting, jerry-rigging an arrangement for turps, and a makeshift palette, enjoying lunch and more conversation together.  Time. When on Monhegan, there is time for conversation with new friends, with strangers, with old friends.. we make the time. It is precious time. It was "one fine day" among many fine days.  I feel blessed for these connections and time together. As always, thank you for your thoughts.