This week I had a great opportunity to talk about art with elementary school kids.

I was guest artist-presenter at an arts camp sponsored by a local church. They invited a different artist-presenter for each day.

The great thing about talking to kids is that you really can’t wing it. You have to be prepared, and be prepared to listen to them, to get a feel for the group and what will work and what won’t. It keeps you on your toes.

I decided to talk about the concept of a still-life work, and to sketch one large right while I was talking.

I arrived with my subject wrapped in a beach towel, hidden, and we carefully unwrapped it together to see what I had brought. Here’s my still life model.

First, we listened to it. Taking the lid off and putting it back on a clay vessel makes a pleasing sound.

Then a volunteer sniffed the canister to figure out what I keep in there. (Coffee.)

Then I held the canister and explained why I love it. My daughter made this canister for me during her time working as a clay artist. It’s one of my favorite objects.

And I created a quilt inspired by it.

To start the sketch, I asked the kids to listen to the canister to hear how it wanted to be portrayed. Big? In the middle? Off to one side? And what else could we add to the picture?

(For little artists, this is foreign language. For them, art is conceptual. They draw their ideas and emotions, unconcerned with how to fill the picture plane. But, for the older kids who clearly like art, thinking about this concept appeared very interesting to them.)

When I recently taught a composition class for grownups, the thoughts I hoped to teach were not so different from the way I talked to the kids. The subject, and how you feel about it, will tell you how to put the image together. You have to listen.

(For me, this listening process takes the form of thumbnail sketches. Trying out different things. Seeing what works best.)

Here is my favorite canister in the quilt that depicts it.

And here’s a bit more, showing it in context. What was important to me to communicate was a place of peacefulness, a sense of arrival.

And here is the whole work.

(If you would like more information about this work, “Arriving at Morning,” it’s on my website HERE.)

Before writing this evening, I remembered the words to a song I learned in sixth grade. It’s about a rainbow, and I sang it as a duet with my friend, who also played ukelele. We thought it was quite sophisticated.

It wasn’t.

But the words are still in my head:

“Listen with your eyes. Listen with your eyes. And sing everything you see.”

Happy listening and singing.

For all the artmakers: Happy creating
For all the art lovers: Happy appreciating

Thank you for reading. I always enjoy questions and comments.
--Bobbi

bobbi@bobbibaughstudio.com

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