Two intensive weeks of art camps have come to an end, and I am thankful for the experience.
I kept enrollment to four students per camp so that I could focus on each student and give each any help she needed. The art camps ran each week day from 9:15/9:30 to as late as 2:30. The goal of both camps, although they were quite different, was to further the pursuit of Beauty in our lives & draw us closer to Christ.
The first week was "Iconography for Beginners", in which we talked about the history, purpose, and meaning of icons before do a "first draft" of Christ Pantokrator. I do not pretend to be a professional iconographer, but I love iconography and the beauty it has added to my life, and I hope to share it with others. Having just returned from studying with Theodoros Popodopolous (a professional who has been painting icons 10-12 hours every day for 23 years) , I felt very humbled as I attempted to guide these students through the process. It was my first time to do this, and I learned a lot along the way. My goal is to continue to improve my skill and increase my knowledge so that I can better help to lead others through this amazing spiritual exercise. It was a fairly quiet and concentrated exercise, & it took about 25 hours to complete the icon.
In contrast, the second week was full of joyful noise with a group of dramatic, musical, bubbly 10-11 year old girls who thoroughly enjoyed making items to help their families celebrate the liturgical year. We made a set of dove candle holders for the feast of the Presentation, a family feast day calendar, an All Saints Bunting, a St. Andrew's Day fish & pray game, and a Pentecost mobile. The girls were delightful and enthusiastic, and the projects were fun.
I hope to offer more workshops in both areas in a weekly, biweekly, or monthly format throughout the school year. Look for more to come!
Comments