The Kids Are OK

Saturday Friday evening, the Park and Recreation Commission and the Library arranged a gallery of a sorts opening for the K-3 Point Roberts School end-of-the-school-year art work.  Also for an older Bellingham painter who has more technique but no less inspiration than the kids have.  We were glad to see both shows.

Fifty or so people, I would guess, showed up for a couple of hours while the Point Roberts Wind Quintet played various selections for us and while we drank wine and and other milder drinks for those so inclined and ate cheese and crackers just like the folks in the big city do for such events.  And talked to our friends and admired the childrens' work and the Bellingham guy's work, too, although it is mounted so high in the hallway that it's easy to miss it.  By contrast, the kids' work was right at eye level.

Various Point Roberts artists-in-residence had come to the school this year to introduce the kids to various techniques: photography, math/symmetry, brush painting, still life, contour drawing, etc.  The trio of pictures below, all by third graders, particularly caught my eye.

 The first one is by a third grader, the second by a 2nd grader, and third by a 3rd grader: each has its own vision and charm.  The third grader has centered his/her image; the other two have not.  And what you see is the different effects of composing with symmetry and with asymmetry.  The three pictures are an entire lesson all by themselves.

The show will be posted for a couple more weeks, so drop by and see what the kids have to offer.  These three paintings are on the left side, about half way down the main hallway.  Right next to them are a terrific pair of lions by two different kids.  One, a cheerful, almost manic lion who fills all the space; the other a very timid lion who is located in the very center of his space with lots of air around him.  Very different ideas of lion-ness.  And also, a G-RAFE.