Art Demo, Amazing Grace

(Click on the video above for a snapshot of this week’s art project!)

I’m struck by the beauty of time and how we can give to each other through God-given gifts like words and songs. I picture John Newton 300 years ago, sitting by candlelight, writing the words to Amazing Grace, and then how those words traveled over seas and land to touch so many. This week it was heard by our little class on women hundreds of miles and years away. Creating is such a gift. 

Perhaps you might like to take a few minutes and create something similar this week.

Art for Joy : Folk Art to help us reject perfectionism

A peek at one version of basic Folk Art I’m using in Art Class this week!

I love using American Folk Art in my art class because, historically, it was often created by untrained artists who just used what they had to create the beauty or pain they saw around them. It’s a great way for my students, often without art experience and always walking through trauma, to see that we can just put our hand to the page and CREATE. It doesn’t have to be perfect. And in fact, sometimes the less formal training the art reflects, the more character the artist brings to it!

This week we are studying some epic women from Folk Art history who used whatever scraps and old paint they could find to capture the hardships and victories they experienced through their imperfectly beautiful art. What’s the imperfect beauty you can bring to the world even if it feels like scraps?

Amazingly, God uses our “imperfect” to shine His light even still.

Go search for some examples of American Folk Art and I’m sure you will be delighted with the variety of styles. (You can peek at my Pinterest Board here.) I’ll be back to share some more on this genre soon.

Art for Joy : His Eye is on the Sparrow

The story behind the hymn, and the simplest How-To!

Art Class is back in session! This week we listened to "His Eye Is On The Sparrow" (Sister Act 2 style obviously) and talked about Civilla Martin of Nova Scotia who wrote the lyrics. Civilla was visiting her friend, Mrs. Doolittle, an older woman who was bedridden and perpetually sick but was always "bringing inspiration and comfort to all" who knew her. Civilla mustered the courage to ask her how she could remain so cheerful and Mrs. Doolittle replied, “His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me.” Civilla carried those words home and wrote the rest of the lyrics to “His Eye is on the Sparrow” from inspiration found in Psalm 32:8 and Matthew 6 and 10.

Our art project, collaged sparrows, turned out beautifully. I'm always struck by how each individual brain and hand creates something totally unique. The choices of colors and content -- all so different! I love it. (My friend and neighbor, Krista, helped me prep and this is her beautiful bird pictured.)

HOW TO:

Gather the following:

paper scraps of your favorite colors and magazine images

a glue stick

scissors

a paper or shape (like a sparrow) to stick them on.

Instructions:

Turn on hopeful music.

If you want to collage on a shape like this sparrow, I suggest tracing/drawing your image on one side of the paper, then turning it over and collaging on the other side.

Begin to compile the scraps you like, either cutting or tearing them out

Use the glue stick to glue scraps onto the paper/shape

Then at the end turn it back over and cut it out along your lines. Makes filling the space so much easier. (My genius friend/neighbor did it this way.)

Collage can be so calming. Your kids will love this too. We did this with a group of little neighbor girls recently and I was so impressed with their creations.

Stay tuned for more projects this year from my class and a bit of the work I'm doing with individual therapeutic art clients. Such a joy!