Wow! What a day! We worked hard today from 9am to 8pm with a short 2 hour lunch break that seemed very short. Over breakfast, our team exerted lots of effort as we made our plans for the day and tried to figure out how to tie all of our activities this week together.
We began with what we called a "paint circle dance". We arranged 16 pieces of paper in a circle in the grass and gave each girl a color of paint. We walked around the circle each adding a stroke to each paper. First we did it as a color wash, and then we used some thicker paint. We were learning to not be attached to our artwork so much, but rather to work through layers.
The abstract pieces then became backgrounds for the final embellishment projects we had the girls working on today. We encouraged them to take a character that they created earlier this week and put that character into a scene. The concept part was really hard for them, and learning to work with the background or layer over it was even harder for them. They pushed through though and after a while they were all busy working through the process. We taught a few mixed media techniques including using some natural resources to add texture.
Their final projects turned out great! Plus, we got some great compliments from Mama Sheryl that she noticed the girls enjoying the projects this year more than ever before. I think they have all really matured as individuals and as artists. And these projects are really challenging them to create and fine the art from within themselves. We were quite proud today.
Those that know me well have often heard that I don't always consider myself an artist, but more so the visionary that puts this all together. Kadie has been very encouraging and has said many times "Becky, this is your body of work. I get it now!" I think she's really right. This is my portfolio. Orchestrating all of this is using the creative gifts that God has given me. This is my art ( just a little challenging to have everyone else see it sometimes). I am just as proud of the work they create as I am of my own.
Quick story. . our newest Agape girl is nearly 15, but socially extremely far behind and operating more like a 7 year old in some way. Cutting shapes out of paper with scissors is even a little new for her. It has been a challenge to help her keep up at times because she really needs someone to walk through it with her and even do some parts for her. She has a heart of gold though and all she really wants is to spend time with us and be included with the other girls. The past couple of days, she has laid low a bit as she realized how challenging our projects became. She's enjoyed learning to trace from coloring books and some other simple projects we have given her. Yesterday, we spent the day working on making our own journals, photo books, etc through book binding. She quickly recognized the challenge and opted out. While Kadie worked out the process of teaching us all, Kelly and I got really into making our own books since we didn't have to give so much attention to the little one. Just as I was collecting all of my paper to put inside the book, she came and stood right between Kelly and I, eager to be a part of it. I asked her to be my helper and her eyes lit up! She LOVES to help. As I punched wholes in each page, I gave them to her to collect on a thread to hold them all together before be bound the book with wire. She sat with me as we then bound the book and picked out a few beads for the cover. A short while later, I heard her shouting with enthusiasm, "Look what we did, Ate Karen (one of the missionaries here)!" She was so proud of it! She had helped in the smallest way, but she was really proud and felt accomplished as if she had been the one labouring over every detail. It totally warmed my heart and reminded me of the way I feel about each of their work. I am so proud of what THEY have created!
Becky Palmieri
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