Paint With An Artist At Esther Bone Library

Submitted by Sue Hanauer

Paint With An Artist Was Great Success!!

(to view this full screen, click on the box on the bottom right corner of image)

Paint With An Artist (PWAA) on April 28 came off as a huge success, not only for the artists, but for the participants, the library, and the community. I want to thank Robert Nankin for faithfully calling the participants to get them into the library and to the event. He does a wonderful job for this community.

AND all the artists showed up! I am so happy about that I can’t express my thanks with words. PWAA was awesome and it’s thanks to the artists, some of whom didn’t really know what to expect.

We had more people come than who signed up, which worked out OK. Even I was able to participate by taking a couple boys and making Origami birds with them, so their mother could finish her pastel she was working on. The boys, Eric and Bobby, finished their project with Arlene Weixel and were bugging their mother so she couldn’t concentrate. So even though I didn’t sign up as an artist (how does one actually teach what I do?), I was able to do a project with the kids anyway.

There were more adults than children who wanted to learn. I thought we would get more children, but it seems PWAA presents an opportunity for adults to learn something they always wanted to know. That’s why the age range is 8-99 on the sign-up sheet is so important.

We ended up with 31 participants and 9 artists. I brought a lot of art supplies that people have donated and lots of them were used. The only expense for the RRAA was the 8x10 canvases I purchased. I bought 20, because that’s how many were signed up. I had one left over, because it turned out that several artists weren’t using canvas, but were using pastels, drawing and watercolor. It worked out so well.

We will be doing this again in the fall, October 13th which is the 2nd Saturday of the month. Space is limited, so be sure to sign up for it!

Below are some quotes from the artists:


"This was a great review for me and forced me to go over the steps I was taught when I was first learning to paint. If you feel that you are above review you are in trouble as an artist!" -Carol Larson


"It was so much fun I would do it again. I do not know about others but I learn by teaching." -Ray Huffman

"I had a great time and I know that my little students liked getting to work with a "real" artist. I talked with Ambrosia and her mother, London and they told me that there are just not enough events like this around the community and that she and her fellow home schoolers love getting to do stuff like this. They were both just so thankful that I would take the time to come out and help the kids and adults be more creative."-Paige Bacon

"A home schooled girl seemed very interested in talking her teacher/mother into
attending museums and art shows."- Joe McDonnell

And the thank you sent to us from the library manager, Rob Nankin really summed it up perfectly:

"I want to thank you for coordinating the Paint with an Artist program
at the Esther Bone Memorial Library on Saturday, April 28th, 2012. The
event was a big success that generated much good will for the library,
the art association and the city as a whole. This is the type of event
where everyone was made to feel welcome and cherished no matter what
their level of creativity was.  It was a wonderful inter-generational
event as well with children as young as 8 years old to adults and even
one woman who turned 80 on that day.  In addition the program also
involved some special needs people who were so pleased to be included
and then created beautiful works of art. Thank you and I look forward
to many future cooperative events with the Rio Rancho Art Association." -Rob Nankin
 
Thanks again to all you artists who participated and to Paula who took pictures, because I forgot the camera...again!

Sue Hanauer,
RRAA Community Outreach