It’s 6am on a Monday morn, the house is quiet…and dark, and I have been up at least 2 hours already! I am sipping on my warm chai tea and looking forward to the day ahead! …but I can’t stop thinking about it! …our trip to Colorado Springs and visit with the Academy for Advanced and Creative Learning…
…I walked into the entry hallway last Thursday morning, greeted by staff members with smiles and welcomes for us…the air was filled with the low buzz of happy students’ voices…a group of older students sat on the floor busily creating…the atmosphere was nurturing and yet free…I was delighted to be that fly on the wall if even for just a few seconds!
Miss Hellen, the art teacher, was a delight in bold beautiful colors and a giant smile! I could see that she is a wonderful mentor for all of her students, impacting them with not only creativity, but also wisdom in life’s lessons…
I had the chance to speak with the older children that afternoon…what a delight for me!! I spoke about my life as an artist, about my many techniques and processes…and they got a chance to see the paintings that I brought from home…I was very surprised at the well thought out questions that they asked me…and the fantastic interaction between me and them…what fun!!…
The artshow that evening was full of great energy…the students’ artwork filled to overflowing the displays in the gym and hallways!!! …and it was fantastic work!!! …landscapes and portraits…amazing stuff!! Teachers, parents, staff were all so wonderful! But the students were the frosting on the cake!! …there were the little girls who insisted I give them my autograph!!! (it still makes me laugh!!)…and the young students who opened up to me about their lives…and those that gave me some of their art…I left the school that evening wishing I could pack up all of the school and take it home with me so that my grandkids could share in the goodness!
I went to Colorado at the invitation of the school Director, Mrs. Meyers, delighted that they found my “Art is Power” quote useful…I hoped that while there I could encourage and bless some of the students and those I had contact with…when I left the school that night, I realized that I had been the one who had been blessed!
Many thanks to those at the Academy for Advanced and Creative Learning! …thank you also to Alice and Harold, Darby and Jack for the wonderful hospitality and yummy lunch on our trip home!! And many thanks to our son, Sean, who “held the fort down” while we were gone…and for keeping the kitties well fed!!
