These Kids
by Tom Richards on 08/11/11
These Kids
I just finished my annual trip to Beaver Island and M A D camp. M A D camp is a week long art camp (Music Art Drama) I am a councilor and teach pottery. We do a pit firing from green ware on the fourth day of camp. The children (nine years and older) have only three class periods of creating - I explain to them that the nature of this type of firing - things blowup and they have to make lots and lots. Some do and some do not.
I go over the basics of construction but give them very little direction in terms of what to make. It is very interesting to see how the kids handle this. We do end up having quite a few balls and squares with initials on them. I have pictures of pieces that have been fired in a similar manor for them to look at for inspiration if they do not know what to make.
There are a couple of kids who always excel and do some very intricate and imaginative designs and sculptures. There was a young lady in this recent class that made several pieces; a couple of these were little sculptures of a lion and a dog. I do not know how much training she has had - I think the normal classes they have in school (now a days probably not much, to have a child receive advanced classes in art you have to go out of your way and find them, if the child has some abilities.....some skills.....some talent, it may be very difficult to get them the attention they need - you live in a small town, even more difficult) so without much direction she builds this small lion that is amazing. The lion is very gestural in nature - in the same way the impressionists and Peter Volkus worked in the 1960s - this young lady sculpted this lion. This was all done with purpose, using different colored clays, very well done. I do not know if she knew how well it turned out - I do know she really enjoyed making it.
It is fun to watch them work. They don't know that they are not supposed to do certain things so they create without that mental restriction. They have that freedom that we have lost. They are not worried about form, color or proportion. They are enjoying what they are doing.......something I sometimes forget to do.
