Animals and Nature Art Camp

Young artists at the Pima for Kids Animals and Nature Art Camp had opportunities to draw, paint and sculpt with professional art techniques last week. Aspiring animal and nature artists learned how to draw animals with shading and values and how to paint landscapes with watercolors from Teaching Artist, Ms. Malosh on the first two days.

On Wednesday, they took advantage of the overcast morning and went outside to paint the beautiful mountains and fauna around the campus. After climbing up a steep hill and setting up easels, the clouds opened up the way for some wonderful, but hot, sunlight. After drinking lots of water, mixing lots of colors and finding lots of new uses for "oh my gosh," Ms. Malosh's paint-moistening water-spritzer, (spraying our faces and heads as much as the quickly drying paint) many beautiful and colorful landscape paintings were made.

Thursday and Friday were fun 3-D days. Campers made imaginary animal sculptures, using armatures and oil clay, and then made very creative habitat dioramas for their animals.

To see the amazing art produced by the outstanding animal and nature artists in this class, visit:

http://www.artsonia.com/museum/gallery.asp?exhibit=206242

Pima County Environmental Education Class Makes a Wetlands Mural

Young Aquatic Adventurers at the Pima County Natural Resources Environmental Education Camp had an opportunity to learn about art and mural creation with Ms. Malosh early this month. After learning about aquatic animals and habitats with environmental educators, Axhel Munoz and Yajaira Gray in beautiful Agua Caliente Park, students combined their new knowledge with their creativity and made a beautiful mural! Ms. Malosh taught them about the mural process, layout and sketching techniques, painting techniques, mixed-media and collage techniques, and light and color effects. These young artist showed a lot of learning and were all very proud of their collaborative creation!

Kids at The Tucson Children's Museum Design Alternative Fuel Transportation Vehicles

Children at the Tucson Children's Museum spent a week learning about transportation and modern alternatives to fuels in a week long art and transportation camp with Ms. Malosh last month. Children had opportunities to design and build their own cars, trains and even spaceships! Children learned about how different forms of transportation use fossil fuels, bio fluels, solar power, hydropower, and even algae!

Children designed and built models of transportation vehicles fueled by a wide variety of things, such as candy, wind, water and people.

Face to Face Animal Art Adventure

Children at the Reid Park Zoo had many wonderful opportunities to see animal faces up-close in the Face to Face Animal Art Adventure early this month. Animals showed their mugs as young artists learned the differences between herbivore, carnivore and omnivore facial features from zoo educator, Jennifer Stoddard. Outside Art's Teacher, Dawn Malosh, taught aspiring animal artists how to recognize, draw, and paint the shapes, values, colors, textures, placement and proportions of the animals' faces. Many gorgeous animal faces were painted, and everyone really enjoyed the animal art encounters! To see their animal face paintings visit: http://www.artsonia.com/museum/gallery.asp?exhibit=196272

Nature-Inspired Furniture for Charity

Outside Artists at St. Michael's Parish Day School created beautiful nature-inspired themes on children's furniture this month. Beautiful flowers, birds and desert landscapes donned the curved surfaces of these child-sized benches and tables. These pieces are sure to thrill and inspire the children that receive them.

Landscape Painting in Sabino Canyon

A few young artists, Desi and Tatum, participated in Outside Art's landscape painting lessons in Sabino Canyon last Saturday. After walking about a mile uphill with easels over our shoulders and about 50 pounds of paints, brushes and canvases, we found our inspirational vista. (along with some shade) After a drink of water, and a thorough panoramic intake, we set up out portable easels, discussed, planned and painted our compositions and started our background tones. Desi and Tatum applied a few new painting techniques, such as impasto, wet-in-wet, and double-charging your brush. These outside artists did a great job with these new techniques. See for yourself!

Students Place in the Pima County Fair

Two Outside Art students, Lorraine and Aurie won first and second place in their age category at the Pima County Fair. These two talented sisters spent several weeks perfecting their animal scene paintings before entering them into the fair. Aurie's painting showed a giraffe in a beautiful savanna, while Lorraine painted an otter in its favorite element, the water. These prize winning paintings demonstrated a wide variety of professional watercolor techniques, such as washes, drybrush, and sponging. To view their art go to : http://www.artsonia.com/museum/gallery.asp?exhibit=188354

A Windy Spring for Young Outside Artists

It has been quite windy this spring, but aspiring young artists have prevailed, despite the wind. I can not count the number of paintings that have flown across fields and schoolyards over the past few months. A few weeks ago, Girl Scout Troop 1000 painted a number of beautiful murals at the Marana Youth Farm during a dust storm. By the time the art was completed, enduring artists were covered in just as much dust as paint! Below is a picture of one of the murals that these amazing and hard working young artists made during 60 mile an hour winds. It is as if our artists were sail boats this spring. The wind just pushed them forward.

To see more of their art go to: http://www.artsonia.com/museum/gallery.asp?exhibit=189433

Why Teach Art Outside?

Nature is an inspiring classroom for all ages, providing a peaceful environment which is conducive to creativity and discovery. It is also an excellent sensorial muse by which the elements, principals and expressiveness of art can be exemplified. Art creation is a higher-level, analyzing, synthesizing and evaluative process that increases neural activity and intellectual growth in children. The study of nature through art allows the “artist” to observe, value, analyze, synthesize and express his/her understanding of, and relationship to, the environment. The study of nature through art has been a constant in the development of artists, scientists, and all cultures. From the time of the Lascaux cave painters to the present, nature has inspired man to create in order to understand and tribute nature. As the great painter Francisco Goya explained, “I have had three masters, Nature, Velasquez, and Rembrandt.” (c) Dawn Malosh