Becoming

 

We begin the year making posters illustrating a poem that Cathy Blackburn, Clara Freeth's grandmother, wrote after I spoke with her about the atmosphere I try to foster in the art room. 

Becoming

Many lovely things begin

in the warmth of silence,

sailing sweet time,

peaceful, unhurried.

Do not worry.

The stillness will guide you.

After all, lovely things take time

to become what they wish to be.

Just like you.

I found eating utensil trays that are working well for storing drawing supplies, so that they can be organized by color. I find the students work better when they have a sense of order with their materials. We will use these for colored pencils, oil crayons, pastels, and markers. I continue to encourage the children to draw with the side of the crayon as well as the tip, and we discovered that drawing on a padded surface of newspaper creates a softer less textured mark than when drawn directly on the table.