Guided painting is a new enrichment program started this year for School District 27’s Skyline, and Distant Education students.
Every couple of months groups of 20 students from these programs gather at the GROW Centre on Second Avenue to work with educational assistant Amandah Cullum on creating paintings they can take home and be proud to hang on their walls, says Distant Education teacher Ann Pilszek.
“Amandah is a talented artist in her own right and we are very fortunate to have her skills and capable, patient manner of tutelage with our students,” Pilszek says.
She says some of the students apply the workshops toward an art credit for graduation while for others the painting workshops help to build self-esteem.
Much like the Blooming on Canvas classes for adults, Cullum coaches the students through a step-by-step process for creating an acrylic painting of a specific scene during the two-hour workshop.
Before Christmas the students painted a northern lights scene. This week the group is painting a Van Gogh-style winter solstice scene.
While the students may be painting the same scene, Cullum says that not all of the paintings look the same when they are finished.
“I do make a point of encouraging creativity in colour mixing choices as well as technique for individual and unique results,” Cullum says.
She is hoping to do one or two more of the painting workshops for the combined group of Skyline and Distant Education students.
Distance Education students are home schooled students in grades Kindergarten to 7 who come to the GROW centre once a week for enrichment activities.
Skyline students are secondary students in grades 8 to 12 who have chosen the more flexible alternate education route to graduation.
As the educational assistant for the Distant Education program Cullum teaches art classes with this group on a regular basis. She says they are currently focused on mixed media portraits, directed drawing, acrylic on canvas painting, and creating art from recyclable materials.
She says principal Mike Franklin and the teachers and staff have been very encouraging and supportive of the painting workshops, supplying easels, brushes, paint and canvases for the work.
The painting workshops open doors for children who may not otherwise have the opportunity to explore art, Cullum says.
“It is so empowering and fulfilling for all of us,” Cullum says.
“Parents have been very encouraging as well,” adds Pilszek.