The Development of the Dragon

It is incredible to see the amount of progress that has been made in Claire's "Dragon Dreams" workshop. With all of Summer Spree involved, the dragon mosaic mural is almost complete. Take a peek at all of the terrific hard work Claire and campers have done over the past two weeks: 

[ Campers of the Magical Mornings begin the purple section ]

[ The special paste used on the pieces is called 'mastic' ]

[ Applying mastic onto the tiles so that they will hold firmly ]

[ Ammar carefully breaks more ceramic tiles to be used ]

[ Putting the pieces all together is like a big puzzle! ]

[ Teamwork ]

[ The other wing ]

[ Fantastic mastic ]

[ Almost there... ]

When it came time to mastic the dragon onto it's wall outside the CAC kitchen, rainy weather was predicted in the forecast. And it was not just a light drizzle that came through; it was rough, heavy, pouring rains. That did not hold the Teen Studio campers down, however; with the help of a tarp and some extra light, campers were able to paste their magnificent mosaic dragon onto it's new home. 

[ The dragon has a raincoat ]

[ More fantastic mastic ]

[ Claire assists in patting the pieces down firmly ]

[ The tarp provides shelter from the POURING rain ]

[ Embracing the rain ]

[ Cleaning up the mastic ]

The following day, the sun was shining in time for the dragon to be grouted. 

[ The group grouting ]

[ Getting the grout in every crack ]

Check back tomorrow for the revealing of the Dragon's name...and to see the finished product, of course.

The Reason Behind the Rains Today...

It's raining pretty rough out there this morning, and it just might be because of the Orange group. Yesterday, the Orange Group shared with me their one-of-a-kind rainsticks. Rainsticks are ceremonial musical instruments used to invoke the rain. Although we are not living in the deserts of northern Chile (where rainsticks were originated), the several heat waves we have been experiencing this summer sparked the Orange group to create rainsticks using cardboard tubes, aluminium foil, rice, felt pieces and paint. Take a look! 

Digging with Bob Deane

Last week, I spent some more time helping Bob Deane lay down the structure of what will be the foundation for his upcoming Signature Tile Workshop (beginning Session 5, August

2-13).  As previously mentioned (The Preamble: Going down the Path with Bob Deane ), Bob envisions the space where the tiled archway will stand to create a somewhat secret magical kingdom within the woods behind the arts center.  He has begun to build the base of the archway, which involved much digging, careful measuring, cement mixing and patience. Take a peek into the process:

[ Digging deep holes for the sonitubes ]

[ Digging ]

[ Grounding down the sonitube ]

[ Cement mixing ]

[ Rebars placed within the sontibues to provide extra support and strength ]

The beauty of this space is that although it is secluded, according to Bob Deane, it will remain a place of interactivity; he foresees this being a project that will continue to grow and be built upon over the next few years. Like the strong tree that remains within this secret magical kingdom, this archway will project depth in being rooted into the earth, as well as height in standing tall, extending upward with endless possibilities to branch upon.

 

Between the dragon mosaic mural in progress, and the development of this secret magical kingdom, I am beginning to realize that the CAC truly is a place of enchantment. 

Cooling off With Cucumbers...and Paint

Although there is a heat wave amid the air, campers of the Red group are staying cool by painting real fruit and vegetables and using them as stamps to create beautiful works of art.

[ Painting an apple ]

[ Stamping the apple ]

[ Almost done! ]

[ Stamping a red pepper ]

[ Stamping a red apple ]

[ Taking a break from the outdoors: Fairies and Princesses of the Red group ]

Furthermore, another way campers are staying cool this week is by making iced cold delicious smoothies in cooking class. Check out the Orange group making their smoothies!

[ Peeling the orange ]

[ Separating the orange ]

[ Squeezing the lemon juice ]

[ Blending it all together ]

Clearly, CAC Summer Spree campers know how to stay cool...even in a heat wave. 

Magical Mosaics with Claire

            [ An assortment of tiles to be used for mosaics ]
This week marks our first two week session at Summer Spree, and with that allows more time to work on long term projects. We are fortunate to have Claire Brill this session, a local mosaic artist, who is offering a very special workshop called "Dragon Dreams." Campers in both the Magical Mornings and in Teen Studios will help complete a dragon mosaic mural that will remain outside on a wall at the Community Arts Center.  
Why a dragon? Campers and staff agree the CAC somewhat resembles an old castle, so why not add something a bit mystical to a place that thrives in creating artistry that enchants and inspires?

[ Filling in the Dragon with colorful ideas ]

The dragon will appear to be 'fierce, but friendly' explains Claire. With nothing set in stone (literally)  except the basic outline of the dragon, Claire is giving campers a chance to brainstorm ideas as to what colors to use for the dragon mosaic; the exact color scheme will be finalized shortly. Check back soon to witness the progression and completion of the original dragon mosaic mural.  Until then, take a look at our campers creating their own individual mosaic tiles to take home: 

Lego Maniacs

>Today I learned that although the films the teens create in the 'Build Your Own World' lego class are short, they are not all so sweet. I met with Nolan, George and Sam to discuss their short film they have been working on. Nolan explained the beginning of the process  involved creating a story board on scratch paper, something similar to a comic strip, which mapped the basic plot and what they wanted for their movie. After this was complete, they quickly began to build the lego set, as well as characters. Next, it was already time to shoot the film with lights, camera, and a lot of action. 

“The filming takes longer than you think” explains Nolan. 

“ Especially with this movie; there is a lot of motion, so it is a longer process.”

I was lucky enough to witness and get in on their final day of filming. However, after today, there comes editing, and with editing comes the possibilities of special effects including wacky sounds and laser beams being emitted from the eyes of certain characters.

The boys further revealed the twists and turns of the plot of their short movie:

Opening with an evil scientist working in his laboratory, trouble breaks out when this evil scientist is experimenting and zaps a spider. A monkey in the lab then eats the spider and morphs into a giant mutant monkey. This monster of a creature rampages through the city as people are going about their day. People rush about the city to avoid the monster, but unfortunately, still manage to be eaten. Even the military comes in and attempts to intervene, but with no success.     

My favorite part is when there is a special guest appearance from the one and only Buzz Lightyear. Yet, even his superhero powers cannot defeat the monkey spider beast. 

Check out footage from the final day of shooting the film':

The title of this film is soon to be released and can be seen at the Community Arts Center on the second floor in the main building.