Last Days at Argyle Middle School

Students reviewing a collage card made in the last class of the "Every Picture, Every Word" workshop that I designed and lead this fall. Students created collages, artists books and experimented with printmaking. The after-school program was sponsored by Arts on The Block and the Montgomery County Collaboration Council.

French Clips

A fourth grade student at Benjamin Foulois Elementary School in Maryland created this cut paper collage of his grandmother using tissue paper, construction paper and newspapers from my recent trip to Paris.

A Star Is Born

Middle School students at Argyle display their star books created from color paper and hand decorated paste paper in my after school program "Every Picture Every Word."

Creative Choices

Teen displaying a print made using styrofoam plates at a workshop I led at Loyola University Thursday night.

Making Paste Paper

4th grade students in Ms. Dahl's class at Friendship Public Charter School in NE D.C. learned how to decorate paper with paste. The papers will later be used in artists books and to illustrate personal narratives.

Hanging Them on the Line...

Ms. Dahl from Friendship Public Charter School hanging up the paste paper creations painted by her students as part of my residency at her school this fall.

New Residency

I'm excited about my new art and writing residency at Friendship Public Charter School in D.C. that started tooday as part of the Kennedy Center's Student Centered Residency program. I will be working with second grade and fourth grade classes over a period of ten sessions.

Simply Awesome Paper Sculpture

A middle school student showing off her paper sculpture created with simply glue, scissors and construction paper during my after school program at Argyle.

Me in 3-D

Middle school students at Argyle in Silver Spring created three dimensional portraits using cut paper and recyclables during the first session of my "Every Picture Every Word" after school program sponsored by Arts on the Block and the Montgomery County Collaborative Council.

Every Picture, Every Word

First day at Adjoa Burrowes afterschool art workshop "Every Picture Every Word" at Argyle Middle School, sponsored by Arts on the Block and the Montgomery County Arts Collaborative. From left to right: Teen Assistants Manyi and Alexis; Program Director Laurie Lester; and art educator Adjoa Burrowes standing in front of 3D self portrait collage project designed by middle schoolers.

Open Studio

Working on a new mosaic tile commission at my Open Studio event.

Every Picture. Every Word.

Showing off former student artwork at a Back To School night in Montgomery County. Trying to recruit students for my "Every Picture Every Word" after-school program for Middle School kids. Students will be engaged in printmaking, bookmaking and cut-paper collage.

Mosaic mural elements

Designs the apprentices created which will be embedded in the parachute cloth White Oak mural. Each of these designs will be executed in tiles, the largest being 24" in diameter.

Streaming Color

After finishing up the tree, apprentices move on to the stream accented by waves of bright color alluding to the paint branch.

A Tree Is Born

Using Golden acrylics, apprentices paint the beginnings of a white oak tree which serves as the focal point of the mural.

From Paper To Wall

 

Apprentices transfer the first section of the 90' mural design to the parachute cloth on the wall.

The New Book Bag

One of the books I illustrated, "My Steps" by Sally Derby is still available on a child's book bag - complete with a copy of the book inside. A young entrepreneur came up with this concept.

Big Mural, Big Space

Apprentices from the Pour Your Art Out (PYAO) workshop transfer the White Oak mural design onto the parachute cloth at Bella Faccio studio in Takoma Park (top) while others prime the long lengths of cloth with rollers.

Let the Priming Begin

Apprentices roll primer on the 5' sections on parachute cloth, being careful not to wrinkle or fold the fabric. We have this week to cut, prime, draw and paint the first 12 sections of  the first third of the 90' mural for the White Oak Community Recreation Center in Montgomery County.

White Oak Mural Beginnings

White Oak mural team members plan and layout elements that will make up the 90' painted mural including the 18 mosaic medallions designs by each apprentice.

Mural Beginnings

Today we started laying out the 12 - 5' parts of section A of the 90' mural. Apprentices finish coloring the mockup on the grid and choosing the placement of the 18 circular medallion pieces.

Baby Noah Celestial Quilt

North Carolina quilter Donna Williams (on left) displays the quilt she made for baby Noah Orion. Noah is being held by his grandmother, Sheila Caldwell an educator, activist and writer from historic Highland Beach on the western shore of Maryland. Orion is a prominent constellation on the celestial equator and is visible throughout the world. It is said to be the most recognizable constellation in the night sky. Orion is often referred to as the hunter. The three stars in the center of the quilt on the horizontal bands refer to the hunters belt, Williams said. The four stars in each of the corners represent the outline of the hunters body.

Mo Murals

Teen apprentices from the Pour Your Arts Out (PYAO) workshop in Montgomery County visit Adjoa Burrowes painted mural at the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library in downtown Washington, D.C. Adjoa holds open a page from the picture book "Destiny's Gift" which she illustrated. The book which celebrates books and the love of reading, served as inspiration for the mural.

SAAM For Teens

On the steps of the Smithsonian American Art Museum (SAAM) for a field trip with teen apprentices from Arts on the Block, a life skills and art skills training program in Montgomery County. I'm lead artist this summer in the Pour Your Art Out (PYAO) workshop with assistant artist Natalie Ramirez (on right).

Summer Art Apprentices Pour Art Out

This is week 4 of 7 of the summer Pour Your Art Out workshop in Wheaton operated by Arts on the Block. 18 teen apprentices create commissioned mosaic and painted murals in this job skills and life skils training program in Montgomery County, MD. I'm pictured on front left.

Painted, Stamped and Glued

I worked with detained youth over the past two weekends painting colorful banners for an upcoming carnival. The banners were painted with acrylic and tempera and stamped with designed carved out of styrofoam. Shapes were cut out of painted paper and glued down to add an interesting element to the design.

Arts on the Block Apprentices Learn Job and Life Skills During Month Long Workshops

 

Apprentices stand in front of a finished mosaic tile artwork commissioned by the Family Justice Center. This piece was created during the Fall and Spring season that ended April 2.

So Proud

Two of my apprentices in the Arts on the Block job skills and life skills nonprofit in Wheaton juried into the Congressional Art Contest and both won Honorable Mention awards given by Congressman Chris Van Hollen in a reception and ceremony Monday, April 11. Three other apprentices submitted artwork as well and received certificates. How awesome is that!. The artwork will be on display at VisArts in Rockville through May 4.

Young Determined Designer and Artist

Our only high school freshman apprentice at Arts on the Block, Francisco shows off his entry for the Congressional Art Contest (pictured next to his Dad). His digital image was not only beautiful but demonstrated a keen appreciation for color, balance and design.

Stair Mosaic Completed

 

After months of hard work, the apprentices at Arts on the Block completed the stair mosaic for Quebec Terrace in Silver Spring. Hundreds of striking orange, red and yellow glass tiles were laid day with the help of community members. What a great collaborative project to be installed soon.

A Book Without Pages

Now that the School Without Walls Kennedy Center Residency is over, Kamel and I must compile a book for each section that would hold all the blogs, e-books and narratives created in class. We will present it at a reception for students and their parents on April 29.

Almost There

Two more weeks remain before the end of the Pour Your Art Out workshop at Arts on the Block in Wheaton. Apprentices diligently finishing up the floor mosaic commissioned by Pizzeria Paradiso in Alexandria, Va.

Designing the Donor Wall Mosaic

Lead designer Carlton Chambers looking over the donor wall mosaic commissioned by Montgomery County's Family Justice Center. The mosaic features a multitude of beautiful glass tiles, many meticulously cut into organic shapes.

Lets Get It Started

Apprentices begin constructing the floor mosaic using colored ceramic tiles.

A Sense of Me

As part of my art and writing residency, students at the School Without Walls created blogs that centered on their personalities. Using the five senses and the sixth sense of intuition, these high school students wrote some very interesting narratives.

What Do You Love

On this Valentine's Day, sixth graders wrote narratives about what and who they love. The stories were then transferred to a small book they made. This session was the 8th of 10 sessions in my art residency with the Kennedy Center.

Wall Animal Mosaics

Animal mosaics created by this seasons apprentices line the wall at Arts on the Blocks Annual Open House. Partnering with the Montgomery County Humane Society, the event featured studio tours, face painting, caricature sketches, button making and an opportunity to collaborate on a wall mosaic for the Humane Society.

Beginnings of a Book

Sixth graders wrote stories based on memories they had of family members and were challenged to tell the story with pictures alone using papers they painted in earlier sessions. Next week they will add words to the story.

The Message in the Memory

Memory is a way of holding onto the things you love, the things you are, the things you never want to lose.  
~From the television show The Wonder Years

Last night I spoke to a group of parents and their children at an elementary school in Gaithersburg, MD in Montgomery County. I talked about my writing process and how my book Grandma's Purple Flowers was based on memories I had of my grandmother when I was growing up. I talked about how she rode the Greyhound bus from Atlanta to Chicago in summer to visit. I talked about the memories that had amazing effects on me, such as the gold teeth in Grandma's mouth and how I used to comb her long silver hair until she'd fall asleep. Many of these memories crept into my story. Memories are powerful things. If we entertain them, you'd be surprised how fruitful they could be.

Collaborative Creativity

I'm doing two mini art workshops tonite for a Family Reading Night at an elementary school in Anne Arundel County, MD. Parents and students will collaborate on cut paper collage portraits of their grandparents. The weather is actually cooperating. I'm jazzed!

Stories Without Pages

I will start another Kennedy Center residency next week at the School Without Walls. The art and writing residency I designed "Clip. Cut, Paste - Using Technology to Piece Your Stories Together" will encourage 9th and 10th graders to use the computer as a bridge to their creative writing.

The Gift

Back at Simon Elementary school today with sixth graders. This is session 7 of 10 in my art and writing residency. The students finished the cut paper collages that they started last time. We focused on gifts... those given and those offered by God such as the gift of music or of art. Afterwards students wrote about the story behind the art. We have been studying how pictures can tell stories.

Bye 2010, Hello 2011

What a fantastic year it has been! Highlights include my trip to The Netherlands in March for The Boekids Children's Literature Festival; multiple art residencies with the John F. Kennedy Center and Class Acts Arts; Destiny's Gift - the children's book by Natasha Tarpley that I illustrated was published in paperback; and coming on board with the non-profit Arts on the Block working with gifted teens on commissioned mosaic tile work. I am thankful and blessed!