Thank you to Nooksack, Everson, Machais, and Lakes Elementary schools for four excellent days of school visits last week. I am home again in my studio -- fueled by your enthusiasm -- and ready to work! I've said it before, but I love these trips -- in large part because the interaction boils books and storytelling down to their most basic and fundamental charge: books (stories, words, and pictures) are a medium of expression. An Art. A communication. A shared experience between the creator and the audience, the reader and the listener. A gift to both.
We all tell stories, and in some fashion or another, we should. It's fun. It's hard. It's worth it. It makes us better people. A community of reader, writers, and artists. We laugh, cry, cringe, inspire... K-6, 7-12, infinity and beyond. Stories are the original social network. Keep it simple. Tell one. Listen to many. Live and in person best of all.
I only remembered my camera on a few occasions during the week, but here you go:
A tiger-shark-panda. Ferocious! Remember to read Everson!
The beautiful silk banners at Everson. Designed and painted by kids during another artist's workshop last year (not me!).
My sweet artistic digs at the
Kale House B&B. Art on the walls. A comfy bed. Excellent food and company at breakfast!
Daughter/Mother artists (and Kale House owners) Cori and Bonnie Litorja.
And finally, some fine hallway decor at the Machias "Day of the Arts!"
