India:: Art Class

Art classes in India... wow! This was like a life goal I never knew I had! I will absolutely treasure this memory for a long, long time! I wasn't exactly sure what to expect, but in my mind, for some reason I expected young children- I think because I've taught art to children 4-14 years old for years!! Once we got there, I was told they'd selected 25 students who seemed to have the most aptitude for and interest in art... and they were all 12 years old and older!! Yikes!

However, it turned out to be an AMAZING experience!! 

I was quite nervous the first day (of the 3 2-hour classes)... but we bobbled through it. I've definitely never had to explain art concepts with a translator, but it worked!

The second and third days went soooooo well, I thought. We decided on doing the elephant watercolor the first day and the colorful parrot in oil pastels the second day. I was rather shocked to learn that not even any of the teachers (except 2!) had ever used watercolors and NONE of the teachers or students had ever used oil pastels!! It was SO NEAT to watch them break out in grins and exclamations that I couldn't understand as they figured out how the paints and oil pastels worked! 

Once the projects were done, the absolute JOY and PRIDE at their art work was just amazing! They couldn't help but hold their heads up and GRIN as they showed each other, the teachers, and then the rest of the children their work! :)

They may have been "way older" than I expected them to be, but having never used the materials I'd brought made the projects just right. I'm sure they'll go on to draw some pretty incredible stuff, and I sure do hope I get to see some of it!!

Day One...

Day Two...

This little grily got to come with her mama... and boy, she did GREAT!

Finished projects, Day Two!

Day Three!

Seriously... So amazing!!

I feel so tremendously blessed to have had this opportunity!! 

:)