We were crazy for owls this past fall.  These were made using upholstery fabric scraps.  Both kids and adults created these unique pieces.

Making these owls was a hoot.  One young lady decided to have her birthday party at the studio, with the theme of…you guessed it, OWLS.  She and her friends each made their own distinct owl.

This upholstery fabric looks so much better as an owl, then on a sofa; check out the button eyes and reclaimed cork board nose.

In the summer camp Old Fashioned Crafts, we made pantins, a French paper doll similar to a jacking jack. Digging through the big bin of recycled papers to choose our designs in half the fun!

Borrowing from an “old fashioned” type of game, we played Pin the Ear On Van Gogh on the patio during our break.  It didn’t matter where the ear ended up, we were all in stitches!

These gentlemen are sporting their King Tut hats, made from recycled grocery sacks in Egyptian Camp.

In addition to creating lots of art with Egyptian themes, another hightlight was excavating hidden treasures from ancient rocks.

This camper leaves Egyptian Summer Camp with enough projects to fill a pyramid including a treasure map, a scarab necklace, a mummy and more!

In Asian Art, we studied what one student called the “calm nature” of the art and images.  We used water colors to make beautiful paper kimonos.

We often noticed that the colors in our kimonos were the same colors we were wearing in our clothes!

In Found Objects camp we used fallen palm fronds to create animal faces; the shape lends itself to an awesome elephant, but we had a few giraffes and one rhino to boot!  The garden patio provides a nice alternative to inside; we stay cool and the paint dries fast!

Another studio favorite is the postage stamp art; using cancelled postage stamps as the muse, students create a scene based on the image.  In this case, this second grade student used a 1970’s stamp of the moon landing  and shuttle lauch to create a space scene.

Found Objects camp included these odd birds made from recycled plastic bottles.

In Intermediate Art Skills, students in grades 5th-7th worked on the elements of art and design by drawing from a still life.  It’s hard to tell the difference between the real objects and this student’s amazing rendering.  I think Cezanne would approve.

Inspired by Gustav Klimt’s take on the forest, Intermediate Art Skills students did their own versions, choosing which season and corresponding colors was best for them.  We also chose from faux wood paneling scraps to make our trees; notice one student’s idea of placing a Klimt figure in their spring forest (below).

For our middle school camp we took students to San Francisco for 5 days.  On day one we took in the amazing murals of the Mission District; this student is looking at a mural of an alley of murals while standing in an actual alley of murals….upon our return we created murals and many other aspects of our trip to San Francisco.  After the one week trip we spent a week creating the Living Map of San Francisco in the studio showing the different neighborhoods and points of interest.

This amazing creation was made by a 6th grade student.

This family class provided a chance for everyone to explore materials from nature. There were Mom and Dads and kids of all ages using bark, shells, beach glass, seed pods, branches, pine cones and more to create mini environments, mobiles, and sculptures, such as this face and bird.

One Dad used drift wood, bark, and sand dollars to make this face.

This piece of drift wood said "beak" to a partipating Mom, and thus, the bird was born!

Eye candy like you never seen it before!  This class was a big hit; we couldn’t stop making them, eating real cupcakes as we worked on the sculpture.

Each cupcake was highly specialized, made with sweet, artful ingredients.  We were in awe of one, then someone else would finish, and we then be in awe of the next one!

Fun to make, and great as gifts for Valentine’s Day, and Birthdays.  The Moms are coming back for a Mom’s Night Out with Cupcake Art!  Cupcakes are so tempting, you want to eat more than one; with Cupcake Sculpture, zero calories; 100% fun.

Contructed from recycled wood scraps, families assembled their table/altar and began the process of creating mini-offerings like fruits and vegetables, cakes and pies, pan de muerto (bread of the dead), flowers, and other details.  Using skulls and skeletons to enhance the altar, families explored many different combinations, making each altar so unique.

These sisters worked side by side making great pieces; notice the mini-papel picado hanging under the left altar, requiring patience and skill with scissors.

Using wood scraps, thread spools, and other recycled and reclaimed materials, the altars came alive…and the skeletons were dancing!

These mother-daughter altar pieces were award winning!  Can you see the wine bottle, newspaper, and the bounty of fruits and vegetables?  These are no ready-made Costco deli platters! 

With an assortment of speciality papers, recycled materials, pressed leaves, vintage postage stamps and more, participants decoupaged on 3-D forms, including bird houses.  In family classes, kids and adults can enjoy the process of creating together, colloborating or working on individual pieces.

These decoupage pieces were done on wood laminate squares, and below is a decoupaged wooden tea box.  The layering and creative compositional elements can draw you in….and then HOURS pass by…getting lost in decoupage is so fun!

Mess is never a problem with the Jackson Pollock Jr. class.  This youngster lavishes in the the easel paint, discovering that paint brushes are nice, but hands are what it’s really all about!

This 4-year-old creates a collage portrait using reycled scraps and buttons.  In Jackson Pollock Jr., young children (ages 3-7) get to experience a wide variety of mediums at self-serve stations.  This class is typically offerred once a month on a weekend.  Please see our class schedule for the next class.

Mini-Room Design, a key component of Rare Hare F.A.I.R (Fostering Artistic Ingenuity w/Recycling) allows kids the opportunity to create with a wide variety of recycled and reclaimed items to make their own room, house, and in some cases multi-level mansions!  Sky is the limit with mini-rooms, as students spend hours making furniture and designing their interiors with fabric, wood, tile, and plastic scraps.  It is amazing to watch the project in action; with endless possibilities, the kids are intensely focused on putting their vision into concrete forms.  There is someting innate in us all about nesting and making one’s own space reflect personality and to have it function effectively.  This 3rd grade student’s ingenuity with the scrap materials was highly creative and imaginative.  His idea of making stairs from tile scraps sent other students into a stair making frenzy! 

During the Art and Social Commentary summer camp, middle school students discussed the work of Jasper Johns, specifically looking at his work Map from 1961.  Added to the discussion were themes of how the U.S is a “melting pot” with both “red and blue” states on the electoral map.  Students created their own interpretations of this symbolic and geographic form, using water color, collage and other mixed media to convey their ideas.

Inspired by Native American totem poles, students mixed influences of animals and social commentary, as well as allowing recycled cardboard forms to “shape” their own version of totem poles.

Students studied Monet’s water lily paintings, taking note of his use of light and reflection and his variations on color.  Students also practiced making tints (adding white to a color) and shades (adding black to a color) to add value and depth to their work.  After several studies in different mediums, students created a 3-D water lily pond, mixing paint with recycled and reclaimed objects.

This proud 2nd grader gave her 3-D water lily pond to her Dad for his birthday!

Sample studies by a 5th grader and a 2nd grader

Creating like the Fauves (French for Wild Beasts) and influened by the work of Paul Gaugin, students used bright bold colors, line, and repeating forms to create their own landscapes.

This second grade student apply glue to scraps for her 3-D lily pond.  The kids got “lost” in their lily ponds, having so much fun with the cool colors and reclaimed objects used for additional details.