Dragonwing Arts

I probably shouldn’t share this yet, because it’s too too early in the process, but anyhow - this is the start of what will be a new acrylic-on-canvas collage painting. It’s not obvious yet but I do have sort of a plan.

This post has been a long time coming. I shut down DragonWing Arts during the pandemic, originally thinking it would be closed for just one season. We of course all know that was wishful thinking on my part. When the opportunity first came to reopen, I was bound by the rules of the building where the classes were held. Social distancing of 6 feet in a small classroom was an impossible hurdle, and then there was all the temperature-taking and mask-wearing and it didn’t sound like something I wanted to deal with.

Meanwhile, one year passed and then another, and my former students were “aging out” of my program, and I realized I’d have to start over with finding new students.

Then, in the news, there was a shooting in a synagogue. My classroom is in a Jewish temple, and when the classes were ongoing, I would be in there, locked in with 1/2 dozen kids, when temple staff was gone for the day. Or I’d be there all alone, setting up and cleaning up. In the winter, we’d be leaving after dark. Sometimes I would drive one of the students home. After the shooting, I decided I wasn’t prepared to handle the responsibility of the safety of the children against potential threats. I mean, it was traumatic enough when a squirrel entered our classroom a few years ago!! I couldn’t imagine dealing with the threat of an active shooter, especially on top of continuing Covid concerns.

Now, three years after I thought I was temporarily shutting down, I’ve officially made the decision not to reopen and I’m closing the DragonWing Arts business for good.

If you are local to me, and are interested in any artsy posters or possible art supplies that I still have, feel free to message me. And thank you to everyone, for your interest and support of my business endeavor! I loved every minute of the 8 years I spent bringing to joy of big messy art to a wonderfully goofy little group of kids in this business venture.

Thank you.

*Note -these photos are just a sampling of some of the stuff I have to disperse! There’s more, including those posters I mentioned.

Hello DragonWing Arts families, and visitors to this page! Here’s a long overdue update for you all:

I haven’t posted here in a very long time, but things are finally looking up. The Temple, where our classes are held, is scheduled for a deep-cleaning. The downstairs will be done this month, and the upstairs, including our classroom, will be completed in August. Which means that I am hopeful that DragonWing Arts will be back in business this fall! I’m waiting for some “official” comfirmation and guidelines - for example, if social distancing is required, it will be a challenge, but hopefully we’ll be able to be back without too many changes. I would expect that classes would still be held on Thursday afternoons, but would not be held during the Jewish High Holy Days, so at this point I’m anticipating beginning on September 23rd, probably with a 6 or 7 week session, ending before thanksgiving.

Meanwhile, for those of you who’ve had kids in the classes before, will they want to return in the fall? Or with more than a year away, will they feel “too old”? For those of you who’ve had kids in the classes before, and also for those of you who’ve contacted me during the pandemic months looking ahead for an art program for your child, as soon as I’m given the go-ahead, I’ll email flyers, and hopefully spread the word through some advertisements and social media. Whatever the “theme” of the fall session, I promise to make it fun, messy, and exciting!

I’d love to see any art your children have been making during this hiatus - send along pics to me to and I’d gladly post them here to share. This photo is a painting I completed recently, being considered by my kitty Greta.

I added color, using a combo of colored pencils and blendable markers. Don’t know if I like if or hate it. Meanwhile this isn’t where I meant to post this, but oh well..

I’ve been missing my DragonWing Arts students, so I was excited when I received a text yesterday from the dad of the student who has been with me the longest, inviting me to attend her outdoor art show of paintings she’d done this summer. For safety, attendees were given time slots to come. She didn’t know I had been invited, so it was a good surprise when I arrived, complete with socially distant and masked air hugs!
💓❤️🧡💛💚💙💜💓
Her paintings are totally ‘her’ - the colors, the feel of them. I’m so glad her parents have both encouraged her art-making. It’s especially meaningful to the kids during these often confusing frightening lonely times. As you look at these photos, check out the titles and themes, displayed with them.

DragonWing Arts parents, if you haven’t already done so, please check your email, as I sent you all a message/offer a couple of days ago. To those of you’ve who’ve already responded, thank you! I’ll be getting back to you in a day or two.

I stopped in the Temple today for the first time since the end of our winter session. I can’t begin to describe the immense sadness I felt when, standing there wearing a mask and protective gloves as instructed, I looked at the sunlight outside the dark quiet classroom, the empty drying rack, and the frozen-in-time supplies just waiting for the enthusiastic spirits and eager hands of the young artists. In my head I could hear the kids goofily singing along to the Fish Heads song on the old CD player, or attempting (some more successfully than others) to play the ‘Quiet Game’. I imagined them all hiding and surprising each other as they entered the room, excited to see each other each week. I thought about the messy hands and the giggles, the joy of creativity and the sparkling imaginations, and the new friendships formed and hugs shared between children. And of course the colorful, exuberant and unique artwork.

Will there ever again be DragonWing Arts classes in this little library/classroom? Right now I don’t know, but certainly not with the current standards of social distancing. To keep 6 feet apart at our one table, there’d only be room for 2 students in here; what fun would that be?? The materials are usually shared, and frankly, I don’t know if I’d even want to or know how to teach an art class where the kids can’t work together, whisper in each other’s ears, and share. And how in the world do I teach art without ever coming close?

I realize that DragonWing Arts classes are just a small part of these kids’ life. But I also am aware that for some of these kids, it was a highlight of their week. Sometimes they’d arrive tired and grumpy after a challenging day at school, and within minutes they’d be smiling and cheerful. Or perhaps they often felt like the oddball or weirdo in school, but knew that being weird was embraced here. Whatever the case, they enjoyed being together, making art, and just being themselves.

Parents, please let your children know I love them and miss them. I welcome any ideas how I might possibly put our program back together when the time is right. In the meantime, be well, and stay safe.

DragonWing Arts parents, I’ve been thinking about and missing your kids! I originally planned to post various links to art/craft activities they could do at home, but I stopped after a couple of days, when I realized that kids probably already have so much to do from their teachers at school and therefore don’t need more. But if your kids have been making art or doing craft activities of any type, I’d love to see it! Take pictures and post them here on FB! To keep myself busy and keep my mind off the pandemic, canceled travel plans, etc, I’ve been doing quite a bit of painting, and thought I’d share my work with you here. I’ve tried to keep it colorful and cheerful. Feel free to show your kids!

And a reminder - if any of your kids need 9x12” white paper for drawing or painting, I’ve got a bunch and could pack some up for you. Just let me know, and also let me know if there’s any other art supplies I could help with.

Parents/friends - I have a huge pile of paper - colored construction paper, gray ‘bogus’ paper (great for paint or chalk in particular), and white drawing paper, as well as strips and odd-sized pieces of colored and white paper that could be good for constructing/weaving/inventing that I’d love to donate to people whose kids could use it while sequestered at home. Also a bunch of paintbrushes, some old copy machine masters that make great carbon paper, and mat board rectangles.

If you’d like any, message me to let me know and I can put together a ‘care package’ and leave it on my porch for you to pick up.

I jumped on the color wheel bandwagon today. If your kids are looking for an activity, this is easy! Just search the house for items to arrange in a color wheel - I used mostly stuff from the kitchen, but you could use anything from socks fo jewelry!

My Nashville Tennessee art teacher friend ‘Mr. E’ shared this great list of drawing prompts for kids who are bored and don’t know what to draw. All the kids need are their sketchbooks and imaginations, and whatever drawing tool they have available. Feel free to share their artwork here!

Hey, everyone! Since we are all sequestered at home, I thought I’d share daily links to some fun art videos for little projects the kids can easily do at home. Who knows, maybe I’ll even record a video or two myself in the coming days/weeks! So here’s a link to a quickie silly one. If your kids try it out, post their drawings here on the DragonWing Arts page! https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DpvfEPYsAYdk&h=AT14eiCisrlPzlqYcnElQMYBX9k7fKOTbbRvzymxdzn4eqKYFq_Q88I_fggvWvM0zTeFdva4UZu8LEAahB2rc6iRKdQ3Kd8C54PCEJZ8fkZeTweR_QGzXOunHiJn&s=1

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