Bianca's Chihuahua
I first met Katherine Schad at the farm stand she established at the Grass Valley Charter School to raise money for their new library. Families donated bounty from their gardens and "customers" like me could pick up organic produce by putting a donation of a few dollars into the jar. I was flummoxed about how much to give, and Katherine guided me through the nuances of the honor system. In the process, she noticed my DreamDogsArt baseball cap and realized she knew my blog. In fact, she had submitted artwork to last summer's Dog Art Today wine label contest. I remembered her work and was thrilled to meet one of my readers and we started chatting about all things dog art related. Little did I know that Kath — as she likes to be called — was in the process of coordinating one of the most ambitious and inspiring dog art projects I have ever covered. She had decided to oversee the creation of two pet portraits for each of Grass Valley Charter's 1st and 2nd graders. That's 22 students per class for a total of 88 dog paintings.
To understand the scope of this project, you must also know that Kath has no formal art background and she is not a teacher. She is simply an involved parent, and when she learned that her two children, who are in first and second grade, would be studying dogs and coyotes with their expeditions this year (different grades have different themes that run throughout their studies for the year), she decided to mount this pet portrait project. She donated the 12 x 12 canvases and the paints and with the help of the teachers, Audrey Hight and Lori Davis, used an overhead projector to enable the children to trace and shade the contours of their dogs on to the panels before painting them with acrylics.
When Kath first shared her vision with me, I was intrigued. But nothing prepared me for the passion and exuberance of these dog paintings. The works are so fun, immediate, and original, they are a reminder that everyone is an artist before they are taught that the sky must be blue and a heart red. They also remind us that a great teacher is someone who can figure out how to harness that originality with the perfect balance of parameters and freedom, someone who may or may not have a teaching certificate or an art degree.
When I look at this project I see inspiration manifest; by a mother with the courage to take an idea and make it real, by the the childrens' fearless use of color, and by a school that sees creativity as a worthy investment for their students' futures. Kath says "that when the children see what they have been able to create, they just beam." I beam too when I look at these works. I see the pride in the young faces and I see that dog art can change the world. I am in awe.
Marin sketches her dog
and Hurley
Parker beams
I will be following the Grass Valley Charter School Dog Art Project as it evolves. Kath has plans for a gallery exhibition and a fundraiser for the library. Stay tuned.
As always, I would love to hear your thoughts.
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