Today twenty Central American teachers are at El Cielo for the first of four design workshops. Today, we looked at several children's books (they will be making their own later in the summer), and at how the artist's had worked in different and varied styles. Like many adults some of the teachers are shy about their ability to draw --- though I think they have fewer reservations than most Norte Americanos I know!
One of the great books I shared was Faith Ringgold's Tar Beach, with illustrations similar to those that she used on her amazing and groundbreaking art quilt Tar Beach, made in 1988. The story combines autobiography and fictional narrative, and the pictures are delightful, as is the story. (Photo above from the Brooklyn Museum)
ANd here are my illustrators. Each teacher had to produce four versions of an illustration of an event from his or her childhood. THey worked in paper collage, magazine collage, ink and watercolor, crayon/oil pastel resist. We discussed their strongest style, what was most fun, most challenging. Next Friday we'll do a printmaking workshop that works with the same narrative images.
