By T.S. Mills
Faraudo
San Mateo Times
San Mateo, California
April 28, 2005
Emulating the work of pop artist Wayne Thiebaud, fourth-graders at Laurel Elementary School recently created paintings that could make the mouth water.
While most of the students in the Art in Action program at Laurel painted lollipops, ice-cream cones and pies, others sought inspiration from their pets.
Most important, though, was that they learned about the repetition, strong shadows and pastels Thiebaud used in his work. But no art teachers or professional artists were in this classroom. They were all volunteer parents trained by the nonprofit Art in Action.
Art in Action provides art curriculum and training to 56 Bay Area schools, many of which are in San Mateo County. At Laurel, where the program has existed for about six years, roughly 40 parents volunteer for Art in Action. They are trained to teach kids about famous art work, different techniques and a variety of artistic media.
"I don't have much of an art background, so I'm learning a lot with the kids," said parent volunteer Lisa Tsuruoka, who coordinates the program. "We have a lot of books that are very well-written, so we have that to fall back on."
For Laurel, the program costs around $2,500 per year, which is paid for by the PTA, Tsuruoka said. Parent volunteer Megan McDonald tried to encourage the fourth-graders learning about Thiebaud to paint their favorite dessert, since sweets were the subject of some of his paintings.
But some students, like 9-year-old Michael Langhans, had their own ideas.
"I'm doing a cat scratching a post, because I like cats," said Langhans, who later changed the subject of his painting to a boysenberry.
Parent volunteer Deborah Cowing said they give students a lot of freedom in what they create.
"The concept is food for this painting, but we let them do other things to expand their creativity," she said.
Staff writer T.S. Mills-Faraudo covers education. She can be reached at (650) 348-4338 or tmills@sanmateocountytimes.com.