Workshop Tour Day 7: Hike, Drive, Teach & Sleep

I took a lot less photos today, so I won’t be going to bed at midnight again. Yay! Today, I left the camera in the car and went for a 25-minute power walk around Tanya Lake (vs. yesterday’s 2.5-hour photo walk around it).  It’s amazing how familiar the trail was – I even recognized specific blades of grass, etc. from my intense focus the day before.  Then, I hopped in the car and drove to Wabush (the adjoining town 10 minutes away) and went to take a look at Jean Lake. I was greeted at the gate by a spruce grouse right next to the road… but the camera was in the trunk….  There’s a 5km hiking trail around the lake, but I didn’t want to risk being late for school (a good habit I’ve kept from childhood 🙂  ) and was chicken about doing it alone (there are bears in Labrador you know!), so I took a few pictures and headed back to Labrador City past some great Hallowe’en displays.

Les Mains dans l’art: 

Le Centre éducative L’ENVOL is quite a big school.  If I remember what the director told me, most of their students are in grades 4 and below. Today, I taught three grade 7-8 students. Although some from that class were absent, we made as big and fun a mess as any other workshop group. On top of that, the results, as you’ll see, were just as unique and creative.  We also only had 2 hours here instead of 3, but less line-ups at the sink and hairdryer station sped things up a bit.

I’m thrilled that the visual arts teacher also participated today. With all the leftover supplies, he plans to pass along this new style of painting to the younger students. In fact, that’s what’s great about the layering process I’ve been teaching on this trip.  You can keep on building on top of it and in the end, simplify the concept so that the multiple layers of colour and texture become a fascinatingly deep backdrop to whatever world you decide to create on top – be it abstract, landscape, portraiture, collage, or other genres. In fact, you can take this initial intuitive process and integrate it to what you already know and love in order to make it your own.  Jason seemed to find the experience fulfilling, especially because it was such a different approach than his own. This school is very lucky. Jason’s education is in the arts, his work is stunning, and they have a fully equipped visual arts room. I was like a kid in a candy shop looking around while waiting for my little crew to arrive!  So much inspiration and lots of fun projects. Bravo!

Well, it’s 5pm, I’ve had my dinner. and would almost say I’m ready for bed… I think it’s a TV night.  I’m not inspired to go back out in this pouring rain and am quite tired today.  I fly out tomorrow at 11:45 am, so if the weather is good, I may hike up to Crystal Falls in the morning. We’ll see.