A little while back I was approached by Ms. Divoll-Painter, an art teacher at South Burlington High School, about providing some prints of the shelter animals that I have photographed at Humane Society of Chittenden County. Her idea was to have her students create paintings that can be displayed and auctioned off to benefit the shelter. I was immediately excited about the project and sent in 30 or so prints of cats, dogs, guinea pigs, and ferrets with various coat colors and poses. Last week Ian and I were invited into Ms. Divoll-Painter’s advanced painting class to photograph the students working and get a sneak peek at their work.
Ian and I were blown away by the skill and effort that the students were putting into their pieces. Watching the creative process for a medium that is so different from photography fascinated me. First, a grid was placed over the image to create a composition and guides. Next a grayscale pencil drawing was created to begin studying highlight, shadow, and form. Expanding on that, a color pencil sketch to study the effect of bold colors. Finally, the image is transferred onto paper or canvas and layers of color are added to flesh out the student’s vision. Seeing my own work take on this new, vibrant life was humbling and exhilarating all at the same time. I hope the students find confidence in their work in this project and continue to use their skills to help others.
Yep, that's our Maple on the left. I couldn't resist sneaking a couple of our adoptees in the mix
Max, the golden retriever being painted here, was actually adopted by the student who is painting him!
Peace and Paint Splatters,
~Kelly
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Very nice display! Also, that was a thoughtful write-up!
Kelly the pictures are so wonderful. Thank you for capturing the students work in progress and the feel of the studio. As of today 12 paintings are finished. More will be completed early next week.
GREAT post Kelly – what fun!