April of 2018 I'm heading out to the Norton Sound village of Koyuk for a week long artist residency in the school. I'm working with the students, staff and community to make a couple of different kinds of murals to enliven the school. As well as making a collaborative wooden tile mosaic mural with all of the students, I'll be giving some special help to a group of students who've been busy drawing animals and planning a hallway mural for their own classroom. Stay tuned for pictures and details.
Monday students started painting moonscapes, animal tracks and frozen rivers on their blocks. A couple of teachers helped me make sample self portraits too.
Tuesday I helped kids paint self portraits for the collaborative mural. Some of the kids and staff painted animal portraits too.
Wednesday I also taught student classes all day, a teacher workshop after school, and a community workshop all evening.
Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday I helped 2nd grade teacher, Heather show her students how to make stencils from their animal drawings and lay out their animal stencils in a good pattern on the mural board. After they had traced their designs, I drew in and painted the background. The students painted in their animals with two coats of paint and Heather touched up the background.
I helped the high school students to create animal portraits on Thursday and then spent the evening finishing up the warm colored tiles with my own menagerie.
Friday I spent the morning arranging the blocks.
Finally, the finished project! It will be mounted in the Koyuk school's cafeteria for the community to enjoy.