After a fun holiday weekend… it’s back to Summer Camp at Lillstreet!!!
This week I am teaching the kid’s “Clay & Multimedia Camp”…  which basically
means we start with a clay project on Monday (so it can be fired and taken
home on Friday) and then other “assorted” art projects throughout the
rest of the week! Fingers crossed… we may actually tie-dye on Thursday!!!

We kicked off this week with woven clay platters. Fun with coils in terra cotta.
Once they finished weaving, we draped them over their handmade molds and
finished off the edges. Not the best pasta bowl… but great for bread or rolls!
Tomorrow we paint them with colorful underglazes… and then move on to
our “other” art projects for the rest of week.

As we move forward into the summer… and get “deeper” into Summer Camp,
we start having some “specialty” camps for the kids to keep it fresh & fun.
This week was one of my favorites… Chess Camp!!!

During this camp, the kids each make a complete chess set out of terra cotta and
paint a board to go along with it. No simple sets here… the kids also need to come up
with a theme and decide who is “battling” who! I love to see the natural creativity
of the kids shining everyday through the process. Some of the themes were brilliant!!!
I think my favorite was Luke’s set which portrayed “The Seventies versus The Eighties.”
Complete with Rubik’s Cubes, Ms. Pac-Man, Rocky Horror Picture Show’s logo lips,
Purple Rain, Lava Lamps, Richard Nixon, Pinball Wizards, and much more.
And how strange & sadly untimely that his set also represents Michael Jackson
with his glittered glove… just one day after his death!

Other themes included…
* Freshwater versus Saltwater
* Dogs versus Cats
* Greek Warriors versus Egyptian Warriors
* Foods versus Drinks
* Antarctica versus The Arctic
* Monsters versus Aliens
* Fruits versus Vegetables

So by the end of the day today, everyone had completed their chess sets & boards.
They are now drying and will soon be glazed & fired. That is all except Noah…
who was working so diligently knowing that he would never finish his aquatic set.
He was working with such care & detail, making his pieces the best that he could –
and hoping to come back for the next session of Chess Camp that starts on July 20th.
We all hope he comes back… I want to see his finished “masterpiece.”

So it’s official… Summer Camp has officially started at Lillstreet!
Which then also means that summer has officially begun!
Although you couldn’t tell it by the weather we’re having these days?!

Summer Art Camp has officially begun at Lillstreet Art Center – and I’m so excited!
This is the first week – and I’m teaching kid’s Wheelthrowing in the morning…
it’s good to be back at camp! It’s going to be a fun summer!

In the afternoon, I switch gears, switch classes and switch some kids!
The afternoon class is Clay & Multimedia… which really means we get to do a clay
project on Monday, and then whatever we want to do the rest of the week!
I’m sure there will be a few days of tie-dye later this summer!

When I’m not out biking…
I spend a lot of my summer teaching kid’s Summer Camp at Lillstreet Art Center in Chicago.

We have weekly camps through the summer for kids of all ages. I have chosen to work with the older kids – ranging in age from 8 to 12. I enjoy that age group as they all have ideas & opinions, enthusiasm and unbridled creativity when they tackle each project. Each week is a different group of kids with a different set of projects. I like to ask the children for their project suggestions and try to build the week’s projects based on their input. Typically we do a clay project on Mondays, and then other craft projects throughout the rest of the week. We’ve done painting, drawing, collage, mosaics and still lifes. As well as some flashback favorites like macrame, decoupage and my personal favorite tie-dye!!! We also did some great projects based on famous artists and how the kids can convey the artist’s famous styles through their own work. It’s an important & fun lesson, plus the first time many of them are exposed to art history

Paper & fabric sewing projects are often a hit, like today’s bandanna bears – as well as the woven fabric pillows by Annika & Olivia.

Some weeks have a theme, others don’t. This week was “Wild Things” where all of our projects were animal-themed. We made clay masks & tie-dyed t-shirts on Monday, took a field trip to Lincoln Park Zoo on Tuesday, and then worked on plaster sculptures for the rest of the week. The kids looked great in their animal-print, tie-dyed t-shirts when we went to the zoo. While Blake enjoyed a splash at the zoo… Anna preferred to make a splash with her dolphin sculpture!

I also teach “Chess Camp” where the kids make an entire themed chess set out of clay. They each come up with their own concept… which two groups are battling it out on their chess board. We’ve had chess sets based on “Harry Potter,” “Lord Of The Rings,” Disney characters… as well as historic themes such as The Battle of Gettysburg, Greek mythology and one of my all-time favorites… The Beatles versus The Rolling Stones.

After several weeks of fun with the kids, today was my last day of kid’s camp for this summer. It was a lot of weeks, a lot of kids, a lot of projects… and a lot of Mod Podge! I had a wonderful time, worked with some really great budding artists and I’m already looking forward to another “tour of duty” next summer!