To culminate the end of our Sculpture Camp, we set-up a fun “Sculpture Showcase” in our classroom… and invited the parents, siblings & other summer campers to come see the artwork on display. Each camper got their own display area for their sculpture & birdhouse… and they acted as docents to answer questions and discuss their process & inspirations. Such a great way to close-out a wonderful week with a GREAT bunch of campers!!!

Friday was a very busy day in my Sculpture Camp… everyone trying to finish up their sculptures & get ready for our Gallery Show. But also… the kids’ terra cotta birdhouses came out of the kiln too! I think they had kinda forgotten about them after working on their huge plaster sculptures… but once they saw the birdhouses, they were VERY EXCITED!!!

Friday morning we had some time for the Summer Camp kids to finish painting their sculptures. Some still had a lot to cover, while others were ready to start painting details, patterns & expressions bringing their pieces to life!

Over the course of the week, my Summer Campers also memorized over 50 famous artists & sculptors… first AND last names!!! Sure, we’ve all seen the bronze lions in front of the Art Institute… but who made them??? The Bean? The Statue of Liberty? My campers know them all!!!

So on Friday we did a big game of “Memory” using my famous artist flashcards… 130 cards to match-up with their new art history knowledge all in the guise of a fun game!!!

On Thursday, after a full day of plaster gauze detailing & acrylic painting, my Summer Campers knew immediately what was next… and Thank You kiddos!!!

After layers & details of plaster gauze, my Summer Campers were ready to start painting their sculptures. I love when their sculptures start “coming to life” in vivid colors & details… and their laser-focus is always so impressive!

After working with plaster gauze all day in Summer Camp, the floor had a lot of plaster & water drips all over… so here we go again… RULE #3 : “Whatever mess you make, you WILL be cleaning it up.” And they did without complaint. Grab a sponge & start scrubbing!!!

On Wednesday, my Summer Campers switched their focus to their large scale sculptures. We discussed their ideas, the postures, the armatures & how they were going to tackle the project. We constructed most of the armatures out of boxes, wire, cardboard & dowel rods… and then covered the armatures with newspaper & masking tape. The goal was to get them as “identifiable” as possible at this point… so that the layers of plaster gauze to come would solidify everything & give them a surface to add more details & paint later.

This past week at summer camp, I taught a class called “SCULPTURES SMALL TO LARGE.” So we started the week with a fun clay project… constructing thematic terra cotta birdhouses and painting them with colorful glazes. It was a great group of kids… including two that had done the camp before, and came back for another round of Sculpture Camp with ME!!!

Another beautiful blue sky day as seen from below.