Lowe Art Museum - Family Day

Many of you know that I am a Docent at the Lowe Art Museum at the University of Miami. It is great fun to give tours to children from kindergarten all the way to seniors. It is a service that I give that also gives back to me. Hearing the views of different children and adults about the art during our discussions is very stimulating. I also get inspired each time I see the traveling exhibits. 

The museum not only offers tours, but also hands-on art activities for the children. These past few months I have concentrated my services to these activities. What fun to watch others create!

On Sunday, I volunteered to assist with the Family Art Day.  Although it was a cloudy, rainy day, there were lots of family/kids in attendance. 

We had three activities: 1) a shadow puppet show 2) printing designs on Greek vases, and 3) using the shadow puppets to tell a story. It was so much fun, the parents were even creating.

Make plans to attend our next fun Sunday at the Lowe. Our next family day will be on December 13th from 12-3 pm. The topic will be All About Me? Portraits!

Serendipity

Many of you know that I paint in many mediums, but I  have been into photography for many years capturing images to paint. Recently, I have been taking more and more photos, and not just for painting. While in Dahlonega this Spring, I decided to enter a fun photography contest sponsored by the Dahlonega Downtown Development Authority. I fell in love with one of my photos and decided to paint it. I needed a hard copy print of it to get started. 

In a small town, you can't run down to the corner Kinko's to have a copy made. We drove down to a print shop outside of town and it was closed due to family emergency. We went to the Walmart copy center and I refused to pay the outrageous price for a copy (5 X that of Kinkos). As we walked out of Walmart, there was a van with a Pirone Printer sign. It seemed to be parked there just for me. I knocked on the window and the man actually offered to do my print for free. He works out of his home which is actually down the street from my house.

It turns out that this lovely couple, Carl and Pattie Pirone, is from Miami and know another Miami artist I met in town. Here we had Miami in common and now a new community in common. He and his wife are very creative. She is a graphic artist/jewelry designer and he paints and carves.  I was able to see his watercolors and wood carvings. He is also involved with a local artist group Chestate Artists. He printed my photograph for free and now I know someone else in this beautiful place.  What a small world!

Below is the photo he printed for me. It did not win in the photo contest, but it will be a future painting and who knows........................