          |
KUMF Gallery Website, Ukrainian Canadian Art Foundation, Autumn 2005
Art Workshops at KUMF Gallery in Toronto
by Christina Senkiw
Artist/author Christina Senkiw and art educator Halia Dmytryshyn volunteered their time and talent to prepare and conduct art workshops at the KUMF Gallery last spring. The workshops were inspired by the publication of Christina Senkiw's 6 th illustrated children's book titled Mother Nature's Pets. Christina launched her new book during the opening of her solo exhibition of drawings at the KUMF Gallery from April 10 to 27, 2005. The exhibit, which included the original drawings for Mother Nature's Pets, served as an inspirational background for the workshops.
Two hundred and twenty two (222) students from four schools and one youth organization attended the workshops. In addition, a total of 14 teachers and 40 parents came to help with the supervision. George Senkiw, who was in charge of logistics, booked 5 groups for the following dates in April 9 th, 12th, 14th, 16th and 23rd. The workshops lasted about 3 hours and included; presentations by Halia Dmytryshyn and Christina Senkiw, and one hour of drawing time. Luda Pawliw, Executive Director of the KUMF Gallery, helped prepare the gallery for the presentations.
Halia Dmytryshyn gave an excellent talk about children's literature explaining in detail the basic elements of writing and drawing that are required for creating a children's book. Halia prepared two large colourful display boards that served as teaching aids. She has been teaching art for 30 years, and has an exceptional ability to connect with children and engage them in a new topic. In a very short time, the children became totally focused and participated in a dynamic discussion.
Christina Senkiw's presentation focused on her own work. She explained that she began to draw and write quite spontaneously in her childhood, and the spark of creativity, once ignited, has continued to inspire her throughout her life. She showed her six illustrated books, some of which were already familiar to the students. Christina gave the children a guided tour of her exhibit, which consisted of several groups of drawings: illustrations for Mother Nature's Pets ; the Ukrainian alphabet; numbers 1 to 10; Ukrainian folk costumes; drawings for children; icons for children; and a selection of illustrations from History of Ukrainian Costume , Timmy Kitten , I Want to Dance , Luba Lesyk's Magic Wand and Sonja's First Camp . She also prepared a display of all the research and background sketches for the first illustration in Mother Nature's Pets , “Snake scares the Children ”, so that the students could see all the preparatory work that leads up to a finished drawing. Then Christina read a few pages from Mother Nature's Pets using the original art hanging on the walls to illustrate the text as she read.
When speaking to older students, Christina expanded her talk to include information about the business of writing, illustrating and publishing. She described how books are created, and mentioned the various careers which are part of the book industry. The students listened carefully and responded with many thoughtful questions. Some got so excited about bookmaking that they promised to publish their own books one day.
After the presentations, the students had an opportunity to paint for about one hour. Christina Senkiw introduced them to a new medium called watercolour crayons, which she used in her drawings for Mother Nature's Pets . She prepared step-by-step diagrams showing the layering technique, which produces the rich, vibrant colours that they could see in her work on the walls around them. Halia Dmytryshyn gave detailed instructions on the procedures of the art class, and the children dispersed throughout the gallery finding comfortable places to draw. Halia and Christina circulated among the students offering encouragement and helpful hints where required.
The children were excited to use a new medium to express their ideas, especially as it was the exact medium used by Christina. We hope we have inspired many budding artists and writers to continue pursuing their passion.
After they finished drawing, the students were invited to sign their names and write a few remarks in the gallery guest book. Here is a sampling of some of their comments:
“Thank you for an inspiring class!” – Roxoliana
“This was an extraordinary experience! – Kosta
“I hope to get published too!” – Virlana
“I love drawing and you have inspired me to become better.” – David
“I loved your art.” – Nicholas
“Great crayons!” – Mark
“This was an awesome experience!” – Olena
“Good job! Your art is awesome!” – Olena
“Thank you very much! Great work. Very inspirational!!” – Natalia
“It was fun with the watercolor crayons.” – Kateryna
“I love these pictures. They're so cool!” – Orest
“You have influenced my drawings!” – Danylo
Judging from the responses, the workshops were a great success. The students will never forget this special event in their lives. Since art education is almost non-existent in the current regular school curriculum, the workshops were not just an interesting treat, but they fulfilled a definite educational need.
Return to top of page
|
