A Summer Brush With the World of Art : Children Flock to Enrichment

In a classroom full of prints of great artworks, Adrian Martinez, 10, clearly had his favorites.

The Buena Park youth’s eyes fairly glowed as he pointed to a print of “The Tragedy” and other works by Pablo Picasso. “I like Picasso,” said Martinez. “I like him because he has many methods. He uses triangles in his paintings. Look, see the triangles there, and in the legs of the man? Picasso uses triangles as a way of saying he painted these pictures.”

Perfect Weather

Martinez on Monday was one of 200 youngsters in summer school classes at San Marino Elementary School in Buena Park. The children--all volunteers--are taking five weeks of summer school for academic enrichment.

While the weather outside on Monday was perfect for baseball or swimming or just hanging out, these Orange County youngsters showed no regret at being indoors and back at school. In the early morning they watched a local artist and his son paint seascapeslearning as they observed. Later, the students tried seascapes of their own.

“Our district (Centralia School District) had 200 openings for summer school, and 340 applied,” said summer school Principal Linda Rader. “These children are excited about summer school. This is also very good for them because it provides cultural enrichment. We’re happy the state is providing money for summer school again.”

Centralia is one of many elementary school districts in Orange County offering voluntary summer school. Rader, in an interview, noted that such summer sessions almost died away after the passage of Proposition 13 in 1978. But starting last year, she said, the state is again providing money--on a limited basis--for the summer enrichment courses.

Art, drama and classical music are among the subjects the fourth-, fifth- and sixth-grade students in Centralia School District are being steeped in this summer. The classes are geared for “ordinary” learners.

“This isn’t a remedial summer program,” Rader said. “This is an enrichment program. We have an academic emphasis.”

Students do not skip a grade or a required class because of summer school in the enrichment courses, she said. They simply take the courses for the joy of learning.

Art was the prime subject on Monday at San Marino School. The guest lecturer was Tony Espinosa, a landscape and seascape artist from Garden Grove.

Painted Seascapes

While the 200 students sat in a semicircle around him in the school auditorium, Espinosa painted a tranquil oil canvas of sky, ocean, sand dunes and gulls. Espinosa’s son, Rick, 13, also painted a seascape on an easel next to his father.

“I wasn’t able to learn about art as early as you kids,” said the senior Espinosa, as he worked on his painting, simultaneously giving the students step-by-step instruction.

A little boy in the audience raised his hand with a question. “Why does it look so easy when you do it?” asked the child.

Espinosa smiled. “It’s experience,” said Espinosa. “When you get older, it’ll be easier for you, too.”

Without any cue from teachers or prodding of any kind, the 200 students broke into spontaneous applause as the Espinosas completed their paintings. “Now I’m donating mine to your school,” said the older Espinosa. “Thank you for being such an attentive audience.”

Shortly afterwards, the children fanned out to smaller classrooms to paint their own seascapes in acrylic watercolors.

In teacher Carolyn Fleming’s class, the walls were adorned with scores of high-quality, full-sized prints of art masterworks. Fleming began her class by asking the fourth- and fifth-graders to identify some of the artists and the titles of their works.

Most of the students named the artists and titles with little hesitation. There was only one mispronunciation: “It’s pronounced Day-ga, not Dee-ga,” said Fleming, as a child correctly named Edgar Degas as master of ballerina art.

Stephanie Ball, 10, said her favorite artist was Leonardo da Vinci--especially his “Mona Lisa.” “It’s looks really old,” she said. “It takes you back into the old days and stuff.”

Michelle Payne and Adena Bednorz, both 10, said they like Vincent van Gogh. “His paintings are so interesting,” said Adena. Michelle said, “I like his ‘Starry Night’ because I like stars.”

Teacher Fleming walked from table to table, supervising as the 20 children in the classroom began painting with the acrylics. “Use your cobalt blue for the darker color,” she said. “Use the cerulean blue for the lighter color. Then we’ll use the umber, which is an earth tone.”

The little heads bent over their artworks; paintbrushes flashed back and forth.

Fleming told the students that art is a form of expression. “Let your paint brushes do your talking,” she said.

Ultimately, the 20 young artists completed their seascapes. Grins and expressions of pride illuminated the classroom.

Said Principal Rader: “Classes such as these buoy self-esteem. Children are learning about the fine arts, and they love it. . . . This opens up the world for them.”