Exploring their space

Suzie Harrison

It’s summertime, but the learning hasn’t stopped for kids in Laguna.

Workshops at the Sawdust Art Festival offer lessons on a variety

of art media and bring in plenty of young visitors.

At the Children’s Art Space, they were doing a form of printmaking

with Styrofoam.

“Draw a picture on the Styrofoam and try not to use words because

they will come out backward,” instructor Courtney Wallace said.

One wise student suggested he could write mom eliciting giggles

from the others as they continued to draw their creations.

“I drew a sun and flowers and sky and birds,” Haley Burns, 11,

said. “It’s just for fun. I’ve never done this before.”

When the pictures were complete, the instructors covered them with

colored ink and pressed them onto to paper to make the print.

Mandi Wisbaum, 8, said she was drawing hills because she recently

went on a vacation to Colorado.

“I drew the sun because it was really hot when we were in the

mountains and it has a smiley face,” Mandi said. “And there were

plants on the mountains so I am drawing plants. We stayed in

Telluride -- the mountains there were really high.”

Her sister Cassi Wisbaum, 8, drew a scene to depict their vacation

as well.

“I did a sun, clouds, a flower and mountains,” Cassi said. “I

wanted to think of Telluride and Durango and think of all the flowers

there.”

Students are met with different projects each day.

“We’ve done tiny puzzles, wind chimes, dot art, popsicle boxes and

tie-dye.” Wallace said. “We do examples too, so it makes it easier

for them to understand their project.”

Alex Bernard was also instructing at the booth on Tuesday. She

said scratch art along with beads and wire are two of the more

popular media.

“Beads and wire is basically just jewelry making,” Bernard said.

“We have really sweet beads and a great variety, so the kids really

like that.”

At the multi-media booth Alex Skaggs, 9, was working on making

linoleum prints with the help of instructor Will Fletcher.

Alex said she thought it was fun to carve and then paint her

piece, but it was hard to press the linoleum with the right amount of

pressure without having it tear through it.

Though some aspects are up to the artist, Fletcher makes sure to

help out when it gets a bit trickier. He warns students to carve away

from their fingers, and if an artist is too young to do the carving,

someone from the staff will help.

Instructors Cameron Knuth and Danae Cendejas help visitors do

everything from etching to different printmaking techniques,

including relief prints, linoleum cutting, blind embossing, etching

and botanical prints.

The workshops inspire some repeat visits. Matthew Mumford, 10,

said it is the second time he’s created something at the ceramics

booth.

“It’s fun -- you get to keep the things,” Matthew said. “I made a

bowl and a goblet. The hardest part was when I did the goblet and had

to squeeze it together -- the first time I broke it off in half.”

Jessica Twineham, 10, made a bowl and two candy dishes.

“I liked the experience, making it and seeing how it turns out,”

Jessica said. “My favorite part was designing it.”

Art activities and workshops are available every day at the

Sawdust Festival for children and adults.