Lunchtimes in Local Color

More than willing to exchange playground time for arts and crafts, the Top of the World school’s Local Color program has been a hit with the student body.

For three Wednesdays in March the PTA-sponsored program brings in professional artists from the community to conduct lunchtime workshops.

Projects in pottery, painting and other crafts take place in the school’s auditorium where more than 200 kids fill nearly every seat in the room.

A live piano player provides music for the creative minds.

“Everyone in the school waits for Local Color,” fifth-grader Jack Winter said.

Event organizer Michelle Sinclair said the kids are free to choose whichever workshop they want.

“The kids are exposed to interesting and unique art that they might not get in school,” Sinclair said.

A typical Local Color session will have about five professional artists and 15 to 20 parent volunteers.

“The materials the kids are using are exactly what the artists use in their professional work,” Sinclair said.

Students have the option to take their work home or leave it to be displayed at the open house in May.

In one of the more popular workshops, mixed media artist Suzette Rosenthal filled five cafeteria tables with clothespins and fabrics from which the students created dolls.

Through countless shreds of every color imaginable students carefully selected clothes with which to dress the pins.

“A lot of the kids make little families,” Rosenthal said. “Even the boys are into it.”

Ceramic sculptor Patty Barnett conducted a workshop where tiles were painted with glaze. She would later fire them in a kiln to make them shine.

“I brought 144 tiles and they’re all just about gone,” Barnett said. “I’ll bring twice as much next time.”

An elephant painted by fourth-grader Maddie Nilson impressed Barnett for its innocence and sophistication.

“There’s a well of artistic talent here,” Barnett said.

Painter Laurel Meister of Whimsicle.net attracted a crowd of first-graders eager to make cards on high-quality paper.

First-grader Andrew Ranabargar seized the opportunity to paint a birthday card for his cat, Marble.

Ceramics maker Kelly Brennan gave instruction for turning clay into pinch pots and hanging pieces.

Evan Haglund, 7, concentrated on making a bowl with impressions of turtles detailed into it. He will title the piece “Turtles.”

Seeking to create something of practical use, Anna Kunkel, 7, took care of business by making a “Do Not Enter” sign for her bedroom.

Acrylic painter Doug Miller was on the scene to give kids an opportunity to make paintings on canvas.

A 25-year veteran of the Sawdust Festival, Miller gets excited to see students create on the very materials he does as a professional.

“This is a wonderful opportunity,” Miller said. cpt.24-itc-CPhotoInfoAQ1P7P9D20060324iwk5lcknDOUGLAS ZIMMERMAN / COASTLINE PILOT(LA)Second-grader Samantha Ruckdeschel paints an acrylic painting under the guidance of artist Doug Miller during the Local Color program, an ongoing arts and creativity program for students at Top of the World Elementary School in Laguna Beach.