Art Through 

 the Eyes 



of a Child 



By Brooks Preik 



w did he create such beautiful pictures? 



^Outstanding art 



w, 



all love his work 



Hiasy is what his work looks like, but it wasn't 



T 



X-ioves to draw people fishing 



T 



Xuoves using different, unusual colors 



By Crystal, fourth grade 



Small fingers stretch to trace the outline of a fishing boat in one 

 of the bold images filling the classroom wall. In this fifth-grade class, 

 students study a series of 10 serigraphs — silk-screen prints — by the 

 late Claude Howell and explore the world of the artist and his reasons 

 for painting. To prepare for this class, they watched a video about 

 Howell's life. They know how he felt about art. They relate to him as 

 if he were a friend, and they speak of him with a familiarity that 

 removes all barriers to learning. 



"He was smart," says Rachel. "And I like him because he was 

 creative. He thought the triangle was a very strong symbol, and he 

 used it a lot in his paintings." Rachel is totally unaware that in 

 observing the clever incorporation of triangular configurations in 

 Howell's art, she has learned to look beyond the obvious. She also has 

 been briefly introduced to geometry, which might make a critical 

 difference in her attitude toward that subject when she meets it again 

 in high school. 



Tiffanie expresses a different feeling about the serigraphs. "I like 

 things that are sort of regular — simple — that's why I like these 

 prints." 



Kayla's remarks reveal a child's self-confidence. "I'm a good 

 artist too," she says, unhampered by modesty. "But I'd paint differ- 

 ently. I'd use fancier clothes." 



Continued 



12 W INTER 1998 



