Rovers in the house

School age campers at the Peaks Island Children’s Workshop are known as the Rovers. I had the honor of hosting them in my studio recently, during Art Week, the first of many themed weeks of activities. Kristen Chalmers, lead Rover who coincidentally owns the Gem Gallery, brought them to my house after a full morning of swimming, finding jellyfish at the marina, and picnicing at Rover Rock. Six Rovers, including my daughter, squeezed into my cluttered studio (11′ x 14′) and got a quickie show-and-tell. They had the same curiosities I have about people’s collections and cubbies. What’s in them? Where did you get that? Why do you have so many of them?

They tried out my souvenir camera collection.

And this was an object of delight.

Last year’s Halloween headgear became today’s radar when the kids moved into the dining room to make art. They were given Bristol paper to start, and a buffet of pastel pencils, markers, glue sticks, scissors, and a treasure box of collage papers.
Here Peter shows off his collage, a zoomy airplane of map scraps: destination unknown.

Isabella was fast and deliberate with her lovely smudged fish.

Meanwhile, Gabby was not sure what to do. We can draw anything? She started out on one side, got frustrated, started again on the other side. She asked for another sheet of paper. An artist after my own heart! Then, she created a sweet bird, and could smile.

Nirmala made a pair of delicate and colorful somethings. Butterflies? Angels?

Isabella didn’t stop. She made a second collage on the back of her fish.

Daisy started this ambitious mermaid mosaic.

Arthur’s mom picked him up early. Lemonade was spilled. The table was a riot of paper scraps, clashing patterns, and glue sticks without covers. The creative concentration during that hour was just the inspiration I needed to quit stalling on my own work. Thank you, Rovers!