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Sun and clouds mixed. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 87F. Winds S at 10 to 15 mph..

Partly cloudy skies. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 71F. Winds E at 5 to 10 mph.

Blaine Stinson with his art projects completed during Art Camp.

Ginny Henson teaching her students while they create their flamingo projects.

Blaine Stinson with his art projects completed during Art Camp.

Ginny Henson teaching her students while they create their flamingo projects.

The seventh year of Art Camp is wrapping up at the Lost Canvas Art Studio. Ginny Henson, artist and owner of Lost Canvas Coffee and Art Studio, started her summer art camp seven years ago. People ages five and up are welcome. The once-a-week classes begin at 10 a.m., end at noon, and last for four weeks.

Because many of Ginny’s students return each year (proof of her students’ satisfaction with the camp), the activities are always different to teach new skills and mediums. This year, the students did several projects incorporating driftwood. Using shells and starfish, they decorated a driftwood base for a flamingo sculpture they each crafted from plaster.

Ginny has discovered that many kids have yet to learn how to tie sturdy knots, so it’s the first skill she teaches, “It’s hard to do crafts if you can’t tie a basic knot.” Using their recently acquired knot-tying skills, the students created mobiles from painted pieces of driftwood, with matching red, white, and blue beads tied in a neat, vertical line on a string down the center of the mobile to create percussive music when the wind blows.

In addition to a focus on form, Ginny’s projects were functional. Students worked with clay to create bowl-shaped vases for succulents. Ginny cut pieces of wood, and the students painted and fashioned them into frames to house a watercolor painting.

An 8-year-old first-year camp attendee, Nova Riddle, said, “My favorite project was probably the plant or the flamingo.”

For the final project, Ginny introduced her apprentices to self-portraits. She brought out mirrors and had the children acquaint themselves with their facial structures. They drew the lines to indicate where their eyes, nose, and mouths rested on their faces. Due to time constraints, the students couldn’t finish their portraits, so Ginny took photographs of each student and delegated the rest to her artist sister, Vanessa. The result may be even better than Ginny was hoping for, “Vanessa took over and finished the portraits, which was nice because they [students] got something from a real artist.”

At the Art Show, the students showcased their artwork and discussed their work with family and friends. They shared things they learned, like not giving up or not pushing too hard on the paint brushes. One student mentioned Ginny teaching them about bugs and telling fun stories.

Liv Happs, aged seven, planned on gifting her favorite project, the flamingo, to her Nana. She plans on continuing her art education, “I want to keep making pots and vases,” she said.

When asked about Ginny’s motivations for continuing the art camp year after year, Ginny immediately responded, “I do it for the kids. So many kids say, ‘I can’t do that.’ I tell them, ‘Yes, you can,’ And when they’re done, they see what they were capable of making.”

“Just what makes that little old ant think he’ll move that rubber tree plant, anyone knows an ant can’t move a rubber tree plant, but he’s got high hopes….” Ginny recites Frank Sinatra’s “High Hopes” lyrics, “I’ll start singing that every time somebody says ‘I can’t,’ and the kids are like, ‘Nooooo!’” She smiles, “We have a lot of fun.”

Blaine Stinson, 9, was enrolled in the camp by his grandmother, “He just loves doodling and coloring. Last week, as we were leaving, he said to a friend, ‘I’m coming back next year!’”

Blaine wisely suggested that when asked for advice for future art camp students, “Have fun, pay attention, and keep trying!”

Sun and clouds mixed. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 87F. Winds S at 10 to 15 mph.

Partly cloudy skies. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 71F. Winds E at 5 to 10 mph.

Partly cloudy skies during the morning hours will become overcast in the afternoon. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 84F. Winds NNE at 5 to 10 mph.

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