In school, the students learned about the life of P. Buckley Moss by viewing the video of "Split the Wind." Then they discussed a poem by Samantha Abeel, a gifted learning disabled poet. They noted the ways in which trees relate to people, e.g., we are all a part of the forest but each tree is unique, just like each person is unique. Then they compared the shape of a tree to a person. For example, the trunk might represent the core of a person, with the branches being the person's varying interests. Some people develop bigger branches for different interests.

Next, the students looked at tree photographs and prints by Vincent Van Gogh and Pat Moss. They also viewed paintings with beautiful skies in the background. The students created several watercolor backgrounds for their paintings on 12" by 18" pieces of watercolor paper. They selected at least two backgrounds to bring to the May 18 lesson at the Country Framer Gallery in Libertyville.

That day they created the trees in their pieces. Some of them also used sponges to create leaves similar to the ones Pat paints. Both students and teachers were excited that Pat was present to offer them both encouragement and tips about technique. Following the lesson, the students picked their favorite piece to display at the Student Art Show sponsored by Pat's Lambs Chapter at the Gallery that weekend.

Article from : Sentinel : Vol 15, No 3 : July 2001