We've been working on illustrations to go along with poems by the Spitfire Poetry Group and we will be making a little book that you can take home at our show next week!
Clinton Powell, who runs the poetry class sent me a list of the poem's titles and we spend yesterday afternoon illustrating!
This one, in response to "The Beach," really sparked my interest. Mardina came over to show it to me and explained, "these are the 'kokonuts' falling from the tree because it's koko beach. and this (yellow figure) is a woman. And these (blue figures) are her children. and this (milticolored figure) is her other kid that didn't grow up yet."
I asked if that kid had been born yet? She said, "No but he gets to be at the beach because he is in his momma's belly and thats where she is."
For whatever reason, Amon was having a bad day and I decided to sit and work with him. Like many kids, he will really focus and become involved in what he is doing if there is an adult nearby who expresses interest and talks to him about what he is making.
At the beginning, Amon informed me that he "didn't know about anything that you can draw. especially if there is a poem about it." Hmmm.
"What about your family? I bet you know about them."
" A little. I know a little."
I asked how many people were in his family. and he looked confused. So I said, "how about how many people live in your house?"
"We got five. First my Momma. She the biggest. She goes first."
He very carefully worked on this tiny drawing of his mother... paying special attention to her hair. "Momma got nice big hair, that goes up and then down."
"And then I write 'me' over my face you you know who the artist is in this family... not my baby sister."
