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Eleanore Hamilton takes in the student art during the Artists in Bloom show put on by Arts for the Schools at Dragonfly Restaurant in Truckee. photo by Catherine Howard |
CommentsPrecocious Picassos
Published: June 21, 2009by Elisabeth Korb
A watercolor done by Kate Halverson-Kolkind at age 7. Courtesy photo
Sam Zabell poses with one of his latest creations.
photo by Lis Korb
Click on images for slideshow
“Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up.”
~ Pablo Picasso
Eight-year-old Tahoe Donner resident Kate Halverson-Kolkind draws every day. On the drive to meet the school bus each day, she’s at it. Saturday mornings, what cartoons? She’s quiet at work on her next
creation.
Some would call her dedication just a hobby; her teachers and parents call her prolific. For Kate, art is more than just a school subject, or a way to pass time. Drawing since she was two-and-a-half, she has already dabbled in watercolor, charcoal, chalks and oil paints, among the more traditional drawing utensils for someone her age. And her work is extraordinary – simple, yet accomplished. “I feel proud of myself when I do some hard parts well,” she says. For Kate, it’s not just the act of creating art but the idea of the finished product, which lends a deeper perspective to her works. “I like to imagine how I will feel when it’s done,” she says.
Another youngster burgeoning into the local art world is Truckee resident, Sam Zabell, age 11, who managed to turn his drawing hobby into cash. It all started in 2005, in the height of his dinosaur obsession. Being that his father owns Alpine Mounting on West River Street, Sam was often hanging out in the shop, drawing dinosaurs with Sharpies on scrap foam board. One day it dawned on him that his dad’s customers could become his own, so Sam hung a “Dinosaur Art For Sale” sign in the window, and voila. He sold some 75 pieces in three years [author’s note: I am a happy customer].
“I found that my biggest market was Brazilian teenagers,” says Sam [author’s note: I am not a Brazilian teenager]. “Honestly, we were surprised at who all bought his work,” says Sam’s mom, Karen. Though the artist has since spent all his money on dinosaur figurines – and has shifted his interests to “Star Wars” and cartoon drawing – there is no doubt we’ll be seeing great things from him in the future. He’s already picked up the violin/fiddle, and is a regular Chautauqua performer – he plays comedian/voice actor Mel Blanc (his favorite character to date) at the Nevada Humanities Chautauqua Festival at Reno’s Bartley Ranch Regional Park, June 21 to 25.
Inspiring as they are, Kate and Sam are not alone. There are loads of children diving into the arts, aided by a host of local programs, organizations, camps and events (see sidebar). Kate has been involved with KidZone’s Friday Night Art Jam as well as the Truckee-Donner Recreation & Park District’s Art Camp with Anke Hass for the past five summers.
It’s easy to get involved, and the impressions made can last a lifetime. “It’s the one elective that leaves no child behind,” says 13-year North Tahoe Middle School art teacher Jan Moseley. “It’s fun and anyone can do it,” adds Kate. And in the words of Sam: “If there’s something you want to draw, then draw it. If you want to write, write it. If you want to play something, play it.”
~ Email the author at liskorb@moonshineink.com. Keep up with Lis and her coverage of the arts at liskorb.wordpress.com.
Get Involved
Creating a solid foundation in visual arts for your children not only assures you’ll have some colorful artwork to hang our your walls, it improves a child’s motor skills and is relaxing (known to even calm Jan Moseley’s preteen classroom). Below are some organizations and events to help bring out the artist in your youngster.
Arts For the Schools
530-582-8278, artsfortheschools.org
If this organization is not already impacting your child in school, then speak up. Its Artist-in-Residence program brings professional art instruction to K–12 classrooms, reaching more than 700 students each year, and the annual Artists in Bloom fundraiser in May mattes, frames and sells student artwork. Next up, look for more student art with artist in residence Cathee St. Clair’s show June 19 to August 28 at the Truckee Town Hall.
KidZone Museum
530-587-KIDS, kidzonemuseum.org
From batik and egg painting to cartooning and papier-mâché, summer camps here have something for the artist in every child. Plus, learn from professionals during Friday Night Art Jams during the school season.
Truckee-Donner Recreation & Park District
530-582-7720, tdrpd.com
An impressive line-up includes Art Camps with Anke Hass, cartooning and Japanese anime, ceramics and an Arts & Crafts Camp.
Nevada Museum of Art
775-329-3333, nevadaart.org
The Reno museum’s E.L. Cord Museum School offers an extensive art class schedule, including Dinosaur World Kindercamp June 29 to July 3 for those with a dinosaur penchant like Sam. Also, the last Sunday of each month is Hands/ON!, with special family gallery tours, art projects and seasonal cultural events.
North Tahoe Arts
530-581-ARTS, northtahoearts.com
Enroll kids in YouthART, a two-week arts enrichment camp in Tahoe City, with sessions throughout July. Also the newly launched ART Saturdays, allows children to work on 20-minute or less projects (materials provided) with professional artists, each Saturday from noon to 2 p.m.
Valhalla Arts and Music Festival
530-541-4975, valhallatahoe.com
Along with theater camps and art exhibits, this summer-long festival hosts the “Free to Express Yourself” painting class (ages 4 and up) on July 20 to 24 and August 24 to 28, and “The Most Fabulous Face Painting Class for Kids” (ages 7 and up) on August 10 to 14.
Nevada Fine Arts
775-786-1128, nvfinearts.com
This Reno art supply store also offers various classes. For those above age 13 as well as adults, try “Coloring Between the Lines” this June and August to learn something new about working with colored pencils.
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