Hawley Art Draws Admirers Of All Ages

By Larissa Lytwyn

More than a dozen members of the Newtown Senior Center received a special, behind-the-scenes tour of Hawley Elementary School’s student art exhibit on May 14, the morning following the school’s annual art show.

The tour was conducted art teacher Vicki Sheskin and student council members Kurt Liniger, a fourth grader, Anna Grillo, a third grader, and Gregory Hennessey, a first grader.

Senior Center director Marilyn Place and Hawley PTA members Lori Liniger and Lisa Gissen organized the special tour.

Principal Jo-Ann Peters welcomed the seniors with a warm smile, praising the quality of the students’ work.

She then introduced Ms Sheskin.

“The art we have on display represents pieces that have been done all year throughout the grade levels,” explained Ms Sheskin.

The art program technically runs from grades one through four; kindergarteners do a “preview” piece. This year, the kindergarten class did creative interpretation of circles, in which they could draw anything they liked.

A first-ever highlight of this year’s exhibit was the fourth grade’s “Hawley*Mark” project.

“Last year, our current fourth graders drew pictures of animals that we used as a template for creating our ‘Hawley*Mark’ note cards this year,” explained Ms Sheskin. “Hawley*Mark” is a spin on the famed Hallmark Corporation.

With the aid of computer graphic software, the students did painted versions of their old drawings and photographed them. Ms Sheskin and lead teacher Judy Pesce used each student’s photograph as the cover of his or her “trademark” 12-card pack of note cards.

After gaining signed parental approval, students had the opportunity to sell their cards for $10 a pack.

The cards were sold during the parent night Gallery 2004 exhibit during the evening of May 13.

The evening also featured a musical performance by Ms Ziemann’s fourth grade recorder students.

All proceeds will benefit a local animal shelter, Ms Sheskin said. The proceeds decision was made by the entire class, she added. “Everyone thought it was fitting, since we were using animals as our subject.”

At the end of the seniors’ tour, each guest received a complimentary note card.

Kurt detailed the process of producing the paintings and photographs to the seniors using his own piece, an owl, as an example.

Many of the seniors said they were impressed with the level of student quality.

“I can’t even draw a cow now!” marveled senior Louise Pratt as she admired a pasture of black-and-white spotted bovine.

Elaine Green, another senior, agreed. “I have four grandchildren and one in particular really likes cows and other animals,” she said. “This is really amazing, considering how young they all are!”

Other art projects focused on style, perspective, and other artistic techniques.

First grade students crafted a variety of projects, including exotic, Picasso-styled puppets, Miro-inspired paintings, paper turtles, and complex ink-and-pencil explorations of lines and shapes.

Second graders, inspired by the school’s recent One School, One Read Wizard of Oz challenge, made landscape drawings featuring scarecrows and stand-up scarecrow dolls.

Other creations included show-print rubbings and handmade robots.

Third graders focused on the importance of integrating texture into all elements of artwork. Their projects included “fantasy foil horses,” “wild n’ wacky hair,” scratch boards, and watercolor paintings of flowers inspired by Georgia O’ Keeffe.

In addition to the Hawley*Mark note cards, the fourth grade made “Wizards, Warlocks & Whatnots” weavings.