Making Art (Fun) with Elemenopaint
/By Tracy
I first heard about Elemenopaint from my friend Anne. Her six-year old daughter had attended a few Elemenopaint art classes and absolutely loved them. Because our daughters are friends and are similar in a lot of ways, I thought my daughter would also enjoy the art classes. Unfortunately, I kept missing the registration and the classes fill up fast, but finally (thanks to Anne) I was able to register my daughter for a Flag Day themed workshop.
When I first told my daughter about the workshop, she was very excited. She had always wanted to take an art class, but we could never find the time (or I failed to register before the class or workshop filled up). The Flag Day workshop was a two-hour, Saturday afternoon workshop held in the community room of a west end grocery store. Rochelle, the owner of Elemenopaint, typically runs the classes in similar spaces or out of her home in Ottawa’s west end. She currently runs classes in Kanata, Stittsville and Barrhaven, but you never know when a class might be held in your community!
When my daughter first walked in to the Flag Day workshop and saw a copy of the painting she was going to create she said, “I could never paint that.” Thankfully, it didn’t take long for Rochelle to put her mind at ease by telling the class, “there are no mistakes in art.” Elemenopaint is all about developing a child’s creativity; allowing them to express themselves and helping them see their artistic potential – perfect for children who doubt themselves.
After a brief, interesting and interactive history of the Canadian flag, Rochelle taught the kids how to draw their version of Parliament Hill, including the Canadian Flag. She then explained how the painting would come together and made sure every artist had everything they needed. This was a child and adult class because some of the lines were tricky to draw and paint, but having said that, a lot of the kids did the majority of it themselves. Rochelle took the time to visit each child to see how they were doing, see if they needed help with anything and to add a few finishing touches to the masterpieces. By the end of the two hours every child had a large, ready-to-hang, canvas painting of Parliament Hill.
My daughter was over-the-moon excited at her finished painting and couldn’t wait to get home to hang it in her bedroom. She also couldn’t stop talking about when the next workshop will be and to make sure I register in time (I must get better at this).
This will definitely not be my daughter’s last Elemenopaint class. In the near future, I am hoping to register her for one of the “Just the Artist” art series or one of the Frozen-inspired workshops, and I may even take an adult-only workshop (what a great idea for a moms’ night out!). Rochelle’s wise words, tips and tricks continue to stay with my daughter as she continues to fearlessly express herself through drawings and paintings at home and school.
For more information on Elemenopaint classes, visit Elemenopaint.com or “like” the Elemenopaint Facebook page where Rochelle regularly posts information about upcoming classes, boasts about the talent of her students and also lets fans know when her popular Rainy Day Kits are available for purchase (the Rainy Day Kits are basically everything fabulous from one Elemenopaint class in a box – the perfect rainy day activity!).
If you are looking for an ongoing art class or workshop for your child, I encourage you to take a look at Elemenopaint. It is friendly atmosphere that not only encourages children to learn art, but to also use their imagination and creativity to make the art their own, which in turns makes it fun and something your child will look forward to doing again and again.
