Splatter Paint

Next to Operation Christmas Child, the Christian Youth Center of Morris is one of my favorite programs to volunteer for. When I was a teen, I had a similar place to hang out and connect with friends, learn about my faith, find caring adults to offer advice or a listening ear. My kids have been a very regular part of the Youth Center for the past 5 years but this year is pretty special. This summer my daughter chose to spend her summer working on an internship project at the Center. 

Winter had always envisioned there being a music and arts program at CYCM. We have done music and "arty" things in the past, but she wanted something where kids could explore different types of the arts; music, dance, drama, spoken word, photography, and even tech. Each week she will be focusing on a different type of "art" and have an artist come in and share their craft with the teens. The artist will talk about their start, and then what they do with their craft and how they use it for God's glory. 

This past week she asked me to come in and share with the students. While I'm not an artist in the traditional sense, my creative side comes out more in visionary skills and ideas. I can see the end of a project and be able to know what needs to happen to get from point A to Z. I talked to the teens about never feeling I matched up to other people in my life that could paint, draw, and play music and had to learn to accept and understand where my gifting was. I then shared some of the ways I have used my art and extensive crafting ability to bring awareness to causes that are important to me; CYCM, Operation Christmas Child etc. 

As for a project, I wanted to encourage the kids that "true creativity is never neat" and sometimes the "art" is in what is not (negative space) As the perfect project to combine both those concepts, I brought a "splatter paint booth" to CYCM. 

First the teens, used stencil tape to mask off a canvas and a t-shirt. Then after donning hazmat suits to keep their clothes clean, they went to town throwing paint around! 

The frame of a pop-up canopy made a great traveling "splatter paint booth." We simply removed the canopy and used plastic sheeting to cover the floor and all sides of the frame. 

We used latter for easels and the frame itself to hang their shirts from.

Emily with her painted canvas.

Plaid Crafts provided all of the paint, brushes and stencil tape for our project and even sent some extra so the girls could take a brush set home!

While the canvases look pretty now, we can't wait to take off the tape when dry to see how things turned out.

I had to get in on the splattering action and create my take on the CYCM logo. 

Thank you to Plaid Crafts for providing the supplies for our project and thank you to the CYCM Exploring Arts program for allowing me to come share!