Tiger Puzzle Drawing

Chris and I enjoyed teaching another session of art class to a group of 21 children who are being home schooled. They ranged in age from 5 through 13 years old. The group met every other Friday at our church, and had lessons in etiquette, music, art, and outdoor survival.

The final drawing project was called the “Puzzle Drawing”. We took a 24”x36” photo poster of a tiger and her cub, and cut it into 6-inch squares. Each student was given a square of the poster (in some cases two squares), and were instructed to draw the basic shapes and textures in color, in a blank 7-inch square which they were also given.

At the last class their drawing squares were cut out and assembled to form a large collage – a drawing of the tiger poster. Each student did a beautiful job with their drawings and the completed collage looked truly amazing.

Although the classes have ended we have been so encouraged by the progress they've made both as a group and as individuals. We used this lesson to also illustrate how God gives each of us a life full of talents and once we tap into Him our lives have purpose and meaning within the broader picture. We may not know how our lives fit in, but rest assured God will bring about His glory. At some point, by God's grace, He will reveal the bigger picture to those whom He loves.

Art T-Shirts

The annual Blueberry Arts Festival is held the first weekend of August and is sponsored by the Ketchikan Area Arts & Humanities Council. It is an outdoor arts and crafts fair that takes place in downtown Ketchikan. Each Spring there is a contest open anyone in the community who would like to submit their design idea for a Blueberry Festival logo. The wining logo is printed on t-shirts and sold to residents and tourists in Ketchikan throughout the summer.

I have submitted designs in this contest during the past two years. In 2004 my dragonfly design won the logo contest.

This year, I had worked on some logo designs but wasn't satisified with any of them so I had decided not to participate. Then, just days before the 2006 contest deadline, I was encouraged by someone to submit a design again for this year.

When I showed Chris what I had been working on he became excited and saw potential with some of the ideas. We ended up working together for several hours on a couple of ideas. What became the "Frog of the Blueberry Forest" design won this year's contest!

It will be fun seeing people wearing the t-shirts around town this summer. The Ketchikan community really gets into the spirit of the Blueberry Arts Festival - we always see people wearing their blueberry t-shirts from many previous years of logo designs, as well as the current design. It makes for a very festive atmosphere.