Author Illustrator School Visit: K THRU 5th!

Artist-in-the-Schools: Author Illustrator School Visit! Venice, FL

What a thrill to have the opportunity to spend a day with THE BIG KIDS! My latest day in an elementary school included my giving one presentation for EACH grade level K THRU FIFTH GRADE! Yes. SIX presentations! I'm used to spending time with the primary grades, I LUV LUV LUV them. Every blue moon I get to have a truly unique experience and present my work to the mature classes! 

Last Friday was just such one of those Blue moons! I was invited to return to Garden Elementary in Venice, FL. Getting to know their brilliant art teacher, Joanna Davis, fellow blogger at "Our Art Lately," over the years is one of my amazing cyber stories. The two of us began a cyber conversation years ago. We learned that we had overlapping stories that resonated from Columbus, OH (where her husband played basketball for THE Buckeyes) all the way to Door County, WI (where her grandmother lives and we are both members of the same local quilt guild.) Two years ago, I had an ALL day adventure in this same building! What an honor to return! "They like me! They like me!"

Getting six, FIFTY FIVE minute presentations into one school day requires a LOT of planning and supreme organization. Leave it to the teaching staff of Garden Elementary to pull all of the details together. Yeah Joanna.

Here's a peek at a collaborative mural that hangs in the hallway between the art room and the music room where I presented for the day. Did you know that I'm CRA-Cra-CRAZY about circles and polka-dots?

These colors and arcs resonate to my own 'quilt illustrations' that I designed and created for my book's pictures. Here's a peek at my first book "You're Wonderful." Now you see why I am wild about their collaborative painting above. 

As a former Elementary Art teacher I always hope that there is enough time in my day to make a visit to the Art Room. Once I got all of my gear set up and organized: my laptop hooked up to the smart screen projection system and the sound system turned on..... I got to take a quick peak around Mrs. Davis' amazing Art space. I know that these images will be of interest to you. 

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