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A co-op of local homeschooling families known as the ‘Big Umbrella Group’ held the opening reception for their second annual Kids Art Show at the library in Maynooth on Tuesday evening.
Organizer Charlotte says that the families come from across the region, including Combermere, Maynooth and Wilno.
“We have about 11 families taking part in this art show this year and we’re going to be up at the library for about two weeks.”
Dozens of people attended the opening, many in fancy dress, enjoying hors d’oeuvres, admiring the art and learning more about the young artists’ inspirations through the evenings ‘artist talks’.
Several artists spoke, including 7-year-old Zoey, who explained what inspired her mixed media piece, composed of weaving and found nature pieces.
“I went for a walk and I collected all these materials and I just wove them together. It was sort of like a scene… the (milkweed) pods up there, they were like butterflies.”
Meredith, age 15, spoke about nature as inspiration.
“I’ve worked with a lot of art mediums, but for our show I decided to do acrylic paint. So I made a painting called Fairy Grotto and I just started painting and it came along. So this is a tree here with moss and then we have toad stools and ferns in the background.”
We asked Freya, age 7, whose work included a clay sculpture of her family, what she liked about creating art.
“I like that you can do what you want.” she told MooseFM. “And I like that you feel good when its done”
Some pieces in the show are for sale with prices in the $30 range, while many pieces are not for sale.
The Big Umbrella Art Show is currently on display at the Hastings Highlands Library in Maynooth.