Art summer programme a success, says organizer

A three-week art summer programme, aimed at helping students improve their artistic abilities, has been described as a success by its facilitator, 16-year-old Rondine Browne.

According to Browne, the programme, which ended last Tuesday, saw 16 students learning about sketching, drawing 3D objects, painting with feelings and self-expression, art theory, elements of art and principles of art, among other things.{{more}}

Browne, a recent graduate of the St Joseph’s Convent Kingstown and the first runner-up in the 2015 Miss Heritage pageant, said that she conducted the programme free of cost, in an effort to give back to some of the talented youths in the country.

“They have been wonderful. I am proud of them; they were a fun group,” noted Browne, who added that she developed an interest in art at age five, a talent she inherited from her late father, Ronald James Browne.

“I love to express through art,” stressed the teenager, who would like to pursue studies in multimedia art and animation.

One of the participants, Anezka Moss, described the three weeks as “fun”.

The 12-year-old student of the Girls’ High School said Browne taught her how to do draw human faces, how to sketch and draw 3D objects like cubes, things she had not learned in school.

“It was actually fun being here, meeting new people and knowing how to do different aspects of art.”

Another participant, Chayil Cyrus, said before attending the programme she could not draw.

“…when I came here she taught us the basic stuff about art and the elements and principles and the easy stuff to start out with and as we got further into the programme, she developed us a little higher and I got the opportunity to learn and I can draw now,” explained Cyrus.

Kyle Henry, a 12-year-old student of the St Martin’s Secondary School (SMSS), although he drew a lot before, can now do things he did not realize he could.

“…today, I am drawing faces. I like to draw; it makes me express more, so I’m glad I learnt about face painting, sketching, theme, and about drawing on a whole”, said Henry, who added that he drew a man and a woman’s face and they were so realistic that some people didn’t believe that he was the artist behind it.

He revealed that he also did abstract art, which he described as “complicated at first”, but with Browne’s help, he got it done.

The programme was held at the Learning for Living Centre, located in the Sprott’s Building on Bay Street.(LC)