Jeannie Applegate Special to the Sahuarita Sun
The first annual “Meet the Masters” Kids’ Summer Art Gala was held July 27 at the Sahuarita Arts Center to celebrate the creation of a significant body of work by children from the community. The children studied the works and techniques of seven great masters in art — Van Gogh, Monet, Homer, Picasso, Cassatt, Mondrian and Escher. The children’s art was judged for “personal best” in creativity and composition, including color, balance, texture, design, patterns, shapes, and Cubism. The individuals who judged the children’s works for “personal best,” Deborah Barrios, Graham Harrison, and Esther Rogoway, are all experts in art and graphic design.
“It’s always said that the kids are our future. What better gift to give our kids than the gift of creativity? And art is only one way of expressing creativity,” said artist AnDe Herbert, who conducted the camp.
Deborah Barrios, one of the judges, said she was “blown away” by the works.
“This is a wonderful program where kids have learned some great fundamental things that they will never forget,” she said. Barrios plans to take each student’s best artwork to her art gallery in Tubac and display it there for one week.
Some of the kids even surprised their parents.
“I was amazed to see that Isabella has a lot of skills that are applicable to art,” said Clodio Jimenez. “She has actually learned to recognize the works of some artists, and she enjoyed the program very much.”