These small paintings were done by children in grade 3 attending Calais Elementary School where I was the art teacher in the late 1980’s.  This was my first teaching position in Maine.   All of these paintings measure 9″ x 6″.  The white art paper is beginning to yellow so this is a lovely way both to preserve and share these delicate and tender images.  The children used a standard palette of red, blue, yellow, black, and white.  All secondary oranges, greens, and purples were mixed by the children along with the neutral grays and browns.  I expecially enjoy the juxtaposition of house and flower in Kevin Taylor’s painting.  Each of these paintings shows a fresh view–a sense of symbol, space, and form unique to a child’s perspective. 

I was teaching “art on a cart” at the time.  Carting the painting materials into the classroom was a challenge, but the enthusiasm and cooperation of the children more than made up for the extra effort of filling rinse buckets and carefully carting loaded paint cups into the classrooms.