Art Club and LOLPS

Feb 02, 2014

Last week students at Land O'Lakes Public School in Mountain Grove with a passion for art started up the second year of an extra-curricular art program at the school. The popular program, which first ran in 2011, is back this year thanks to a $800 grant from the Limestone Learning Foundation, which pays for the cost of all the materials and makes the program free for the students.

Grade 7/8 teacher Lee Hull, who is a trained illustrator/classical painter, and an award-winning artist in his own right, is again heading up the program, which he calls the Land O'Lakes Art Club. It is Hull's passion for painting that attracted the 24 budding young artists to the class this year and when I visited the school last week the students were just getting started.

Mr. Hull was demonstrating to the students how to hold their pencils and how to make rough gestural sketches of a draped plastic mannequin, which he positioned in the centre of the gym along with a large plant that he invited the students to include in their compositions. They were instructed to make four rough sketches and then to choose their favorite, which will be the foundation of a painting that each student will produce by the end of the course.

Each student was provided with their own easel, smock, paints, pencils, brushes and palette and canvas and the LLF grant also allowed Hull to purchase the plastic mannequin, which the class named Lola (Land O'Lakes Art Model). During the course the students will learn basic classical drawing and painting techniques, including how to make an effective composition, how to paint folds, and how to paint light and shadow. Hull is passing on to the students the classical drawing and painting techniques that he studied at the Ontario College of Art in Toronto and also in Florence, Italy.

Hull said he enjoys the energy of the students. “These students are here because they are interested and excited about making art and the fact that they are giving up their free time to learn demonstrates that fact,” he said. Asked about the challenges of teaching students who may have no previous art background Hull said, “Classical techniques follow a predefined series of steps that are very straightforward. Basically you start with drawing a line and then defining the lights and darks by making gradations first from dark to light and then back again.” Hull said that when he last ran the class two years ago he was amazed and shocked by the quality of the work that the students produced. “The fact that you can teach them the steps so that they can then harness their creativity is an amazing thing.”

Hull's passion for painting is apparent in his very upbeat and energetic approach. He makes his way around the circle of easels, speaking to each student individually, giving them pointers and encouragement along the way. French teacher Max Campbell and parent Brett Hilder are assisting in the class and judging by the concentration and enthusiasm of the students, it looks as though there will be 24 very interesting paintings by the end of the 10-week course. The course will end with a final art show at the school.

Hull, who is not one to toot his own horn, has had numerous shows here and abroad, including in Italy and in Japan. A portrait he painted of former LOLPS staff member, Brian Robertson, earned him the second place award last year in the Kingston Art Council's portrait competition. Lee did say that he feels it is important to learn from someone who practises art themselves. “If I wanted to learn something new, like music or ceramics, I would definitely want to learn from someone who practices them.”

Hull continues to paint in his spare time and currently is working on a watercolour painting of an old barn.