Llano Fine Arts Guild’s summer camp helps young artists bloom

JARED FIELDS • PICAYUNE STAFF

LLANO — Paint covered Lilly Cooper’s smock as much as it did her canvas.

Dots, letters and flowers decorated the 6-year-old’s oversized T-shirt after a day of painting at the Llano Fine Arts Guild’s art camp July 24.

Each Wednesday in July, 24 students have learned new art techniques at the gallery. Cooper’s canvas reflected the day’s lesson on painting flowers.

“I painted one flower with a tomato, and I wrote ‘I Love Tomatoes,’ but I actually don’t,” Cooper said.

Then why the statement?

“Because I just wanted to,” she said.

Fair enough.

Cooper wasn’t the only young artist expressing herself through brushes and oil paints.

Lyndsey Kuehne, 10, has painted so many dragons she has a book of her works. Today’s painting is of a Loch Ness-looking creature.

“I chose a dragon because I like dragons, and I’ve done many of that kind,” Kuehne said.

Kuehne said painting was her favorite part of the month-long camp.

“But the clay was pretty cool, too,” she said.

Of course, she made a dragon with the clay.

Teaching the painting class, Jean Bass walks table to table, student to student, evaluating and encouraging the young painters.

“It’s a tall order to try to meet all their needs,” said Bass, a longtime teacher who moved to Llano in May.

With no shortage of fellow guild members, the class had an impressive display of paintings and a large canvas of flowers by the end of the day.

“You want to know the truth? I liked having all the help,” Bass said laughing. “I’m not used to that. I’m used to doing it all by myself.”

The camp is put on by members of the Llano Fine Arts Guild and provides a forum for young artists to develop their skills and learn new ones.

“I’ve learned how to weave,” Kuehne said. “I never did that.”

Visit www.llanofineartsguild.com or call (325) 247-4839 to learn more about the Llano Fine Arts Guild and Gallery.

jared@thepicayune.com