school

Never get so busy making a living that you forget to make a life – Dolly Parton 

Posted on by Voicesoflighthouses

In this age of computers and smart phones, reading to your child is more important than ever. Studies show that technology has made people lonelier than ever.

After scanning a recent grocery flyer, I was surprised to see an ad for boxed lunches for kids. Are parents that busy? Making lunch for your child is Parenting 101.

I guess I shouldn’t have been so surprised in an age when 4 year olds hold Apple ipads instead of parents’ hands because parents are too busy to spend time with them.

Sadly we have gone from latchkey children to surrogate parenting. There has got to be a better way.

We’ve forgotten the lesson of Covid. Relationships matter. Our time with our children matters.

One of the truest predictors of future success is the amount of reading that children do at a young age. The amount of time children read and are read to predicts whether they will be successful.

elainemariefineart.com

Children are the world’s most valuable resource and the best hope for the future – JFK

Posted on by Voicesoflighthouses

Taking a clue from the book, I painted the modernist bridge against the anachronist Red lighthouse. My contemporary approach in the lighthouse art painting is a delightful, refreshing and compelling contrast to the historic lighthouse. 

The Art Guild of Orange Park is partnering with St. Johns Day School for an exhibit at their new Performing Arts Center. See breathtaking art by artists from local artists. Orange Park, Florida now through January 6, 2025. 

I selected my painting of the Little Red Lighthouse, or Jeffrey’s Hook Lighthouse, as it reflects the power of children to create change.

Made famous by the children’s book The Little Red Lighthouse and the Great Gray Bridge by Hildegarde W. Swift and Lynd Ward, the story inspired hundreds of children to write letters that saved the lighthouse.

Today, it stands as the last lighthouse on the Hudson River and the only remaining one in Manhattan. A tribute to the power of youth. 

A meet and greet for students begins on October 28 at 2 pm and concludes at 4 pm with parents joining in on the discussion. 

elainemariefineart.com

Freedom on the High Seas

Posted on by Voicesoflighthouses

After being rebuilt several times, the lighthouse was discontinued in 1880.

The island of Nantucket, once known as the “Whaling Capital” of the world, is featured in Herman Melville’s classic novel, “Moby Dick.” Melville’s fictional and infamous whaling ship, Pequod, was home ported in Nantucket.

The first Brant Point Lighthouse in Nantucket was built in 1746 after Sea Captains demanded a lighthouse to protect their investments.

Captains Prince Boston, Absalom Boston and Edward Pompey are a few of the known African American Whaling Captains.

elainemarieartist.com

Absalom Boston

Education is the most powerful tool you can use to change the world. Nelson Mandela

Posted on by Voicesoflighthouses

Improved Academic Performance: Studies show that there is a correlation between art and other achievement.

“Dear Jackson,

I hear you’re having trouble in school. Forget about that place. Why don’t you join me in New York? If you’re serious about becoming an artist, this is the place to be anyway. You can study at the Art Students League….”

Jackson Pollock is the most challenging and influential American artist of the 20th century. He was the “first action” painter, meaning he would drip, pour, throw, and splash his paint onto very large canvases which he laid flat on the floor. He is nicknamed “Jack the Dripper.”

He was born in Cody, Wyoming and grew up in Arizona and California. He studied painting at Manual Arts High School, Los Angeles. He dropped out after being encouraged to move to New York by his older brother. He studied under Thomas Hart at the Art Students League.

splash and color.com

Jacksonpollock

The Timeless Power of Creativity

Posted on by Voicesoflighthouses

Discover fun and exciting ways to build literacy skills through art. Explore the richness of cultures and traditions through creative expressions.

When the great artist, Katsushika Hokusai, died in his 90s, his last words were said to be a plea for just five or 10 more years to paint.

Hokusai is Japan’s most celebrated artist. He inspired the French Impressionist. Hokusai did paintings, wood prints, book illustrations, signs, and more. He was a visionary who went against tradition and used Prussian Blue instead of black and other innovations.

He led the way in subject matter; painting landscapes, still lifes, etc.

When he was in his mid 60s and early 70s, he created his greatest work, a series of color wood prints, 36 views of Mount Fuji that included his masterpiece “The Great Wave.”

splashandcolor.com

Alarm Over Black Home School Movement

Posted on by Voicesoflighthouses

There’s a rise in Black Home Schooling.

According to an article in the New York’s Times “Remote school may be attend to dropping out… “ The article lists a lot of data to discourage Black and Latino parents from homeschooling without addressing obvious reasons besides Covid that these parents are opting to home school.

After years of being ignored by school systems, these parents are tired of discriminatory tactics by the educational system. It’s a system that often degrades students of color and ignores parental concerns about racial insensitivity of teachers. School books and curriculum reinforce this narrative by routinely overlooking the contributions of non-whites.

All the data in the world will not convince parents whose children have faced bias treatment. This article in the New York Times proves that the educational experts are “tone death.”

The Atlantic

New York Times