Simply lay wick on the sheet of beeswax, overhanging slightly. Roll up beeswax, making sure that it is rolled very tightly. Sprinkle glitter on the table and roll candle in glitter.
VOILA!

Supplies can be purchased at any craft supply store. Art gift idea was supplied by Susie Whaley Try creating a special way to wrap your candles. Making your own wrapping paper is easy. You can use tissue paper, construction paper, newspaper or white computer paper. Make it special by colouring it or gluing colourful pictures which you drew or cut out of magazines.

Make your own card. Make the biggest card ever with bristol board or make the smallest card ever with any kind of cut paper. The possibilities are endless. Just use your imagination and go wild!

Artist's Corner

"Lady's Profile"
by Dylan Riley, age 4

If you are a student at the school and would like to submit your work to Splash Puddles see Liana in the office.

Fattah Stanley
Recipient of Prestigious CIBC Award

Remember Fattah Stanley, the teenager who takes adult painting classes at the Avenue Road Arts School? Recently, 16 year old Fattah was awarded the valuable CIBC Youth Vision Award, a four year scholarship, to further his education after he graduates from highschool in 2001. The award was given to only thirty talented and promising young people from across Canada. Congratulations Fattah!

Managing Editor of
Splash!
Liana Del Mastro Vicente

She has an extremely busy schedule, but Allison Carroll Goldman makes time for her pottery class. Ten year old Allison is, what you might call, a pottery enthusiast. She can't imagine not having that class to come to every Saturday.

Allison began studying at the Avenue Road Arts School when she attended the Fine Arts Kindergarten program, at the age of 4. In fact, from summer camps through to Mixed Media, drawing and 13 sessions of Pottery classes, Allison has been devoted to exploring her creativity at the school.

Pottery has definitely been her favorite medium as she enjoys creating three-dimensionally more than working on a flat surface. She also really enjoys learning more about pottery with instructor / artist Jan Houston. Allison combines the love of pottery with the love for her cat, Velvet. "My favorite thing that I've made is a white sleeping Velvet with a big pink nose," says a smiling Allison. This now sits proudly on a shelf in her T.V. room.

When asked why she keeps coming back to take Pottery classes, a very bright and insightful Allison replies, "Art relaxes you. I get tensed up during the week and then I come here to get relaxed."

Allison's week is indeed very busy. Her schedule consists of a vigorous academic regime at the Giles School, which has a tri-lingual program of English, French and Mandarin. This grade 5 student also participates in an orchestra, playing violin. She studies piano and takes gymnastics, once a week. But the thing that takes up a lot of her time is her dedication and commitment to the Canadian Children's Opera Chorus.

Allison has been singing in this choir for three years now. She really enjoys music and loves performing for an audience. Allison attends three hours of choir practice a week and finds herself in the main chorus of the choir, which is for 10-16 year olds. In the coming year Allison, along with her choir mates, will be travelling to England to perform in London and Canterbury. Two hundred children auditioned for ten spots in the choir and Allison's hard work and talent shone through.

Allison comes from a family of lawyers and admits she would like to follow in their footsteps. When asked what she would like to be when she grows up, she doesn't even think twice. "I want to get into litigation because I like the arguing." The other thing which she doesn't have to think twice about is her pottery. "I'm definitely going to do pottery for life." It's clear that when this hard-working young lady puts her mind to something, there's no holding her back!

One of the Best Gifts I've Ever
Received Was Made By a 3 Year-old

As I recall the many gifts I have received over the years, the one that still brings a smile to my face is a book made by a three year old student of mine. This book, made with the simplest of materials - computer and construction paper, crayons, markers and some coloured ribbon for binding - includes the story of a little boy, Nicholas. Nicholas, who also happens to be the author of the book, drew many colourful pictures of himself at art school and printed out a mélange of words expressing the fun he had at the school and how he was going to miss coming to my class. It didn't matter that the words were not spelled correctly and it didn't matter that there were not any fancy materials used. I could tell that the words, simple and phonetically written, and the pictures came straight from his heart. This confirmed my reason for teaching children. The book has definitely become one of the best gifts I've ever received, something I will always treasure.

We are encouraged everyday by commercials to buy, buy, buy, but what about using our imaginations to create memorable gifts that truly come from the heart? Many of the children who come to the art school make creative and imaginative art pieces - sculptures, paintings, drawings, puppets, masks - and they make other people very happy by giving their art away. However, you don't need to wait until you're at art school to make something which will touch someone's life.

You don't need fancy or expensive materials. Your own imagination is a very powerful tool. Take a look around your house. What can you make with an old box, scrap material, recyclable items like paper towel roles, toilet paper rolls or even just paper? If you could write a book and illustrate it, what kind of story would you write?

The wonderful thing about making art and then giving it away, is that you can personalize your gift. You can put a little bit of you and a little bit of the person you're giving the gift to, into the art piece. For example, if you love dogs, try adding pictures of dogs to your art gift. If the person that you're giving the art to, loves hockey, try adding drawings or collages of dogs playing hockey. The possibilities are endless! The important part of making an art gift is that you put your time, energy and love into it. If you do this, your gift might just end up on someone's 'best gift ever' list.

Liana Del Mastro Vicente, Associate Director