THIS ABILITY!

"Every child, every person needs to know that they are a source of joy; 
every child, every person, needs to be celebrated. 
Only when all of our weaknesses are accepted as part of our humanity
can our negative, broken self images be transformed."
                                                                                                     -Jean Vanier

         My happiest teaching moments are at The Art Gallery of Peterborough.
              Here, I get to make beautiful art with a group of adults with
               developmental disabilities and other exceptionalities.
                            The studio is a place of joyful sound.

                             Everyone works to their own ability.
                                  And everyone's light shines.

We have been exploring self portraits. 

The first day of this exploration, each person was photographed by a window. 

Each person lit by the clear February Ontario north light. 

The next week, (after the photos were downloaded, cropped, made into prints, enlarged on a photocopier), we cut them in half, (each person choosing which half to use, where to cut), and mounted the half-photo onto a board.

Then, each person drew their other half.

Some needed a bit of help. Some dove into it with great interest. 

Some just drew what came naturally.

Here are some of the results.

Standing before you. 

With confidence.

Transformed.

"...whose beauty beats and shines not in its imperfections, but overwhelmingly in spite of them..."

                                               
                                                                                                 -Annie Dillard