Resident artist teaches WMS kids

• Seeing art

Watercolor artist Thomas Labandz shows students how to crop their drawings Wednesday. Labandz was an artist-in-residence at Worthington Middle School this week.

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WORTHINGTON —Artist Thomas Labandz has travelled through Worthington many times before, on his way to sell his watercolor paintings in Colorado and Wyoming.

But this time he stayed, for a week actually, to work with students at Worthington Middle School as the school’s first-ever artist-in-residence.

Labandz is friends with WMS Principal Clete Lipetzky, who suggested he visit the school to work with students showing a special interest or talent in art.

His visit was then made possible by gifted and talented funding from the state.

This week, he’s trying to help students get back to basics of art: design, composition, shape, form.

“I’m working with them to have them develop an awareness of what’s around them. Really seeing things is what art is all about,” he said.

Students have been working with Labandz and art teacher David Blanchard to learn those basics by doing quick sketches and still life drawings. Wednesday, they learned how cropping a drawing can make it more interesting. Today, eighth-graders will receive their first serious art assignment: designing a mural to represent the eighth grade class that will hang on the set of the school’s news station.

Eighth-grader Josue Fraga is one of the students who has been learning with Labandz this week.

“I learned you can’t think too much on the item (you’re drawing) and really try to get it the first time or you won’t get it at all. Do a quick sketch and go from there,” he said.

Blanchard is also enjoying the opportunity.

“For me it’s been a real encouragement, a boost not only to the program and the kids, but for me I think my teaching has been refreshed just to have another bird of a feather. It’s fun to really see them kind of almost bump it up a level — thinking about composition, thinking about their choices, and realizing that making mistakes is part of the process,” he said.

Students are also learning the value of practice.

“If you’re an artist you’re almost like an athlete. Drawing is hand-eye coordination, the only way to improve is practice,” Labandz said.

Maybe most importantly, Blanchard added, students are able to see themselves as artists again and find a new confidence in their skills. Because steady art instruction doesn’t start until sixth grade, he said, “There’s a major barrier there because they’ve decided ‘I’m not an artist.’ It’s really nice to give them another chance to say you know, this is valid.”

“I want to have students walk away realizing there is value in art,” said Labandz, “You don’t necessarily have to be a fine artist or a painter, it’s fine if you do, but the skills you learn can be applied in other areas of life.”

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