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High school artists create memories for orphans
The student painters are learning basic techniques about the oil painting medium while participating in the nationwide non-profit The Memory Project. The project began when the founder, Ben Schumaker, realized that the children in the orphanage that he volunteered at in Guatemala would grow up without childhood memorabilia, the website stated.
"We have baby pictures of ourselves," said the director of Studios East & West, Gale Bowman-Harlow." They have nothing."
Globs of dried and fresh paint litter the palates and tables of the studio where the class of high school girls meets once a week. Colorful portraits with fresh hues ranging from gray to neon green replace the once monochromatic sketches of the orphan's faces derived from black and white photographs.
Layer upon layer of painter's paste fill in the color topped off by a glaze seal. To get the luminous look that is common in 18th century paintings, the students used a mixture of linseed oil and turpentine for sheen.
"People like veneer. It kind of makes you go 'ah,'" Bowman-Harlow said.
The amateur painters are being trained in a master's technique of oil painting, Bowman-Harlow said. Many had no previous experience at portrait painting, none had experience with oil.
Unlike most painters who have the luxury of their subjects seated in front of them, these students are stripped of the knowledge of their child's personality. The ages and any other distinguishing information about the children is not disclosed. Despite the struggle to find insight into their child through a simple snapshot, the students have grown attached to their children.
"I love her. I want to take her shopping," said Leann Albert of her little girl, Glenda Elizabeth Graciano Aguilar.
The majority of the students hope that their paintings will help the children be proud of themselves and feel better about their situations. This makes refining the details; the shadows and highlights of their faces, a top priority. They wish they could be there when the children receive their portraits to see the looks on their faces.
"I want to meet my kid and give him a big hug," said student Anna Rogers.
In the final stages it is the hardest to let the subject go. There were shouts of discontent when Bowman-Harlow announced this would be their final session working on the project. Once finished, the paintings will be sent to the orphans in El Salvador as a keystone to their heritage. Each child receives two portraits from different artists every year. Project participation is heavy across the nation; 8,000 portraits were made by students in almost every state in the U.S. during the 2006-2007 school year.
The orphans reside in the homes of Nuestros Pequenos Hermanos in nine countries in Latin America and the Caribbean including Mexico, Guatamala, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Peru, Bolivia, Dominican Republic and Haiti.
The portraits can be done in any medium of 11x14 dimension, but light materials are used for shipping costs. Each student finds a sponsor to help pay the $30 fee for materials, shipping costs and The Memory Project fee. Students who want to write a note to their child must find a Spanish translator.
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