CREATIVE CREATURE ENCOUNTER HAS BEGUN...............

On June 1st the Greater Lansing Visitors and Convention Bureau coordinated "Be a Tourist in Your Own Town" by convincing over 70 businesses and attractions to waive their admission fees and hold special events - all to celebrate how much art, culture and entertainment our city has.  At Potter Park Zoo they threw a truly wild party by celebrating International Migratory Bird Day on June 1st as well!  One of the main components of the Individual Artist Grant that I received from the Arts Council of Greater Lansing was "community impact".  I couldn't have picked a better day or a better place to get more people in our community as passionate about painting wildlife as I am. I knew it would be a busy day, but I had no idea how busy!  I prepared over 70 canvases, did line drawings of a Bengal Tiger, a Wood Duck and numerous varieties of butterflies for children of all ages to create art with me.  I also brought my trusty side kick and sister Christine along, and thank goodness I did!  4,687 visitors came to the zoo that day!  I was set up down by the duck pond on a deck with a canopy in case of rain.  The rain held off all day and we had a great time painting.  I don't think any kids that passed by didn't stop to paint.  I did a line drawing of a Wood Duck in honor of Migratory Bird Day and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife service asked me to promote their Federal Junior Duck Stamp contest. We had so many kids painting that 2 hours before the event ended I ran out of canvases and paper to paint on!  The last few kids that came through painted on the copy paper I had printed the line drawings on.  Christine kept them supplied with paint, brushes and paper while I gave them direction but they knew what they wanted to paint and they did a great job with or without my guidance. We had all ages from 2 years on up, even had a young couple sit down and paint the Wood Ducks together.  I was very impressed with how well behaved and eager to paint the children were.   I am looking forward to another great turnout when I return to the zoo on July 19th, August 17th and again on October 5th.  
Come paint with me and try your hand at art! 

                                                      Painting Tigers at the Zoo

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GETTING BACK ONTO THE ART SCENE

Giraffe on 9" x 12" Clayboard

GETTING BACK ONTO THE ART SCENE

I have been busy since the first of the year trying to do some self promotion at the encouragement of my friends and family.  First off I applied for an artist grant to help me re-emerge onto the art scene.  I have been out of the loop for a few years while taking care of my disabled grandson and although I still help care for Ethan every day, it has become easier for me to integrate time to paint into my weekly schedule.  I have found that painting with acrylics allows me flexibility to work on a piece in short sittings, yet still enjoy the therapeutic benefits of simply picking up a brush and creating art. I am also eager to make new connections and colleagues in the greater Lansing area.  My proposed project for the grant is to be the first "Artist in Residence" for the Potter Park Zoo in Lansing, MI.  I will be painting, demonstrating and teaching wildlife art in the midst of Wildlife!  I am super excited about this because through this project I will have the opportunity to paint my favorite subjects more accurately as I will be able to observe them live and up-close, capturing their essence, characteristics and personality.  I will also have more ownership of the creative process through this project  because I will have access to take my own photographs, make sketches, and even record video of the animal so that I will have exactly the reference material that I need to create the best finished pieces.    

The most engaging portion of my project will be the public demonstrations that will be accessible to anyone who visits the zoo while I am there painting.  I have found that nature is often the subject that new artists, both young and old, are drawn to. Painting at the zoo seems a perfect way to engage people and ignite their creative spirit.  While demonstrating, I will have an assortment of blank canvas boards, brushes and paints available for anyone who wishes to try their hand at painting. I know from experience that it can be intimidating to try something new, but my hope is that individuals will feel comfortable joining in even if they may not feel confident in their artistic abilities, they will be intrigued and inspired by the live animals, and will want to learn how to capture them through painting.

  I plan to kick-off my series as a demonstrator at Potter Park Zoo during  their annual International Migratory Bird Day Celebration on June 1^st.  Throughout the summer I will demonstrate and hold acrylic painting classes at the zoo.  My project will culminate with an exhibition of my 10 completed pieces that will be held in the zoo’s Safari Room on September 15th.  The Potter Park Zoo has been very generous in offering to help me procure this grant by offering the space for my classes and waving my numerous admissions to the zoo as an in-kind donation.  

I will try to keep a journal of my progress over the summer months and share it here.  You can also follow my zoo adventures on my facebook page www.facebook.com/C.L.Tonning.Artist  I look forward to meeting new artists and making new friends through this project, and of course all the cool animals I get to paint!