Fostering the inner artist in girls

By Mary-Justine Lanyon

With the theme of Artists on the Mountain, Soroptimist International of Rim of the World (SIROW) invited three artists to talk with members of Every Girl Counts at Mary Putnam Henck Intermediate School.

The program, open to girls in sixth, seventh and eighth grades, brings in guest speakers to address the girls on matters that will help boost their self esteem and improve their life skills.

The three artists who spoke with the girls at the Jan. 17 meeting were Lyndian Uhler, Rosie McDonald and Shannon Bizzy. Each brought their skills in a different artistic endeavor to the program.

First, however, Elaine Tipton told the girls about that month’s heroine, someone she said she thought they had all heard of. This woman, Tipton explained, had sung the national anthem at a 76ers game when she was just 12. Then she started writing songs and produced her first album at 16. Guitar sales among young girls rose dramatically with that album’s release.

As Tipton showed photos of this woman as a young girl, the MPH girls shouted out her name: Taylor Swift.

The girls then split into three groups and rotated among the three artists.

Lyndian Uhler told the girls she always wanted to be an artist. She works in both oils and acrylics as she paints. She also sculpts and makes jewelry. She urged the girls to “find that fire in your belly.” And she told them that “practice makes better, not perfect.

“Don’t let people tell you your dreams aren’t worthwhile,” Uhler said.

She added that she enjoys teaching painting and hopes to have more classes at her Running Springs Shop, Artistry & Alchemy. “It’s a place for people to come and express themselves,” she said.

“I knew at a young age I wanted to be an actor,” Rosie McDonald told the girls. When she was a student at MPH, she went to arts camp. “I loved meeting other people interested in musical theater,” she said.

After two years at Rim High, McDonald went to the Orange County School of the Arts. After graduation she took the leap and moved to New York City, where she attended an acting conservatory.

“You have to muster the courage to go for it,” she told the girls. At first, she was trying to please other people but learned that doesn’t feel good. “You need to bring yourself to art, your take on the character.”

McDonald had the girls draw a “blind” self portrait – closing their eyes and drawing what they think they look like. “You can make art every day. You don’t have to wait for someone to give you permission.”

She then led the girls in an acting exercise, having them say, “I’m ready for some dinner” in a variety of ways – agitated, hopeful, sad. “What are you going to bring to these words?” she asked. “How do you get into character? I think about what I know about the character.”

Shannon Bizzy asked the girls in her group if anyone plays an instrument. “Educating yourself on music is important,” she said.

One girl said she likes to draw dragons. Another likes to draw flowers. Bizzy told them that flower arranging, which she does at her shop, Bizzyland, “is an interesting art form.” She described the process of creating an arrangement for a wedding: The bride describes what she wants – the types of flowers, the colors. Bizzy has to order them in advance.

“I love making wearable flowers,” she said, pointing to crowns, corsages and earrings.

In addition to working with flowers, Bizzy is also a musician. She went to school to learn to sing, she told the girls, both rock and jazz. Then she learned to play bass guitar, which she does in a couple of bands.

“I recommend getting your hands into several forms of art,” Bizzy said. “There are so many creative areas you can pursue.”

After meeting with the three artists, the girls came back together for an art project with Lupe McDonald. She first told them about American artist Georgia O’Keeffe, who was born in Wisconsin, spent time in Texas and ended up in New Mexico. 

“She developed her own style,” Lupe said, noting that O’Keeffe zoomed in very close on her subject.

She passed out black-and-white prints of flowers and asked the girls to zoom in on a portion of one that interested them. The girls were then to draw that section on a piece of paper. They colored their drawings with watercolor crayons, after which they outlined their flowers in black crayon and painted the colors with water, blending the colors and creating vibrant watercolor paintings.

As the girls prepared to go home, they were left with a thought from Taylor Swift: Work hard and pursue your wildest dreams.