Thank you very much to everyone who joined us for the Soup, Salad, & Style luncheon! It was a good lunch and a lovely day. Some were introduced to Patchwork for the first time, and we raised important funding that will help Patchwork to continue to serve our neighbors. You can find a full list of sponsors here.
One of the luncheon highlights were the flower paintings done by children in our Arts & Smarts program. Every guest received a packet of note cards with a selection of the flower paintings on them, the entire collection of paintings hung at the end of the room, and three of the original paintings were featured in the event’s live auction.
It’s a project that we’ve been working on for the past couple months. It taught the children how to 
manipulate paint, how to mix colors, and how to layer a design. While every participant began with the same inspiration, each painting is different and reflects its creator’s personality. That’s how we teach art here at Patchwork. We teach all children creativity and give children who have an interest in the arts a special opportunity. The children understand this.
This week, the children were working on an origami lesson. One boy was sitting across from an adult who was visiting for the day to educate everyone on dental hygiene. As they both concentrated on folding their butterflies just right. The adult commented that hers was a little crooked.
“That’s OK,” the boy said reassuringly. “I’m an artist, and even I make mistakes.”
The children are already preparing more of their art for sale at Patchwork’s Pancake Extravaganza on April 21. They’ll be offering fairies and other spring-themed ceramic art. They’ll also have more of the flower note cards for sale. Like the real artists that they are, they will all receive payment for creating and selling their work as part of “Art & Co”. Mark your calendar now and plan to join us!