Hey there! It’s Granny Bunny aka Mary May. I’m sharing some of the magic I make for the children in my life. In this letter I’ll give you a peek at one of the websites I built for my grandchildren — it’s an Art Academy! I just love it. It was inspired by the pandemic when the kids were enrolled in online school but had no art classes. I jumped on that opportunity for two semesters. Then the kids were back in the classroom for the second semester of 2021, so the site got a little dusty, but it’s polished up and ready for our summer fun. Keith and I love art and view that love as part of our legacy to them. I’d love to hear about some of the joy you’re trying to nurture in the hearts of those who will carry on when our turn here is ended. As always, hold on to your wand, cuz here comes some magic spells. — Granny Bunny

WELCOME TO ART SCHOOL
(this is the intro to our mini-website for the grandkids)

Grab your paint and brushes! There’s a lot of wonderful art ahead with Granny and Paw at the little Art Academy they built just for you! We have lots of fun planned, so when you’re bored this summer, give us a call and we’ll set up a Studio Session. You are invited to participate in any of the offerings and activities. No grades. No pressure. No criticism. Just the joy of art. We love you more than Vermeer. - Granny & Paw

Above are the Studio Sessions on our list for two units, nine projects each. We kinda sorta go in order, but make adjustments as the muse dictates. Unit 1 on ancient art is done. I think we have just a few more in Unit 2 on the Middle Ages to the Renaissance, and then I’ll create a Unit 3. This looks more official than it is. We let the kids veer off in tangents. Art isn’t about obedience. It’s about exploration. If the kids develop a compelling vision, they chomp at the bit to learn techniques to execute it. No stick or carrot required.

”We don’t make mistakes, just happy little accidents.” - Bob Ross

I love tools, but none more than art tools. It takes all my willpower to resist their allure. All of my grandkids are the same way. Art supplies are baskets, boxes, buckets, and bins of potential — calling our names. The lists below are our suggestions to the kids for their basic art kits to get through each unit. If we need anything fancy, we rob from Keith. Shhhhh.

”Money can’t buy happiness, but it can buy art supplies. That’s pretty much the same thing, right?” - Unknown

Sometimes, you don’t want making art to be too hard. You just want to putz around with something. For those times, the kids can look around the house for some ideas and materials, or give us a call and we might be able to help them with some art supplies for the project they have in mind. We also stocked up on Art Kits which allow them to make terrific little art projects when they want to make something easy.

“Artists are just children who refuse to put down their crayons.” — Al Hirschfield

Another section on the website is called Art Fun. In the photo below, you can see the four areas:
1) ART CONTESTS - by clicking the photo, the kids are transported to the current art contest, rules, deadline, and prizes. The next one is judged in August. Adults and kids participate in the contests. We do this on Zoom.
2) ART AUCTIONS - this was my grandson’s idea. You can read about his brilliant scheme by clicking the photo on the website. You’ll also find information about the latest auction. We model our auctions after e-Bay. They are online, fast, and furious. Some artists set minimum bids and “buy now” prices for the anxious buyer. It’s so crazy and fun. It started out just for the kids’ art, but now adults are encouraged to make and share as well.
3) ART GALLERY - we have an online gallery for the kid’s artwork and have an expansion planned to include some of the nifty things the adults make.
4) ART AT 240 - clicking this just takes you to a different section of the bigger Life at 240 website. This section is called “Art at 240” and is not accessible to anyone right now cuz I am working on it.

“Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up.” — Pablo Picasso.

This is a newer section I started this summer based on the enthusiasm around designing a dream home. There are three challenges up right now.

1) DESIGN YOUR DREAM HOME - Keith taught them an awful lot about drafting over the course of these sessions. They had so many amazing ideas. You can read all about it on the website. There’s photos too. I bought them each an interior decorating book and thought maybe we could move in that direction next.

2) MAGIC ART JOURNAL - this is new for the summer. I think I wrote to you a month ago that I wanted to do more art journaling myself, and I have managed that much to my surprise. I am having so much fun, I thought I’d see if I could entice the kids. The art, the writing, and the magic make it a great hybrid project for Miss Ladybug, Hogwarts, and the Art Academy. I can’t wait to see if this takes off. Ever hopeful.

3) ARTSPACE - this is a photography challenge about the art space they create in and the art space they live in. Keith and I took an online photography class over the winter and it made me want to find a challenge that would make them think more about photography as an art form. I also want them to see art in the everyday things we all take for granted.

”Before you can make art, you need to see art.” - Keith May

Each of the little kid’s has a password protected portfolio which contains photos of their Art Academy work.

”Have no fear of perfection. You’ll never reach it.” - Salvador Dali