Art students shown new skills

• Brooke Gomes

Senior Brooke Gomes applies plastic wrap to show the texture of rocks in a painting. Matt Suoja
• Sandi Pillsbury Gredzens

Sandi Pillsbury Gredzens shows students a piece of art as an example for an upcoming assignment. She is an artist-in-residence at Two Harbors High School. Matt Suoja
• Richard Truscott

Senior Richard Truscott uses gesso for a painting he’s working on. Matt Suoja

Talk about it

Local artist Sandi Pillsbury Gredzens is at it again – she has taught art for 30 years, including in the Lake Superior School District – teaching Two Harbors High School students about water coloring as part of an artist-in-residence program this month.

“I had some of them as kindergarten students,” Gredzens said. She said there are some pretty talented kids at the school.

Gredzens wanted to use a variety of techniques and materials for the program and has hopes of doing some collage work with some of the students. Her main focus is nature.

“The whole idea of this residency is recycle-reuse,” Gredzens said.

Water coloring may also be a new idea to some of the students. “I’m learning myself,” said Steve Wasko, the art teacher at the school.

“We never do watercolors,” said junior Kyle Thewis. He said it was neat to have a “pro” come in and teach techniques.

“I like it, it’s something different,” said senior Richard Truscott.

The program is made possible in part by a grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board and a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts.

The grant was written by Linda Melcher from the Arts on Superior program, which also wrote a successful grant for Minnehaha Elementary.

The Super One grocery store helped in supplying meat trays for mixing paint along with other supplies. True Value donated painter’s tape, erasers and spray bottles.

The residency is taking place in Wasko’s Basic Design II and Visual Arts classes at the high school for a few days a week during a three-week span. There will be a display of completed paintings in the display cases on the lower level of the high school. Gredzens also has hopes of an artist’s reception.

Gredzens said there are plans to go for the grant next year as well.

Tags: two harbors, schools, art