Morris Area Arts Boosters bring painter to MAES

MORRIS --This week, third grade students at Morris Area Elementary School worked with artist Jim Mondloch of St. Cloud to learn watercolor techniques and create their own paintings.

Each of the four third grade classrooms spent an hour each day with Mondloch. During the first 15 minutes of each session, Mondloch demonstrated basic painting techniques like color, texture, value, design, and brushstrokes.

After finishing an example painting, the students were set loose to create their own water color washes, desert mesas and birch trees based on the skills Mondloch taught them.

At the end of the week, students will pick the best of their five paintings to be matted for display. Mondloch also gave watercolor demonstrations to some students in 4th and 5th grade.

Funding for the week-long program was provided by the Morris Area Arts Boosters, a group dedicated to fostering arts education activities across disciplines for students in the Morris Area School District.

Mondloch's residency was arranged through COMPAS, a St. Paul-based program designed to connect artists with Minnesota communities.