Young artists get creative at Devon Coles Gallery

By Joan Janzen

Fun, imagination and new skills come to life for the kids who participate in the after-school art classes at Devon Coles Gallery in Kindersley. Once a week, 11 children ranging from Kindergarten to Grade 7 unleash their creativity by working with clay, sculpting and painting, while older teens come alongside to help.

These kids unleash their creativity every week at the after-school art class at Devon Coles Gallery in Kindersley. PHOTO BY JOAN JANZEN

Char carefully sculpts a turtle at the after-school art class at Devon Coles Gallery in Kindersley. This is her first year attending the class, while Kinley has been enjoying it since she was four years old. PHOTO BY JOAN JANZEN

Throughout the 10 weeks, Devon teaches the youngsters about each of these art forms. “They’re getting good at the technical aspects of it all,” he said. Many of his students keep coming back for each new 10-week session. Some of them have been coming since they were four years old. These preschoolers have proven that artistic talent begins to flourish at a very young age. Devon has taught many of his current students’ older siblings.

During the one-hour class, he shows individual students different techniques to help them create a work of art that they love. At this particular class, the kids were sculpting everything from turtles to their favourite chocolate bars. Each one was busy rolling out their mound of clay, meticulously forming it into a work of art, and then, more often than not, smashing it flat and starting all over again.