The exceptionally bright young artists of “The Secret Garden“ recently held an exhibition of their beautiful abstract paintings from 26th to 27th August 2023 at the Charcoal Studios situated in Mount Lavinia. Aptly titled “Impressions of an Impressionist”, the exhibition featured reproductions of Vincent Van Gogh’s and also abstract paintings inspired by his work where children expressed themselves freely using mixed media. Children participating were aged between 4 years to 18 years.
The “Impressions of an Impressionist” exhibition featured a number of special guests from the field, including Pramodha and also Sandev Handy from the Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art in Sri Lanka, who added their invaluable insights and thought provoking ideas at the exhibition, to the delight of the enthusiastic young artists.
Speaking to News Asia, multi talented Priscilla Caren, the owner and Art Educationalist at “The Secret Garden” explained how she began her career as an interior designer, before studying Early Childhood Education, Graphic Design, Psychology, Art Therapy and Art Education, finally culminating in the completion of her Masters in Education.
Priscilla explained that she carefully uses art therapy during her classes as a stimulus for students, to freely express themselves and develop their social skills through art, especially as it releases their innermost thoughts and emotions.
The Secret Garden Colombo specializes in art education and has been in existence since 2009.
Working in small groups of approximately 10 students per class, the main focus is on the development of the individual, the use of multi modality, enhancing art vocabulary, collaborative learning, and incorporating a museum-based curriculum while effectively using technology to enrich a child’s learning experience.
Each month children work on a theme or a current event and are taught the history of art, biographies of famous artists, and have the opportunity to experiment with varied artistic media and artistic tools.
Exhibitions are held annually to showcase their work to those who are interested in and passionate about art.
For more information on classes contact : 077 301 7796 and visit the Facebook page :
https://web.facebook.com/The.Secret.Garden.Art.Colombo
Article by Nelum Buddhadasa
