Happy Trails....

Hey Peoples!!  Believe it or not, I've been creating for HOURS over the last couple of days. AND today I finally came to the end of the trail!!

Every year our little private school has Grandparent's Day the last day of school just prior to spring break. Grandparents or Special "grandparents" are invited to come to the "Pit" and enjoy presentations from
K-6th graders, an art display of work from all the students and a light lunch.  They are then welcome  to go to their grandchildren's classrooms and see the work they do there.  The Home and School committee usually picks a theme and all festivities are planned accordingly.  This year the theme is Happy Trails.  Somehow I got held at gunpoint (ok, ok....I made a deal with the President of H&S.  If she accepted
 the presidency (which I declined faster than a branding iron), I'd help with the planning and decorating for Grandparent's Day.  In all honesty, I got off with the better deal).

Sooooo, the travels begin in the Pit area (this is the central meeting area for the school) which is approximately 9 x 30 ft.  First you start with some bright orange paper

 Then you add some bright red paint and some spotches of purple paint

Then add a few pieces of black paper over the top for a silhouette

And you got yourself a cowboy at the end of the trail.  (I believe you can click on any of the pictures for a larger view)

As simple as this looks like it should have been to do, it took me 6-7 hours of working time (that does not include set up for the painting or cleaning up).  Lucky for me, the second grade teacher is very artistic and helped me get the projector positioned correctly to kinda trace the cowboy onto the paper.  She then helped me make the horse look like a horse vs a cow (it would seem that after I drew out the original cowboy on his horse and took him down to trace around without all the lines, I CUT the wrong scribbles and made my horse shorter, squatty and basically a cow. By that time I was tired, sore from all up/down off the scaffold and HUNGRY.  I could not for the LIFE OF ME get things to line up correctly with all the separate sheets of paper.  So a HUGE thank you to Mrs. S!!!! She rode in and saved the day!!)

The high school has asked that this be left up as the junior class would like to use it for a special announcement.  I believe it might be for the upcoming junior/senior banquet, which I heard rumors that it will be a western theme. I don't know for sure.  So, the work will be appreciated by more than one group.  Which is nice when you spend hours creating something that will eventually end up in the trash can (the harsh reality of doing this type of art work!! LOL!)

Papercrafting on a LARGE scale, hehe.  And "pawdner's, I'm done.  Stick a fork in me and turn me over"

'Till next time!