Local artist, Sharon Skates, visited Crafts I classes for a sweet workshop. Sharon has shown interest in art since she was a young girl but it wasn't until she became a mother that she turned her love of art to cakes. As a mother of five children, birthday cakes became an expense that she felt she could avoid by making the cakes herself. Each cake was a new creative challenge and as time went on, her cakes gained attention and popularity. For her workshop here at BHS, she taught students how to create a fondant penguin. Once the basic penguin was constructed, students added accessories (scarves, hats, earmuffs) and created other items (snowmen, puppies, trees, snowflakes, flowers). Sharon even shared two fondant recipes with students so they could make their own at home and impress their families over the holidays!
 
Sound like fun? You can take a workshop with her yourself! Sharon Skates teaches workshops like this (and more) at local spots like the Plains Distrct Community Center and The Village Arts Center on Main Street in Broadway. Follow her page “Mama Skates Creates” on Facebook for updates on workshops and other tasty/creative endeavors.

Thanks to the affilation between Spitzer Art Center (located in Harrisonburg, Va) and the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts (located in Richmond, Va), we had the opportunity to host professional artist, Beryl Solla. Beryl spent the entire day with Crafts 1 students leading a tile mural workshop. The students started the day with a brainstorm of local imagery, drafted up a design, sketched their design onto the stairwell wall and learned each step of the tile mural process through the guidance of Beryl. The finished mural incorporates the changing leaves of fall, mountains, and the Shenandoah River.