As 11-year-old Elbra Younano stood by the side of a stream, she picked up her paint brush and began to recreate the image before her onto canvas. The trees, the grass, the water and the rocks were all right in front of her, and she did not have to rely on a photo to see how they should be painted. The CSU Stanislaus campus was an ideal backdrop for Younano and all the children in Juliet Moradian’s art class.
Moradian has been teaching art to Turlock youth for three years. She started her classes when she realized that children at the Assyrian American Civic Club were very interested in art and that they had talent that could be developed in a class like hers. The club offered funding for supplies and a space to hold the classes. Moradian said that while the Assyrian Aide Society is still offering money for supplies, she no longer holds her classes at the Civic Club.
“They just decided to use the space for something else,” Moradian said. Moradian is considering renting a space, but for now classes are taking place outdoors on the CSU Stanislaus campus. The space is free to use, the weather is nice in the mornings, andthe surroundings inspire the students.
“They can really learn how to do nature out here,” Moradian said.
The 13 and under age group will have their first art showing on July 20. The Sunrise Bakery has agreed to display the children’s paintings in their shop on Geer Road. There will be a reception for the opening of the art show at 4 p.m. on Monday. Moradian said that the paintings will be priced for sale, and they will hang at the bakery for a month or two. Moradian is proud of her students’ accomplishments.
“Such little kids have opened up and they have such talent,” she said.
Moradian also teachers a teenage art class. The older students are scattered for the summer, but they will re-group once school starts again. There are currently six students in the 13 and under age group, and three of those students will have their works displayed at Sunrise Bakery.
Moradian charges a one-time fee of $20 for each student to attend art lessons. This fee goes towards supplies including easels, canvas and paint. They are using whatever supplies they have left at the moment, and are hoping to re-stock if any of the paintings sell at the art show.
Moradian is a professional artist who sells her own works at the Turlock Community Art Gallery on Center Street. To contact Moradian about art classes or her gallery, call 495-4939.
To contact Andrea Goodwin, e-mail agoodwin@turlockjournal.com or call 634-9141 ext. 2003.
