Do you remember what it is like to watch a child do something for the very first time? That was our experience at Chrok Sdeak Junior Secondary School in October. The school was recently completed by SeeBeyondBorders thanks to the generosity of a British cartoonist who is very keen to see a visual arts program developed at the school.
The prospect of using oil pastel crayons and watercolour paint for the very first time was almost too much for some children
So, equipped with materials purchased at the markets in Phnom Penh, we drove for two and a half hours in the back of a Ute through flood waters to meet the teachers and their students.
The prospect of using oil pastel crayons and watercolour paint for the very first time was almost too much for some children, who hovered for ages with hand poised, not game to make a mark on the pure white paper. Through our wonderful translators, we were able to impart the message that we had more paper and would replace all the materials when they had run out.
We invited the children to create an artwork about something special in their lives. Many of them produced beautiful artworks of their homes, the rice fields and streams, and their animals. In conversations with some of the students, we discovered that they drew a lot at home, but never with colour. Some of them were truly gifted artists, who were totally absorbed in their work. We were totally absorbed in how special this visit was - for us, as well as the students and teachers at Chrok Sdeak.
Jenny with one of the student’s coloured drawings
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