The average wingspan of a Brown Pelican is 6 feet!
Art is pleasing to the eye, it can bring feelings of joy, and it can give the beholder something to think about. At Sanibel Sea School, art does all of that. Our students learn in the classroom, spend time in the field, and then take some aspect of what they learned and transform it into a beautiful piece of art they can take home, admire, and use to remember what they learned at Sanibel Sea School.
Last week, Alice and Marie joined us at Sanibel Sea School for a fun filled week of learning, exploring and creating art that reflected the topics discussed in the classroom.
We used clay to create the whorl of the gastropod shell, learning how these calcium carbonate shells are made by the snails.
Shells are nature’s artwork, displaying vast patterns and vibrant colors that look beautiful when crafted in a meaningful piece of art. During our bivalves class, Alice and Marie learned the basic biology of these invertebrates and to identify their shells that line the beach in the wrack line. We were able to find shells with ligaments still connecting them, providing insight into how the animal works. We then transformed nature into art by making a “butterfly” resting on a flower of jingle shells.
Both girls impressed many beach-goers with their art displays during classes on shorebirds and Pelicans. We trekked with art supplies in tow to the beach and became old-school naturalists, observing nature and recording it in beautiful pieces of watercolor art by the lighthouse where many shorebirds can be seen on a daily basis.
Alice thought the Ruddy Turnstone was a cute and beautifully colored bird that she wanted to paint in its natural setting “turning” over small rocks and shells in the wrack line.
Marie thought the Brown Pelican we had seen diving gracefully into the water just moments before, was a majestic bird.
Both Alice and Marie enjoyed sitting in a nice clearing just yards away from the various birds searching in the wrack line for an invertebrate snack. The girls observed the birds’ movements and detailed coloration to re-create in their artwork, just like John James Audubon would have done.
Then both girls learned how large Brown Pelicans are as they measured the dimensions of a life-size bird whose wingspan was larger than any of the artists constructing it!
With a tape measure, Alice and Marie marked the sand and started construction, using many materials found by the water’s edge, including pen shells and mangrove propagules. Many fellow beach-goers noticed our art and stopped to marvel at the young artists’ ability and skill.
To some, art may be just a nice picture you hang on your wall, but at Sanibel Sea School art takes on a different form. Encompassing a biological concept while capturing the beauty of the world around us, our students learn while sculpting, painting, and decorating various art projects, regardless of their artistic ability.
While every piece of art a student creates at Sanibel Sea School is beautiful and unique, the ultimate reward is always the process we took to get there.
The girls had a wonderful time during thier week at Sea School and learned a lot! They loved both Brendan and Jenna and the activities they planned for them. The art projects really drew them in.
They look forward to thier visits to Sea School with much anticipation each year. Every visit has included new adventures, encounters with naturea and lessons. I don’t think it will ever get old for them.
Keep up the good work!