2017 Mentor Sessions

BIG ARTIST: Mandy Ackerman

little artist: Destiny

Oak Springs Elementary

Working with Destiny has been such a pleasure. Her creativity, passion and raw talent are infectious to all around her. She brings so much energy and enthusiasm to her craft and will no doubt make a wonderful professional animator one day.

BIG ARTIST: Sandy Bowie  Sugar Puppet

little artist: Elias

Oak Springs Elementary

Elias is curious and thoughtful. He is friendly and social. He is fond of colors and textures and it was fun to translate that interest into his art pieces.  

BIG ARTIST: Sandy Bowie  Sugar Puppet

little artist: Samantha

Oak Springs Elementary

Samantha is very creative. She had lots of fast ideas about what pieces she wanted to make. She also enjoys sketching out her ideas. We had fun translating her ideas into collage materials.

BIG ARTIST: Leslie Chavez

little artist: Jasmine

Oak Springs Elementary

The overall experience was very enriching for both myself and Jasmine. I was able to teach her about art history to understand how we got to contemporary art. As for Jasmine, she has attained her creativity including vocabulary that she can benefit from in the future. She is quite shy, but her passion for art is strong and unearths true happiness.

BIG ARTIST: Angel Hernandez

little artist: Sergio

Oak Springs Elementary

I enjoyed my first time being a BIG ARTIST, not only did it allow me to help make society better directly, but it helped me grow as a person as well. I was able to pass on practical skills and knowledge which will empower my Little Artist to grow on his own throughout life with no limitation.

BIG ARTIST: Kristin Flint

little artist: Josue

Oak Springs Elementary

Working with Josue was a joy! Watching him create in such an uninhibited way reminded me of how important it is to just have fun in the process. His kind and curious nature made it easy to share my knowledge with him. His excitement for whatever project we were working on translated into really beautiful work that displayed both his natural abilities and his personality. I loved watching his confidence grow as he started to develop his own style.

BIG ARTIST: Roberta Schlesinger

little artist: Annie

Oak Springs Elementary

It was a terrific experience working with my Little Artist. I have been a Montessori art specialist for many years, and Annie is one of the most focused and diligent students I’ve met. She loves to draw anime characters, so I decided to work on portraits with her. She took to naturalistic portrait drawing right away. Every session was a joy. It was my pleasure working with this organization, thank you Little Artist BIG ARTIST for the opportunity.

BIG ARTIST: Anna Gieselman  Bee Amour

little artist: Isabel

Maplewood Elementary

Working as a BIG ARTIST was rewarding and out of the ordinary for me. Isabel, my Little Artist, is such a creative and easy-going kid. It felt quite natural to work with her and I was pleased to see how quick of a learner she was. It’s also a good practice to work with kids because they are so open to ideas and trying new things. It’s really fun to be able to share creative knowledge with them!

BIG ARTIST: Ana Coutinho

little artist: Dana

Maplewood Elementary

Dana is very creative, intuitive and focused in what she wants to do in her paintings. She is calm, smart and really loves to paint. It was so interesting and rewarding to see a big smile on her face the day she started her painting.She was completely, deeply absorbed with her beautiful,“Free Horse.”

BIG ARTIST: Jennifer Rodgers  Slantt Studio

LITTLE: Asia

Maplewood Elementary

BA QUOTE: Asia’s enthusiasm and genuine interest in learning was very inspiring and made every meeting something to look forward to. She came prepared with questions and ideas and we had no problem progressing through several beautiful projects. I am so impressed by her creative energy and focus. It was fun watching her use every new skill she learned without hesitation. Seeing inspiration wash over her face and into her work was the best part of this experience.

BIG ARTIST: Clarissa Cochran

little artist: Vivian

Maplewood Elementary

Vivian is hilarious! I have had so much fun. She has a great eye for color, space, and design. I feel like I’ve learned more from her than she has from me!

BIG ARTIST: Noni Kaufman

little artist: Jaisita

Maplewood Elementary

I began this program with an excited desire to work with a child sharing my renewed passion for art. I was uncertain of the path we’d be on, as I felt like a pathfinder experimenting with many media in combination. I noticed myself transforming to a wayshower to bring Jaisi along my path – showing her what new expressions I discovered. She seemed to expand into these weekly adventures and enjoy the results!

BIG ARTIST: April Davis  Deadly Creative

little artist: Owen

Maplewood Elementary

BA QUOTE: Owen was very focused and dedicated to creating and learning new types of art. It was fun to watch him explore new mediums and his enthusiasm for making things was infectious.

BIG ARTIST: April Davis  Deadly Creative

little artist: Oscar

Maplewood Elementary

BA QUOTE: Oscar’s imagination knows no bounds! He was constantly coming up with stories for each piece that he created and it was easy to be taken into his world as he shared the story of his art.

BIG ARTIST: Lisa Laratta

little artist: John

Maplewood Elementary

John came at the project with such enthusiasm and curiosity. He asked me thoughtful questions and approached challenges with wit and confidence. He really inspired me!

BIG ARTIST: Jaime Hernandez

little artist: Nicolas

Maplewood Elementary

Nicolas reminded me of how free ideas and drawing can be. His ability to flow from one idea to another on paper and make his own worlds is amazing. We explored adding color to his drawings and even painted his characters huge on walls at the Hope Outdoor Gallery.

BIG ARTIST: Hannah Prince

little artist: Evelyn

Barbara Jordan Elementary

Working with my Little Artist has completely surpassed any expectations. The first time we met it was clear that we were a good match in our energy level. Evelyn is goofy, smart, and talented. Watching her grow as an artist has simply been a blessing. We would work in bursts with multiple pieces going at once and she was so driven and focused. We would hop up, shake out our wiggles and tell goofy stories too! She is a bright and funny girl.

BIG ARTIST: Jefferey Miles

little artist: Octavion

Barbara Jordan Elementary

I see a lot of myself in Octavion. I was exactly like him when I was 11 years old. He is so eager to bring his own interests out in his art as well as completing the finished product. Although distractions arise, nothing can stop him once he puts his mind to it. The best part about being Octavion’s BIG ARTIST is seeing how excited he gets when he creates something he didn’t know he could create.

BIG ARTIST: Jennifer Hill | Jennifer Hill Ceramics

little artist: Brisia

Barbara Jordan Elementary

Brisia and I had a great time working in clay. She found creative ways to interpret surface techniques into original designs. She is also an excellent writer and wrote a full-length poem inspired by the imagery she created for her clay platter.  

BIG ARTIST: Jennifer Hill  Jennifer Hill Ceramics

little artist: Edgar

Barbara Jordan Elementary

Edgar showed amazing attention to detail in his clay artwork. He has a passion for baking cakes and brought his design skills to our platter project. When glazing his work he employed a painterly flair while brushing on color.

BIG ARTIST: Alexandra Heffernan

little artist: Marylin

Barbara Jordan Elementary

It has been a wonderful experience working with Marylin. Her quiet focus and determination is inspiring. That paired with her natural artistic talent, she quickly learned and applied the techniques we practiced in our first few lessons to her final pieces. Seeing the pride that she developed in creating her artwork has been the most rewarding experience of all.

BIG ARTIST: Amanda Demock

little artist: Anthony

Govalle Elementary

This experience has been quite rewarding. Watching Anthony grow in his curiosity and passion for learning new techniques in design has been awesome. He has so much talent and potential – I can’t wait to see what he does with his art in the future.

BIG ARTIST: Jeremy Wahlberg  Delineate Studio

little artist: Hikaru

Govalle Elementary

Working with my Little was definitely a delightful challenge. Hikaru has a great personality cloaked in a lot of shyness. It took us some time to get into a rhythm of making but she’s eager and excited each session. I feel that I have a better understanding of myself and my processes through working together. It is a definitely a challenge meeting once a week for two hours but also was a bit of a challenge to convey architecture in a simple way.

BIG ARTIST: Patrick Diaz

little artist: Carol

Govalle Elementary

I enjoyed sharing my process and aesthetic with Carol, as well as discussing our past connections to Mexico and its customs. She was always bright and open to discussing artists and processes as well as having a laser focus on the details of everything around her.

BIG ARTIST: Jodi Brownstein  Jodi Rae Designs

little artist: Phoenix

Govalle Elementary

Working with Phoenix was a joy! Her decisive creativeness was so much fun to see and she jumped into everything with such enthusiasm. I can’t wait to see how her piece transpires!

BIG ARTIST: Caitlin Alexander  Caitlin B. Alexander Illustration & Design

little artist: Madison

Blackshear Elementary

I feel lucky to have been paired with Madison for my Little Artist BIG ARTIST experience. She is talented beyond her years and has a heartfelt passion for her art. I know this girl will go places if she keeps up the momentum and love that she fosters for drawing. Our sessions were always filled with laughter and I have cherished getting to know her on both a creative and personal level. Thank you, Chula League, for pairing us perfectly!

BIG ARTIST: Heather Sundquist

little artist: Nicole

Blackshear Elementary

Working as a BIG ARTIST was a humbling experience. I had the opportunity to show Nicole the steps that go into the development of my work and see how she translated that into creating her own. Her thoughtful ideas were fluid and each week I watched her confidently craft beautiful paintings. Creativity poured out of each Little Artist during the sessions. The program speaks to the importance of mentors, art education and the value of self-expression.

BIG ARTIST: Alisha Baker

little artist: Jeralyn

Blackshear Elementary

Having Jeralyn as my Little Artist was nothing short of inspiring. Her energy is contagious and her passion for the art of making is so exciting to witness in a young person. Jeralyn was quick to learn sewing. She was a total natural and needed little guidance after taking in the basics! She is confident in her creative decision-making and was consistently enthusiastic with each process of printmaking introduced. With an attitude like Jeralyn’s, anything in this world is possible.  

BIG ARTIST:  Devon Stonebrook  Pascal NU

little artist: Gwen

Blackshear Elementary

Gwen has tremendous creativity and very specific ideas about what she would like to create. It’s inspiring to see her bring these visualizations to life!

BIG ARTIST: Bryan Rapalo

little artist: Guadalupe

Blackshear Elementary

At first working with Guadalupe was very interesting. As the sessions continued, Guadalupe took awhile to open up. One day he came to my house and we both got the chance to spray paint together and that’s when the bonding moment happened. It was super sweet to have someone have the same excitement as I did about spray painting. Guadalupe is such a creative and young bold soul. Through all of it, Guadalupe has taught me so much.

BIG ARTIST: Jess Moss  Hotline Ink

little artist: Daniela

Blackshear Elementary

Daniela loves all things cute and adorable. Helping her form her visions of teacup puppies and foxes into an art piece was a fun experience. We put in a lot of hard work and printed as many puppies and foxes as we could so she could share her love of the cute things that make her smile. She is very proud of her artwork and it makes me proud too.

BIG ARTIST: April Sullivan  Yarn Painting by April

little artist: Betzy

Blackshear Elementary

Betzy is a creative person who was ready to jump into a new medium, yarn. She treated each project with care and strived for perfection. Which gave her great results. I am proud of her.

BIG ARTIST: Brian David Johnson  BDJ Craftworks

little artist: Amado

Blackshear Elementary

Working with Amado has been one of the more powerful experiences I’ve had with LaBA. He is always focused and very eager to participate and really seems to enjoy the visits to my studio. Amado has a very kind and laid back demeanor and has been a real joy to teach and explore all the avenues of being an artist and designer who works with wood.

BIG ARTIST: Frankie Furman

little artist: Monserrat

Allison Elementary

Working with Monse has been different than what I’m used to. For years I have taught classes with younger children. I would lead a lesson and do a demonstration, but I have never worked alongside the kids. With Monse, it has been more familiar. We worked together like family members making decisions together. At first, Monse would follow my lead but then she started to get creative. This one-on-one has been rewarding for me and I think for Monse too.

BIG ARTIST: Heather Harris  | Heather Harris Art

little artist: Lorenzo

Allison Elementary

I have enjoyed seeing Lorenzo’s creativity and uniqueness while designing and working on his pieces. His pieces definitely relay these characteristics!!

BIG ARTIST: Heather Harris  Heather Harris Art

little artist: Maritza

Allison Elementary

Maritza has a great eye for color and composition and her pieces show this! Watching her work has been inspiring!

Allison Elementary

BIG ARTIST: Federico Archuleta

little artist: Victoria

My experience working with Victoria was great! The greatest challenge was not in her learning the techniques, but me explaining the ins and outs of cutting out a good stencil. At first, my idea was to make a simple two color stencil print, but then she saw a cast resin piece at my house, and asked if we could do something in that direction. Since the piece utilized stencils, it proved to be more challenging to produce, yielding better results!

Allison Elementary

BIG ARTIST: Angel Ortega | Garzig Design

little artist: Angie

Working with Angie has been amazing. I love her excitement when talking about colors and textures. She has a clear vision of what she wants to create and a unique way of making it happen.

Allison Elementary

BIG ARTIST: Justin Gannon | Gannon Studio

little artist: Anthony

Working with Anthony has been a fun experience. He’s been imaginative and showed a spark of excitement in the creative process. It was great building on ideas and collaborating with each other. I’m hoping to see anything else he makes in the future.

Govalle Elementary

BIG ARTIST: Patrick Diaz | Patrick Diaz

little artist: Carol

I enjoyed sharing my process and aesthetic with Carol, as well as discussing our past connections to Mexico and its customs. She was always bright and open to discussing artists and processes as well as having a laser focus on the details of everything around her.