People who love rustic art celebrated Grandma Moses birthday last week. Had she lived, she would be well over a hundred years in age. Matter of fact she did live to be over a hundred.
Grandma Moses started painting when she was a very old lady and her paintings caught on for art lovers all over the world. At least one of her paintings is hanging in the White House.
Like many of us, Grandma Moses did not learn much about her talents for many many years. Another person shared much the same story. He started painting when he was fifty, turning out very good oil paintings.
Not so in the art classes of Jessie Jaramillo who teaches art at the Big Sandy high school.
Jaramillo has art classes from the 8th grade through the 12th grade and what she is doing in her art classes is teaching the different techniques of art or as she calls them, two dimensional and three dimensional. A painting on the wall is a very good example of two dimensional art whereas an Ace Powell sculpture of a grizzly bear is a very good example of three dimensional art.
In this way, all of Jaramillo's students will learn firsthand all about art and if they are talented they will probably start their careers early, rather than late like the 50 year old or Grandma Moses.
Jessie Jaramillo is from Helena and went to Montana State University where she majored in art. She did her student teaching in Clancy and when she saw an add for an art teacher needed in Big Sandy, she applied and here she is literally immersed in all kinds of art using all kinds of mediums and all the creativity that young budding artists can come up with.
There will be challenges to teaching art. There always are.
"My biggest challenge will be to find projects that will suit everyone in my classes, said Jaramillo.
Jaramillo asks that community members who are into art to share that art with her students. That way maybe a new artist can be born, not just by Jaramillo's talents but with the talents of local artists.
Jaramillo said that Big Sandy suits her just fine and for a small town the community is wonderful
"Everyone has been so kind and interested. It is a blessing," added Jaramillo.
The bottom line is that there is lots to do when teaching art in Big Sandy, Montana. It should be a very rewarding year.
