Brownstones To Red Dirt »
Iv’e been lucky enough to be selected as one of 150 artists from around the world to take part in this great project organised by some of the staff at animation house ‘Blue Sky Studios’. Each artist has been sent a thin birch wood postcard to paint, inspired by the feature-length documentary about a pen pal program between a group of at-risk sixth graders living in Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn and orphans from the war living in Freetown, Sierra Leone.
This Postcard Art project is an extension of the their film “Brownstones To Red Dirt” which features children from both schools. An art auction of the original artwork is due to take place based around the same central theme of the film in a fundraising effort to build a school for the orphans in Freetown, Sierra Leone and create a library for the youth at their school in Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn.
The theme, “PEN PALS”, is drawn from the connection between the kids, who were thrust together when their schools signed up to participate in an international pen pal program. Though they knew nothing about each other when they started and have never met face to face, their simple, handwritten letters carry important lessons of compassion, perseverance and hope. To meet some of the children featured in the film, learn more about the schools and the film itself and see who and what have inspired us all, please visit: www.brownstonestoreddirt.com
(go to the heading “video” to see kid intros, featurettes and a teaser)
Here’s a photo of my piece, inspired by the charismatic ‘Malik’ and his distain for ‘Pokemon’!
4 1/4″ x 5 1/2″
Acrylic and pencil on birch wood.
Follow the postcard project here: http://btorpostcards.blogspot.com