Many artists dream of sharing their work, hoping it sparks an emotion in an audience. The smallest piece of art can make you feel angry, sad, calm, etc.. An artist’s work is often a reflection of themselves and how they view the world.

Putting their art out there can be a scary but beneficial moment for an artist. It connects them with people who can relate with their art and make them feel seen. It can just also be rewarding seeing something you’ve worked on doing well. For Kenwood art students, this was made possible by a student made coloring book “Bloom for the Bluebird” that was recently released for sale during the holidays.

Before winter break, the Kenwood art program released a coloring book full of student artwork. This was primarily organized by the fundamentals, intermediate, and AP studio art teacher Ms. Gavin. Originally, the book was a final project for one of her art classes, last spring . She shares,  “I wanted to choose something that felt relevant to the real world, to help with their motivation.”

Around that time, her students were focusing on making artwork from observation. What says spring better than flowers? Using thick and thin lines, they were to create an art piece themed around flowers. When they were done, their art was copied and printed. They were then free to color the original copy using the medium of their choices. The class voted on which artworks to include in the final copy (as well as the cover) and the name of the KHS coloring book became Bloom for the Bluebird.

Kenwood’s own graphics department printed copies to sell and the book was a schoolwide success with the support of the Kenwood community. They were sold at $3 dollars a piece in the art room and were accessible to everyone. Many students stopped by to get a copy, as did some staff did as well. Principal Powell bought the first copy.

Though this book was a limited edition and there will be no more copies made, Ms. Gavin hopes to create another coloring book it again next year.