WALKER — A group of arts and crafts enthusiasts will have 6-foot high “bunny rabbits” to grace their front porches thanks to a class recently offered at the Livingston Literacy and Technology Center.
The class was the latest leisure learning experience offered at the center.
Esther Landry, a retired educator who taught in Live Oak schools for 20 years, led the session devoted to painting rabbits on a pair of 6-foot cedar fence boards. Landry offered a step-by-step process for producing the “porch art” creations that will be part of home decorations for the season’s principal holiday, Easter.
Landry opened the session by presenting each class participant with the boards on which the rabbit was to emerge. She said her husband cuts two boards at the same time and then joins the boards together with small boards on the back of the rabbits. The cutting process, done with a jig saw, results in two identical halves that produce the “bunny” image.
The painting process started with outlining the statue with a black border. Landry supplied each aspiring artist with a kit that included paintbrushes; black, white and pink paint; black pipe stem cleaners to form the whiskers on the rabbit; and tiny wooden hearts that would become the rabbit’s nose.
Discussing the value of arts and crafts, Landry said she came to appreciate the visual arts during her teaching career.
“When I was teaching social studies to a sixth grade class, I learned that by creating visual illustrations I could get some points across with my students. When I first started teaching, we had time to lead the students in creating visual items that enhanced the lessons. However, as time went on, we had to spend so much time on testing that we lost some of that,” she said.
Landry, the mother of three, said she and her husband, residents of the Watson area, enjoy different artistic endeavors such as refinishing antique furniture.
Those attending the session were unanimous in stating that they enjoy arts and crafts and several said that they had attended earlier craft classes at the Literacy and Technology Center such as the popular cookie-decorating classes.
Yolanda Buuck, busily painting on her future rabbit, said of her interest in creativity, “I love arts and crafts, cookie decorating, sewing, chalk painting, crocheting and quilting. I see myself as a jack-of-all-trades and I can do just about any project I undertake. Arts and crafts are my escape … they give me something constructive to accomplish.”
Holland Hardison, a student in communication sciences and disorders at Southeastern Louisiana University who looks forward to graduation in May, said she enjoys arts and crafts when her schedule permits.
She was most meticulous in carefully painting her rabbit and said that she is a “perfectionist.”
“I always want to get my projects just right,” she laughed.
Landry had on display at 6-foot tall crawfish she had painted for her daughter’s upcoming wedding. She explained that he daughter is planning a Cajun-themed wedding and the crawfish statues will be part of the decorations. Following her retirement, she decided to pursue selling her tall porch art creations.
“It’s a lot of fun, and I am making a few bucks,” she explained.
She said she plans to make appropriate porch statues for upcoming holidays such as the Fourth of July and Thanksgiving. She added that she anticipates selling her porch art at area arts and crafts fairs and farmers markets in the future.
Gloss