hsiaochingchou

Artist Gina Tolentino looks through Meilee's portfolio and offers comments. — Artist Gina Tolentino looks through Meilee’s portfolio and offers comments.

Meilee loves to draw. I had looked into a summer art camp, but the cost and transportation were issues. It occurred to me that I know a few artists and it would make sense to introduce Meilee to them, let her ask questions, and see their art. At work, I learned that meeting a scientist has a positive impact on whether a child considers becoming a scientist. I don’t see why that wouldn’t apply to any type of professional. So I decided to DIY some art “classes” for Meilee.

I first met Gina Tolentino in 2003 when she started dating Jerry Corso, a friend who was a chef at one of my favorite restaurants at the time. I remember how Jerry described Gina when he mentioned that he was going out with her: “She’s gorgeous.” (They’re now married.) I think Gina’s art is gorgeous: richly colored fantasy worlds. I arranged for a visit to Gina’s studio at the Georgetown Arts & Cultural Center.

Meilee delighted in the art that surrounded her, especially the painting of a snail that’s the subject of a children’s book that Gina is illustrating “A Whale Who Dreamt of a Snail.” Gina was kind to look through some of Meilee’s drawings and offer some encouraging words.

I prompted Meilee to ask questions. “I have trouble drawing in the lines,” she said. Gina responded that it indeed is hard to draw within the lines, but that it takes practice to improve. One trick, she added, is to draw a second line to help broaden the border. Then she showed Meilee an example of how it’s also possible to cover up a “mistake.”

Gina also showed us one of her larger works, a three-panel underwater scene that includes jellyfish with faces and a shimmering mermaid.

Another great piece of advice that Gina shared was that it’s helpful for an artist to keep a notebook of inspirations. Gina has a binder of magazine clippings. She showed Meilee a picture of a shiny couture dress and explained that when she sees a dress like this she asks herself how she would approach painting the shimmer of the fabric.

At the end of our visit, Gina invited Meilee to return so that they can draw together. What a great opportunity!

See Gina’s work at this site: http://ginatolentino.com/.

Crabbing1 — Our friend Schelleen Rathkopf shows Meilee how to throw a crab pot into the bay.

It’s important for kids to know how food gets to the table, so they don’t think that everything simply comes from the grocery store neatly packed in plastic. We regularly visit the farmers markets and we have herbs and lettuces growing in our yard so they get a sense of connection to farmers and produce. Some day, I’ll teach them about meat butchery – since we choose to eat meat, I believe we should understand the process and ramifications of doing so. But we need to work our way up to that. For now, seeing how a crab is caught has less potential to overwhelm.

Meilee and Shen mug for the camera with their friend Grace.

Of course, learning doesn’t preclude fun. Our friend Schelleen Rathkopf, a high school classmate of my husband, let us tag along with her and her kids, Grace and Arden, to set a couple of crab pots. It was a chilly evening and the water was choppy, so we got the full Seattle effect. We boarded their motor boat and Schelleen zoomed off to her family’s favorite crabbing spot.

Arden watches as his father, Charley, sails in a regatta. (Charley is the one on the left in the background.)

After dropping the crab pots, we went to watch Schelleen’s husband, Charley, compete in a regatta. It was great for our kids to be around Grace and Arden, who have grown up around sailing and who showed such confidence and facility moving around on the boat. I want my kids to learn to be comfortable on and in the water since we do live in the Puget Sound area.

We did catch some Dungeness, but they were all too small to keep. You can keep only the males and they have to have a width of at least 6.25 inches.

crabbing4 — You can keep only the male crab that are at least 6.25 inches across the widest part of the carapace or shell. Schelleen shows the underside of a female crab, which has a wide abdomen. Males have a narrow abdomen.

In the end, we didn’t have any keepers. But that’s ok. The more important takeaway from the experience was to see the crabbing process, learn a little bit about boating and, of course, have some fun.

Crabbing5 — We got a little windblown, speeding across the bay.

SmartUp Kids

Creativity | STEM | Entrepreneurship

Author: hsiaochingchou

Meet an Artist: Meilee Visits Gina Tolentino’s Studio

Going to the Source: Crabbing on Shilshole Bay