[David Draime]

Every year in the spring I do this collaborative piece with all my Art 1 students. This year's image is John William Godward's (1861 - 1922) "Under the Blossom that Hangs on the Bough."

Every year it's the same: I take a poster of the artwork, cut it into (in this case) 156 pieces, laminate them, shuffle them like a deck of cards and pass them out to all of my Art 1 students - five period's worth. None of the students are shown the original poster, nor are they told what the final image will be. The task of each student is to reproduce - as accurately as possible - their particular image on a piece of paper nine times larger, using colored pencils. Only when the individual pieces are completed is the final result visible.

Compared to previous years, I think this is the best one yet. I pushed them harder than I ever have. And instead of the usual two and a half weeks for this project, this one took four. I also have quite a few very gifted students this year.

I just found out we won a top prize at a local art show for this piece. The kids deserve it. They are very proud of what they have accomplished.