Knitting Party

Bring beads, sparkly & fluffy soft yarns of different bright Christmas colors, tissue paper, thick knitting needles, ribbons, tags, blank cards, and glittery pens for writing Holiday greetings.

Stop by for tea and cookies, one afternoon, after school and knit a gift for the holidays like a nice fluffy scarf.

Bring extra sparkles and pom pom for fun decorations.

Once upon a vegetable patch

One sunny day in August, when no clouds were found in the sky, a family of five mice moved into my vegetable patch. I often left pop corn and cereal crumbs outside my window for the birds; giving the mice plenty to eat.

At first, the two larger mice showed up and took little crumbs one by one. Occasionally, I saw them running fast across the yard with their dinner bits in hand.

Several days passed. My vegetable patch began to grow and the tomatoes ripened under the sun. One bright afternoon, I happily stepped outside to pick a basket of tomatoes for a tossed summer salad.

Uh oh!!!

The tomatoes were eaten off the vines by tiny sharp teeth. I knew instantly who to blame. Our uninvited family of five; the parents and their three little kids!

In the meantime, the family feasted happily on the juiciest tomatoes there ever was. The papa mouse told his kids, he had never tasted anything that good in his entire life. He was right. The little mice were thrilled to sink their teeth into the red plump flesh of something that sweet. Those round delicate fruits were undoubtedly marvelous.

Shortly after the raid on my tomatoes, I set up a mouse trap with sweet mini cookies in it. I placed the trap next to the vegetable patch and walked away. That night, I caught one large mouse. I gently carried him away to a nearby field and let him go. The next evening, another big mouse stepped inside the trap. I managed to take her to the same spot in the field as well.

Several days later, the three little mice were caught. They were admittedly adorable. After I let them go, I sighed with a sense of well being, since none of them was hurt and my harvest was safe at last.

Many days passed and my vegetables ended up ripening under the rays of sun. What a joyful sight and how I loved picking my own home grown food by hand.

Out in the field, the party of five found each other, sighed with relief that no one was hurt, they excitedly set out to find a new home for themselves.

While my family enjoyed many tomato tarts and tossed salads for the rest of summer, the papa mouse's family was as free as can be.

The End

The art of teaching

Kids and adults learn drawing, painting with various wet & dry media, sculpting, and collage making in the same classes and at the same time.

This year, 2010-2011, at Millbrook Elementary School in Evergreen District, City of San Jose, California, I have started a "Kids Do Art" program on Wednesdays from 2:20 to 3:30 pm @room # 22, where I set up a fun workshop after school, for learning the principles, history, techniques, and practice of visual arts. Despite the recent budget cuts on California public schools, I find art to hold too much importance to be ignored thus I encourage all kids, parents, teachers, principles, PTA, and caregivers to join me on this rewarding effort.

Art is the most practical tool for exploring inner abilities, enhancing hand-eye coordination, improving concentration, nurturing creativity, and improving human connections. These are amongst the most important skills that any human of any age can use to excel in academics and in life. Children benefit from art in many areas including reading, writing, math, and science; concentration, planning, patience, dexterity, and imagination are required skills in many academic fields. The therapeutic effects of fine arts are clinically proven to help individuals with terminal illness, depression, anxiety, and other physical or mental disorders.

Through this exciting program, we learn the simple techniques of drawing, design concepts, color wheel, hands-on painting with pastels, ink, acrylics, and water colors, sculpting with clay, and collage making by using nature objects, paper cut outs, and magazine scraps. The tuition covers the cost of supplies and all artworks by children will be returned to them in a portfolio at the end of each 12-session period.

I encourage students to take their artistic activities seriously and to spend a good amount of time, studying the works of masters, visiting museums and local galleries, set up studio space at home where they can do art occasionally, and to consider a career in arts and design for their future.

At the end of the school year, on our last session, we host a beautiful exhibit to showcase the children's artworks and all parents and caregivers are welcome to join us. Flowers, snacks, and drinks are welcome. During the show, we ask all attendees to sign names or finger paint on our large mural sized memory poster which will be hung in Millbrook Cafeteria during the last weeks of school.

Finally, I would like to expand this program to other school campuses within our San Jose districts and other cities in the South Bay area. For inquiries, questions, and to sign up, contact Raha Lane at rahalanefineart@yahoo.com, sign up sheets will be emailed or mailed upon request.

Artful thanks to all the marvelous kids, teachers, the principle, and PTA at Millbrook Elementary School who have encouraged me with their support and inspired my work with their insightful suggestions. Artistic creativity and knowledge go hand in hand to build a bright and beautiful future!

Raha Lane Gallery

May Day

The anniversary of a real and tragic struggle for change is coming in June. Wear green wristbands and show support for the universal rights of all humans in this world.

Rain

It's going to rain, and rain, and rain some more. How romance-like are the droplets of gentle rain on windows. If you're ever lucky to stand under the rainbow, you'll be sad at how rapidly it disappears. So does the hope for all of us humans on earth. It disappears if we lose our chance. One chance to true freedom, unrestricted, lawfully protected freedom.

I can only see bright green balloons flying across. This is just the beginning. The slow process of revolutionizing minds and thoughts in reaching out to liberty.

If you are a dove unwilling to fly, it won't matter where you are, in a cage or in the sky!

The rainy project this season is to resist, using all artistic and creative tools at hand, together, one at a time. Just like the drops of rain. Because in the end, there'll be nothing but the sweet scent of white daisies. Perhaps we can speak to one another and be more patient.

White Daisies

Lilacs withered, blossoms gave their place to the bright green fruit, and Mrs. Sun played hide and seek with the rain clouds. An occasional rainbow graced the horizon. White daisies were planted in all empty pots and cozy summer chairs were dusted off and placed outside. It was time to celebrate the rapid arrival of summer months!

Not very many weeks were left to the joyful days of swimming, sun bathing, picnicking, hearing the favorite sound of ice cream trolley.

Once again, children were passing their school year all too quickly. How time flew!

Lilacs in full bloom

Part of Sara's early spring days were spent cleaning the house, planting new trees outside in the front garden, and picking flowers in the back fields. There was not a single joy in her heart bigger than the joy of making fresh arrangements of lilacs. She confessed one day that in the best chapter of her memory book, early April when lilacs were in full bloom, held a special place. She felt heavenly refreshed walking to a huge lilac tree after rain and picking a few stems. In her childish way of taking huge satisfaction in small things, she felt that filling her basket in with huge clusters of heavily scented flowers along with Easter eggs on Sunday was the best. Arranging the flowers in aunt Cecilia's large white antique vases gave her a sense of being grown up. After all, aunt Cecilia would never keep the antique vases around all year unless Sara showed her how beautiful her flower arrangements looked in them.

A group of people walking by her house stopped one day and complimented Sara's hard work in the garden. They were gypsies who were passing by. One of them played the flute for her. Sara handed them warm bread right out of the oven.

The gypsies seemed to be good dancers. Sara watched them dance and finally felt sleepy. After a long day of pulling weeds and admiring singing birds on blossoming apple trees, it was time to take a nap. On their way back on road, the gypsies waved farewell.