A FLOWING THROUGH

A teacher shares the experience of his vibrant elementary school art class in a debut textbook with elements of memoir.

This engaging exploration of an Australian children’s art course incorporates the work of Esling’s young students as well as creative exercises that nascent artists will find valuable. Along the way, the author draws on years of experience teaching painting to elementary school students in Tasmania. It’s mostly a teachers’ manual, with Esling offering his thoughts on essential art materials and how to organize a classroom before launching into a series of art activities. Chapters include “Fun With Abstracts,” “Painting Trees,” and “Exploring Watercolours,” with each exercise presented step by step; full-color photos by the author add to the instruction. The seasoned teacher also offers some hard-earned wisdom: “We miss the point of the journey if we cast judgment only upon the finished product,” he writes at one point. “Just think for a moment of [the children’s] personal qualities that have developed because of this creative exploration.” The book is more than 300 pages long, but many, if not most, of them appealingly feature images of the students in action and charming photos of their finished products. Extras include a chapter that details a teacher’s typical day at Esling’s institution, Risdon Vale, from arrival at 8:15 a.m. to departure at 3 p.m., and helpful suggestions on where to display artwork within a school. Thanks to the author’s winning way of conveying his love of teaching, this book works on multiple levels. Artists will enjoy the exercises, and teachers will easily be able to develop a semester’s curriculum based on the thorough, almost diarylike, classroom accounts. The book will even be enjoyed by those who have no interest in teaching or in how to be an artist; it’s simply a compelling read that’s a delightful combination of Dead Poets Society and Making Art 101.

Esling’s appealing style makes for an exceptional instruction manual.