The Clothes Make The Canvas At Wilson Branch Library Community Event

Hill neighbors came into the Wilson Branch Library to make art — and walked out ready to wear it.

The occasion was a community acrylic painting workshop held Tuesday afternoon, led by local artists Victor Smith and Richard T. Spears.

Smith led the group in painting shirts — aka ​“wearable art” — and gave step-by-step instructions on how to layer the paints by color to create faces. At the front of the room, a couple paintings of his own creation served as a reference for the class. 

Spears offered a tutorial on the white board on drawing faces. 

While smooth jazz played in the background, each participant added their own flair to their painting. 

Catherine Moore, 93, and Linda Shiffrin, 77, learned of the class from the bulletin board at their nearby assisted living home.

“I really enjoy arts and crafts at the library,” Moore said. ​“I’ve been doing art my whole life, but it’s hard to do faces. It was good to try.” 

Across the room, Shauniqua Davis and her 4‑year-old daughter Ivana Lewis were tackling the same project. As Lewis smeared paint across the canvas, Davis carefully looked up and down from the reference in an attempt to get it just right.

Liam Ferguson worked quietly and diligently in the corner. Usually ink drawings are his forte, he said; he was excited to try out paints as well. As Smith made the rounds, he complimented Ferguson’s bold use of color.

“It’s not so much what we draw but how we imagine things,” Spears said to the class. 

Smith and Spears said they lead these workshops to give back to the community. 

“I grew up on a farm in South Jamaica and we didn’t have much so we had to work with each other, sharing chicken, eggs, milk,” Smith said. ​“My father was a real community person, and I decided it was the best way to live my life. I didn’t move to the city until I was 30, but I still maintained my farm values.” 

Smith has won two national art awards in Jamaica. He has four paintings in Jamaica’s National Collection. He founded Kaleidos Art Group and was a resident artist for two years with New Haven’s International Festival of Arts and Ideas.

Spears is a self-taught artist and licensed therapist at Soul Therapy LLC, using art as a therapeutic tool.

The summer paint series happens once a month through August and is funded in part by the City of New Haven. The next event will be August 2 from 4:30 — 6 p.m. Click here for info on upcoming sessions.