Camp Blue Sky Preston

Camp Blue Sky staff member Sherri Osborn helps Preston Carr, 14, smooth the wet surface of a papier mâché head that Carr will transform into the head of a tiger.

Camp Blue Sky Joey

During a class on decorating plates, Joey Weller, 12, dismisses using bright colors and other large picturesque symbols and instead concentrates on a small repetitive pattern to adorn his plate. He said he will decorate the center with a Chinese design.

Camp Blue Sky Zach

Zach Allison, 12, takes his inspiration for a puppet from the animated movie "9" to create the head of one of the characters.

Camp Blue Sky Emilee

Camp Blue Sky student counselor Ragin Dillon, left, helps Emilee Simon, 9, diagram a memory diamond. The students had three minutes to complete the exercise.  In the background is Chloe Buckley.

Camp Blue Sky Chelsea

This year’s Camp Blue Sky at State Fair Community College challenged the creative side of young campers with an exploration into the literary, visual and performance arts from Asia. Chelsea Smith forms the head of what she says will be a Japanese sumo wrestler during a puppetry class taught by Jeremy Fry, a reading teacher at the Sedalia Middle School. The students use an inflated balloon as a starting point to fashion a head. Later the kids will paint the heads and add papier mâché hands and a fabric costume to a wire armature to complete the project.

Camp Blue Sky

Joe Webster, 12, practices different brush techniques Tuesday during a Chinese brush painting art class taught by Valda Hsu of Kansas City, background, on the second day of the Camp Blue Sky art camp at State Fair Community College. The theme for this year's camp is Asian art.

Camp Blue Sky

Valda Hsu shows Madeline Kaiser, 12, how to improve a brush stroke.

Camp Blue Sky

Chinese brush art instructor, Valda Hsu, shows students the proper way to hold a brush. "Remember, you are the master of the brush, don't let the brush master you," she said.

Camp Blue Sky

Valda Hsu shows the students how to introduce a "guest", in this case a dragonfly, into the composition with a few brushstrokes.

Camp Blue Sky

Joe Webster copies a Chinese character below his name, showing that he is the artist of the piece.

Camp Blue Sky Vicki Grove

Pettis County children’s author Vicki Grove shows kids one of her methods for brainstorming for past experiences, which could be described through feelings, hearing, seeing, smelling or tasting. She starts by creating a diagram on paper, which she calls the “memory diamond.” The children will use this material to create a haiku, a Japanese poem of 17 syllables, Grove said.

Community snapshot: Camp Blue Sky counselors

Camp Blue Sky salutes the 38 teen counselors who guided 230 campers thru July 30-Aug 3.

Camp Blue Sky Counselors, are front row: Kori Masterson, Morgan Bogue, Gabbi Ebers, Kim Chmelier, Kaylynn Halderman, Kaylie Creach, Maggie Beard.

2nd Row: Jordan Dove, Tiffany Vandevelde, Ragin Dillon, Rena Heimsoth, Madison Beard, Amber Rhoads,Stacey Billings 3rd Row: Aaron Church, Keaton Denny, Jenne Gerke, Erin Lesmeister, Sydnie Guthrie, Lyndzie Brace, Erin O’Conner, Miranda Meyer.

Back Row: Elisha Miller, Michael Hohne, Jon Starke, Reid Swearingen, Gabbi Mallard, Mary Fischer, Claudia Cox.

Not Shown: Ali Burkholder, Savannah Dieckman, Jordan Hamby, Cameron Harris, Linnea Heimsoth, Honor Kehde, and Michaela Pamajzl.

Camp Blue Sky students create a variety of art

This year’s Camp Blue Sky at State Fair Community College challenged the creative side of young campers with an exploration into the literary, visual and performance arts from Asia.

Leonardo da Vinci serves as inspiration at art camp as kids reach for the Sky

Madison Plummer, 6, diligently works on a painting Thursday morning of a tree using tissue paper, oil pastels and acrylic paint in a drawing and painting class taught by Lori Larimore at Camp Blue Sky.