animal art thru gecko eyes


the girls warming up with refreshments at the funky munky before the show	Tou explains the meaning behind her painting	Peda's family pride

Any prouder we think Saron would have burst	Srey Neang's artwork and personality drawing a crowd	the night was a great success, Chan Nots eyes say it all

This week the artistic endeavours of the green gecko kids has been the talk of Siem Reap town. Twenty six of the eldest geckos exhibited their first artwork in Siem Reap's most prestigious art gallery. To think that only 25 months ago, the same kids, on the same street use to deter tourists with their incessant begging - are now attracting them with their colourful creations. The week long show is called 'animal art thru gecko eyes' and will end this weekend. All paintings are up for sale thru a silent auction and all the proceeds go directly back to the kids to spend on any creative projects they choose. Monday night's opening party was something incredibly special; the children were overwhelmed with excitement and bursting with pride, all dressed up and eager to present their masterpieces. Never had we seen their eyes so bright or smiles so wide, never had they felt such self worth. The Cambodian Daily wrote an article which I have attached for your reading and here are a few of the pics of the night to hopefully share with you a little of the evenings electricity.

:: THE ARTISTS, THEIR STORIES AND THEIR ART

		srey neang, 15 secret of humans and their parental gratitude This is my first time painting. When I first drew it, I always thought it was not pretty, and it was difficult. When uncle Sovan told me that nobody is born able to draw unless one keeps trying and doing it, then one will feel confident and able to draw beautifully. Since then, I feel I can draw and paint a beautiful picture. I am very happy to have a chance to paint this picture which is to be put in an exhibition. Thanks to Tania and Rem who give us a chance to paint. They are ones we're grateful for. They make us feel that when we grow up we want to help others to get out of hunger and to have bright lives like us.
		bon ton 3 handsome orange flying cat My name is Bonton. I am 13 years old. I first chose this picture because I thought it was easy to draw but the more I painted, the more I liked it, especially the flying cat. He is orange and I made orange by mixing yellow and red. The flying cat is sitting on a tree branch looking after me. There are 2 people (one is in the shadow) looking at two hands holding a guessing marble (crystal ball). The yellow is light coming from the flying cat's house.
		peda 17 a pretty and meaningful animal bone I am Peda. I like this picture because it shows a pretty animal bone. The message is to encourage people to take care of animals so that they do not become extinct. They want to survive like we do. Sometimes they are important to us and to themselves too. I would just like to say one phrase which says when animals and plants exit, we human have everything, and another one goes that without animals and plants, it is meaningless for us.
		tou 13 achievement of khmer ancestors Hello I am Tou. At first I found it hard to express my feeling through this writing. But once I started, I feel I can do it. I feel happy to draw picture. I paid much attention to my drawing and when I finished it I feel I am wonderful.
		boram, 13 goat's spirit I am Boram. When I draw this picture, I was very excited; it looks like it can become my profession and I can show my talent. When I finished the painting, I am not sure about it because I am a kid and I have never done this before. I am happy to do more paintings and see what happens in the future.
		chhai, 12 fishing life My name is Chhai. I draw two white birds looking for fish to eat in the water. It has a jungle and green grass. I like it because it is pretty. I like white and pink flowers. I am nervous when I draw because it is my first time and I am afraid I make it wrong.
		davy, 17 beautiful landscape in cambodia My name is Davy. I love this painting because it is an important painting for me. It is my own achievement. Do you love my painting? Do you like my painting? Do you feel excited? For me I am very excited because it is my own achievement and I like to draw. It make me feel like wanting to draw. Thank you for listening to my words. Have you listened to the painting? Thank you very much.
		heng, 15 sea bed of heart Hello I am Heng. I like my picture because it is of under the sea. I like the fish and the seaweed. This is also my first painting. I want to paint many more times.
		kom suan, 13 life cycle My name is Kom Suan I am 13 years. This is my first painting and it is of a skull. It is not so pretty but I enjoyed painting it. I chose this picture because I thought it looked strange and I thought it would be difficult to draw. I was correct, it was very difficult to draw.
		kory, 14 a mother and a son eating breakfast My name is Kory. This is a picture of a mother cow and a child cow eating grass in the morning. They are eating happily. When I drew the picture, at first I found it hard because I couldn't draw cows well. When I finished, I feel happy. It reminded me of eating breakfast with my mother.
		(more artists to be added soon!)