Passerelles Numériques

At Passerelles numériques' school in Cambodia, Wednesdays afternoons are dedicated to leisure time. Some of students go to the Olympic stadium to play soccer or volleyball. Others prefer to do aerobics on the school's terrace, following the rhythm of upbeat music. There is also a small group of students who prefer the arts to sport and who have decided to take some drawing and painting classes. Their teacher, Beatrice, has a very long and interesting experience as a painter. Every Wednesday she donates some of her spare time to the students who have a special talent for drawing and a passion for art and helps them to develop their creative abilities. "I started painting when I was very young...it is a passion which is really difficult to put in words...it is something natural that has always been part of me. When I started painting, I didn't imagine that this would have become a real job for me. After attending a fine arts school in France, I joined the Les Peintres de la Marine association; I started copying at Louvre Museum in Paris and at the Augustins Museum in Toulouse. I discovered that people loved my work and I ended up selling my paintings. However, I always keep my favorite works for my children. I remember that during the long hours spent at the Louvre, often I met many students interested in the work of the artists like me, more than in the museum masterpieces. I was always happy to interrupt my work to talk with them." Beatrice offers her services to Passerelles numériques on a voluntary basis. Here she explains why: "The love for art is a gift and a privilege. In this field you cannot be paid for sharing your knowledge, the only thing that counts is helping these youths to follow their natural inclination. It is important to me to let them understand that painting is a unique space where everybody is free to express and assert their own personality. I am happy because after a few weeks, I can see the differences: students are braver in their approach to the work. Some of them have a real natural talent, they succeeded in painting very difficult subjects. Last week, for example, I asked them to reproduce a drape with lights and shadows. It is quite complicated for some beginners and still the outcome was extraordinary! In general, they are very attracted by this kind of contrast. I tried to introduce the use of colors, but for the moment they seem to prefer the black and white effect". Beatrice comes back to her students; today they are studying perspective in the back yard of the school. She leaves us with a promise: to organize an exhibition of the best works at the end of the year.