Art that looks good enough to eat

ERIC SUCAR staff Clay and acrylic paint never looked so yummy. Patrons of Chocolate N Dreams in downtown Allentown had more to drool over than the shop's handmade chocolates on Nov. 20. Student-artists exhibited art that looked good enough to eat in the confectionery.

Students at the Spiral School in Cream Ridge design pie sculptures on Nov. 19 for the exhibit at Chocolate N Dreams in Allentown. ERIC SUCAR staff Spiral School students ages 5-15 learned about pop artist Claes Oldenburg, focusing particularly on his sculpture "Pie A La Mode." School owner and teacher Kim DeRisi, of Cream Ridge, then asked students to create their own pie sculptures out of clay.

"Oldenburg believed that art was for everybody and not just for certain people to see in a museum," DeRisi said.

When students at both school locations in Cream Ridge and East Brunswick completed their sculptures, DeRisi was so impressed that she felt they had to be exhibited.

"When it turned out that most of the students decided to create chocolate pie sculptures, I immediately thought of Chocolate N Dreams to showcase the artwork," she said.

Kylie Byrne, 6, of Upper Freehold, paints a pie sculpture at the Spiral School in Cream Ridge on Nov. 19. The work was exhibited at Chocolate N Dreams in Allentown Nov. 20. Shop owner Debra Hammond-Ocasio welcomed the display for the chocolate lounge, a gathering place for enjoying chocolate fondues and one of-a-kind specialty desserts.

Three students from Cream Ridge students exhibited their work in the show. Kylie Byrne, 6, served up "Fruit Healthy Pie," a fudge brownie-like concoction slathered with chocolate and fruit. Autumn inspired Kaylie Repko, 5, to make a decadent "Pumpkin Pie" with giant helpings of ice cream, fruit, and strawberry whipped cream on top.

McKenzie VanHandel, 9, made "Pumpkin Deluxe," a pumpkin pie topped with whipped cream that she hoped looked real enough to trick her brother into wanting to taste some.

"When students are passionate about the subject matter it shows in their work," DeRisi said.

DeRisi, who has a bachelor's degree in art education from Penn State University and a master's degree in art education from New York University opened the first Spiral School in East Brunswick in 2002. She opened the Cream Ridge location in her home in September.

"I love teaching art," she said. "I was an art teacher in a public school in Plainfield and I did this in addition to teaching. When my daughter Sofia was born, I could still teach and stay at home with her. "S

tudent-artists at the Spiral School practice various mediums such as painting, drawing, sculpture and printmaking while learning about art history and building their art vocabulary. DeRisi's main objective in teaching young students is to promote a lifelong love and respect for art. She also teaches students how art relates to other subjects, such as math and English.

"Art is so much more than drawing something to look like something," DeRisi said. "I tell students that art relates to everything that they do in life. Art is a good way to express how they feel."

Other projects students have completed recently include pastel landscapes, painted self-portraits, and papier-mâché sculptures of animals.

"The children benefit from being in a class with other student-artists who have similar interests," DeRisi said.

DeRisi said peer responses are just as important to an artist as a teacher's feedback, so she encourages students to critique each other's work.

The Spiral School offers "Mommy and Me" classes for 2-3 year olds and evening classes for 5-15 year olds. Classes meet once each week and are provided in 4- week or 12-week sessions.