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International Artist Rogest (Ron Steven) had a double invite and boy what an invite. Fiji, Kids Sea Camp and a bit of Diving at this PADI Five Star Gold Palm resort. Kids Sea Camp one of the main sponsors www.kidsseacamp.com and Castaway Island , Fiji requested Ron to be the guest artist at this renowned private island. His mission is to have fun and paint. However, there is an alternative motive in the mind of Rogest. He wants to educate and inspire not only the visiting children and parents but also the local kids in the village of Solevu on the island of Malolo who are the traditional landowners of Castaway Island. The seven day Kids Sea Camp event is an on going opportunity for divers to dive, mingle and meet and simply relax. Each day the visiting kids get to paint and the adults on vacation will be bullied, badgered, teased and coached into making their contribution onto an ongoing underwater abstract creation. Their paint brief is simple; think of a colour, texture or shape from your last dive, now put it onto a canvas.
Rogest will also host a Poetry Challenge. Each member of the group will be given a Rogest art card and tasked with the job to fill it with a simple poem about the Fiji waters and the beautiful diving. On completion, the contenders/victims will be lined up for everyone to enjoy the poems as they read them out. The winners will be identified by the loudest cheers!.
Part of the Rogest's contribution is also being able to take the time to put on a kid's gallery program sponsored by Castaway Island, Fiji with local kids. This will comprise two half day workshops where the kids each complete a 16 x 20 canvas untouched by adults. For inspiration, the local kids will go snorkelling, view some of Rogest's art work and also get to devour ice cream. The completed work to be named by the children will be sold to guests with all funds going to the Mamanuca Environment Society, a non for profit society whose mission is to protect the local environment through education of both commercial and community stakeholders by encouraging the adoption of best practice techniques in relation to the fragile marine environment. The workshop will provide an environment focussing on lifelong learning, relationships, respect for the environment, oneself and others whilst promoting the visual arts.
Artist Ron Steven, better known as Rogest, is a leading painter of aquatic related images. He has been influenced by the Australian style of dot painting and utilizes seawater (salt) and sand from the dive sites for texture, making his paintings truly a part of the dive. More information on the artist can be found at www.kidsseacamp.com and www.rogest.com and www.castawayfiji.com
