communityspotlight
Freeing the
Imagination
Spramani E’Laun, Founder of Nature of Art
by linda sechrist
In What We Ache For,
with her homeschooling experience.
author Oriah Mountain
As her small, homegrown business of
kids’ art classes flourished in the living
Dreamer describes
room, E’Laun delighted in observing
creative work as that
self-directed children draw and paint
imaginative works of art. “After teach-
which has unpredictable
ing and observing for six years, I began
results, effects and
to see that I had developed a natural
way of teaching children,” she says,
surprises; teaches us
“but I never dreamed how it would tie
things we did not know
into my present life.”
In 2008, divorce changed E’Laun’s
before we began;
world. In need of less stress and more
changes us; and helps us
natural beauty, she moved from River-
side County to Encinitas, to be near the
unfold. This description
beach. Then, on an afternoon stroll, she
could easily be applied
discovered the Seaside Street Bazaar.
The plethora of vendors selling trinkets
to the creative life
and crafts not only sparked E’Laun’s
of Spramani E’Laun,
interest, but also the idea for her Nature
of Art business. “I thought, ‘Wow, I can
founder of Nature of Art.
have my children with me at a booth,
while I teach art to tourists and allow
An experienced art instructor, E’Laun children, as well as the art classes she
children to paint and draw on paper
draws from her deep creative well developed, proved to be an experien-
and rocks,’” she recalls.
to teach children about following tial home laboratory for an unfolding
As E’Laun’s life continued to
the uniqueness of their own creative organic process that enveloped E’Laun.
unfurl, other ideas emerged. She
process. Emphasizing exploration over Following her own nose, she stepped
dipped into her knowledge and experi-
results, she encourages children to nur- into new adventures in the uncharted
ence with natural product packaging
ture their self-expression and to, “follow world of natural art. “I never realized
and mixed it with an idea that led to
their nose,” and sense of adventure, that my business experience, children,
recycled packaging for non-toxic art
something at which E’Laun is expert. art background and passion for organic
supplies. A bucket of crayon nubs that
More than 20 years as a graphic products and food would lead me to
she didn’t have the heart to throw in
designer, art director and specialized where I am now,” she enthuses.
the trash made their way into a warm
four-color print broker in the industries When E’Laun became a mother,
pot and turned into her own line of
of commercial art and packaging gave she gave up working in the business
handmade crayon “Colour Blocks” in
E’Laun an outlet for her talents and world and began freelancing from
planet Earth colors, which she pours
skills. However, motherhood, which home. Commercial work wasn’t fulfill-
into molds she makes. A line of non-
brought a newfound passion for explor- ing enough, so she brushed up on her
toxic paints for children, soon to be
ing natural foods and products for her fine arts education and combined it
distributed nationally and available at
16
San Diego Edition
www.na-sd.com
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