TOWNSEND — It’s a Picasso week at Townsend schools.

Tuesday morning, Kallie Audet’s middle school and high school students were quietly intent, painting luminous self-portraits.

“Every year we have a theme,” Audet said of the art camp she teaches, now in its fourth year. This year it’s “Discover the Artist in You.”

“We also try to do some art history. This year we incorporated Pablo Picasso,” she said.

The Fine Art Camp is just one of eight summer program offerings by the 21st Century Community Learning Center, which also runs Townsend Schools’ after-school program.

Art Camp culminates Thursday with a student art gallery in the Broadwater High School lobby from 7 to 8:30 p.m.

Until then, the artists are hard at work.

Alaine Field, 16, is painting herself half bold blue and half glowing yellow, with flying hair against a black background.

“I love the primary colors — night and day, bright and dark,” she said.

“I’ve always loved to draw and sketch,” said Field, now in her third year with the program. “It’s just really nice to get some acrylic paint and some canvas time.”

Nearby, Kylie Hall, 12, saw herself in reds and roses surrounded in a vine-like pattern.

“My painting is about a girl who doesn’t fit into anything else, so she fits into her family,” she said.

Morgan Cain, 12, painted her face as green and blue with a cloud over part of it and then rainbows of colors emanating.

“I love the colors blue and green,” Cain said. “It shows the colors of water and earth.”

“I love Picasso,” she added. “The awesome part of it is just because you’re drawing something doesn’t mean it has to look like that.

“I love that just because you draw it anyone can’t say it doesn’t look right. It’s that to you. It doesn’t have to be anything else.”

Later in the morning, Audet introduced the students to Japanese Sumi-e ink painting.

Audet, who has a degree in art, was as excited as the students.

“We get to do great stuff for the kids,” Audet said. “We try to give them different experiences than they might get in school.”

The summer art program buys paints, brushes, canvases and materials that students don’t typically get an opportunity to try.

The students will also try watercolor “gesture paintings” — the simple line paintings Picasso did of such things as flowers and roosters.

“We just try to pack as much as possible into these three days,” she said.

“Art camp was one of my priorities when I started (the 21st CCLC program),” said program director Tonya Wise. “Kids in Helena have so many opportunities for art. We just don’t.

“The students get an opportunity to work with wonderful instructors. They learn about art history. They get to work with professional art supplies and paint.”

Across the hallway from Audet, Caitlin Field, a Montana State University graphic-design student, had her students doing a variety of self-portraits.

Monday they made thumb prints, for what is more distinctive than one’s fingerprint?

Then they blew up portions of the prints into large abstract portraits painted in colors of their choice. Tuesday, their focus was making a collage showing the facial feature they most liked.

“I’m doing it on my lips,” said Sarina Zigler, 9, of her collage. She had just been entertaining the class playing her harmonica.

“That’s my nose,” said Joey Tillotson, 9, pointing to his abstract design.

Down the hall, fifth- and sixth-graders created art from the letters of their names.

Katherine McDonnell, 10, painted letters expressing her passions. There was a dancer, soccer ball, tree, flower, football, leaves, fishing rod, horse and bobcat.

“I like color,” said Rianna Galloway, 10. Her design wove together flowers, butterflies, water, a roller coaster and rainbow.

“I’m having a lot of fun,” she said, her face alight with a huge smile.

All the artists’ works will be displayed with a photo of them at work, along with a short biographical statement.

“The kids get dressed up. They get butterflies they’re so nervous,” Wise said. “But once they see their art displayed, it’s magical.”

Reporter Marga Lincoln: 447-4074 or marga.lincoln@helenair.com