DIXFIELD — With resources often tight, school teachers sometimes have to use their money or depend on their wits to bring more creativity to the classroom.

Over two days in May, Dirigo High School educational technician Dena Littlehale invited an artist from Montana, whom she discovered on YouTube, to give lessons to middle and high school students.

At no cost to the school district, David Williams and Heather Allen from a program called Joint Operation Mariposa flew here on their own dime to teach new artist concepts to students. The organization coordinates with local schools and communities to involve students in creating and donating patriotic artwork to regional veterans’ hospitals and memorials.

Joint Operation Mariposa is a nonprofit outreach organization based in Plains, Montana. Founded by Williams, a Navy veteran, its core mission is to support veterans as they transition to civilian life and to raise awareness for veteran suicide prevention.

Williams and Allen, vice president of Joint Operation Mariposa, made the trip at the invitation of Littlehale.

“The paint you’re seeing on me is from around the world,” Williams told students, pointing to his paint-stained white T-shirt. “There’s paint from the Philippines, Jordan, Israel and all over the United States. And as a disabled vet, that’s how I found my way home. You just have to let go. Once you let go, you just accept what’s there. You can then progress from there.”

Joint Operation Mariposa brings veterans together to create community projects, Williams said.

“Currently, we’re working on a copper weeping willow tree, and that will be turned over to a long-term care facility in our community. And it’s all created by veterans,” he said.

The organization is also known for sponsoring national art tours featuring a 1,000-foot piece of artwork titled “Guardians of the Herd,” which includes a large painting of a green horse. This painting travels across the country to military bases and VFW posts, allowing families who have lost veterans to suicide to sign their names on the back.

Joint Operation Mariposa puts veterans in classrooms so students can interact with them.

Williams said he had been teaching students about palette knife paintings — artwork created using a flexible, blunt steel blade rather than traditional brushes. This technique — often called impasto — applies thick, sculptural layers of paint to the canvas, resulting in bold, three-dimensional textures, sharp edges, and highly energetic, tactile surfaces.

“For the palette knife paintings, first thing I tell them is I’m not teaching them how to paint a painting,” he said. “It’s not my job to teach them that. I’m teaching them how to use a palette knife, and in the process, to create something. And they’re usually surprised at the end of the project.”

He noted that everything can be cheaply and easily replicated at home.

“I try to get them to let go of their preconceptions and just experience it,” Williams said.

He also taught them about Sumaiya paintings.

“Sumaiya paintings” usually refers to the varied, expressive works created by several contemporary artists sharing the name Sumaiya, Williams said. Depending on the artist, these paintings span a wide range of styles, from traditional acrylic florals and nature conservation themes to highly textured, abstract digital worlds.

Allen, who assists with transporting Williams across the country, is also a multimedia artist.

“I don’t do the teaching part of it. I’m more here as an assistant and backup for him,” she said. “Because I’m an artist, I can be there to help guide the students while he’s teaching the rest. So, we’re kind of like a team.”

Williams added, “So she knows exactly what I’m going to be doing ahead of time.”

They said this is their first time in Maine.

“I like it,” Williams said.

Allen said teaching here “has been one of our best experiences.”

“We’ve had a lot of fun, especially with the middle school. They really got into it, and were really focused on what they were doing,” she said. “And yesterday, once he taught them the techniques, they were interacting with each other as they did it.”

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