GALLERY TO PUT FINAL TOUCH ON STUDENT ART.

Byline: Sonia Giordani Daily News Staff Writer

Ventura County's youngest fine artists will put their work on display today when the Superintendent of Schools Office kicks off its Schools' Art Gallery Spring Show.

Through June 5, the exhibit will feature paintings and sketches done by more than 40 students from a dozen school districts in the first countywide art show since the Schools' Art Gallery opened its doors last month.

``These kids are doing it all - watercolor, pastel, still life, life, historical, everything. We want to get kids and parents to come in and see what these kids can do,'' said Patricia Robinson, gallery coordinator and a fine arts consultant to Ventura County schools for 10 years.

Part of an ongoing program to put the fine arts back into local schools, the opening of the new students' gallery's opening was coordinated by Robinson last month. Located on the second floor of the Ventura County Superintendent of Schools Office, the gallery will give young artists throughout the region a chance to share their work with other students and with parents in rotating quarterly exhibits.

For years, Robinson has worked with teachers in western Ventura County to better incorporate the fine arts into education, especially at the earliest levels.

``When a child is shown all the different disciplines step by step and they see that they can do it, it does so much for their self-esteem and their confidence and exuberance,'' said Robinson, who has begun working with districts in eastern Ventura County as well. ``The most basic thing is that we're tapping into their creative energy and helping to give them a more balanced education.''

This season's exhibit will feature the work of students from Moorpark, Simi Valley and Conejo Valley schools.

The gallery's rotating exhibits will serve as the culmination of sorts for Westlake Hills Elementary School's already comprehensive fine arts program.

And the county gallery will give students a venue beyond their own school campus to show their work, said Principal Rachelle Morga.

``It's a chance to share with all the other students in the county who share a similar appreciation and love for the visual and performing arts,'' she said.

The new gallery will exhibit student work during the autumn, winter and spring. Teachers will have a chance to show their work during the summer. The gallery's first teachers exhibit will begin June 9 and continue into October.

The public is invited to meet with student artists, their teachers and their families today for the Spring Show's opening from 4 to 5 p.m. The gallery is located at the Ventura County Superintendent of Schools Office, Administrative Services Center, 5189 Verdugo Way, Camarillo.

For more information about the show or about the gallery, call [phone].