The Art of Children

As most of you know, I am also a high school art teacher. It's a good thing because it pays my bills, including the ones that my art business can't pay anymore. It is a bit disconcerting as winter is not that far away, and my biggest business expense becomes the propane to keep the studio heated. But I diverge here.

My 4 (nearly 5) year old granddaughter is with me for a few weeks. I have been spending most of my time with her instead of working in the studio, which is fine by me as I get to do other things like visit and feed the animals, go swimming, find restaurants that serve edamame, go bowling - all kinds of fun things.

But since it was cloudy/rainly yesterday we decided to stay home. Alanna has been bugging me to go to the studio to paint, so we moved in her easel, and I set her up with watercolor pencils and watercolors, where she painted and drew for hours while I made an attempt to start to clean the place up for some serious painting when she leaves.

Children don't fret about being blocked, or about how worthy they or their art is. They pick up the paint brush and paint, and their imagination flows. Art is for art's sake, and provides an outlet for their imagination.

She painted pictures of her momma in a wedding dress with flowers in her hair. There was one with tons of red dots all over it, which she told me represented Jesus's fingerprints full of blood. (she goes to a southern church in Kentuky.....unlike her heathen grandmother, lol) Here I have a drawing loosely based upon the story "No More Monkeys Jumping on the Bed". Instead she re-titled it "no more brains, bananas, or rotten onions jumping on the bed". I found the perspective on this drawing well done for such a young age. But then again she has been surrounded by art since she was born, her early steps taken in art galleries at openings.

She cherishes her paintings, and I have to give them some place of honor in the house besides the refrigerator. Larry has given her a lovely sketch book to carry around and draw in.

Alanna said "my imagination allows me to dream about painting" (paraphrased)
I say "dream on" but more importantly, "paint on".

Here's to creating with the innocence and confidence of a child!

Patti