I’ve been to art galleries in my time , travelling here and there , it was a great way to see a bit of culture. Some of the painting are breathtaking, heartbreaking and so beautiful. Some you think my two year old could have done that ! I know mine can and regularly does, sometimes even a better job with of composition and tone !! I know some of the pictures I have been handed over the years from buddy artists definitely look similar to the multimillion pound offerings on some walls. I know art is subjective and all that. But all those artist good and bad started somewhere. And with someone encouraging them right from the start and along the way. This blog is dedicated to all the budding artists and their admirers , namely us. The parents that through these bursts of creativity have to muster up enthusiasm for the 45th piece of paper that is just a series of squiggles and colours.
Well done darling, its very beautiful I say every time I am presented with a random picture. Because I read recently on an inspirational children meme that kids are artists till we tell them they are not. So I might ask my wee woman to stop drawing onto walls but I will never ask her to stop drawing. Plus I have found that joining in brings a certain benefits to us as well. Apart from cramped knees under the small art table from sitting in toddler height chairs. Colouring in is fun, whether it be a pre designed book with recognisable printed pictures or a blank piece of paper where the world is your oyster. Its very therapeutic. I mean they even have adult colouring books these days . And before your mind goes to the gutter, as mine did when a friend said she spent her evening colouring in with expensive coloured pencil , they are intricate patters and designs not hens night notepads pictures wink wink nudge nudge.
Anyway , I‘ve reignited my love of drawing and colouring in through playing and encouraging my toddler to join in or try it out. Watching my daughter get interested and engaged to do it is a wonderful sense of achievement for both of us. Do we stay in the lines or express ourselves with abandonment. If we feel like it or no neither ! So what if my interpretation of the train looks more like car crash , my two year loves it when I can muster up something that looks semi familiar to what she has asked me to draw. We display our joint art projects on the wall proudly. As the weather is getting better, we are venturing to dangerous territory of paint. Finger paint and its wonderful. All those saved yogurt pots and little tupperware containers meant for puree are perfect vessel for colourful concoctions. Forget the brush and dive in, it's so much fun. A wide birth of space, newspaper down , semi naked or smocked child and an easel I found 2 nd hand and she's off . The clothes horse and bunch of wide mouthed plastic pegs to dry the pieces in the sun outside or a good breeze. Then a bit of string or long ribbon and some wooden pegs that we also customised with the paint will display our up and coming exhibition on the walls of the play room inside.
Another medium that she is getting in to, is chalk. While we are still relatively confined to quarters with C19, the drive way has become a great place to see how big we can make the pictures. Dinosaurs and Elephants. Drawing around her silhouette and her colouring it all in to her hearts content definitely fills in some time of a day. Watching the rain ( always a factor where we live ) or a bucket of water wash it away ready for another day seems to fascinate her. For those rainy days that we cant get outside, I found a piece of large plasterboard at a local home decor store and bought a tin of blackboard paint. Nailed it to wall and she can draw and wash off to her hearts content inside.
All these creative expressions are opening up a world of colour, exploring what she can make artistically. Not to mention dexterity and hand eye co ordination in holding the chunky chalk and fat pencils and crayons. Mixing colours, scribbling away like mad or gently touching the page to leave a hint of colour is giving her a sense of control and confidence with every stroke.
Together we are forging a life long love of art and expression that I hope to display and treasure for many years to come. My inner kid comes out and sometimes she's tired of it and wanders off and I'm still there 'just finishing up my page'. But in not caring whether I'm making something worth a million dollars of just recycle bin fodder I hope to install and ignite her imagination and artistic side. Never know she may have a talent for it ....
ps. see my other blog on getting your art supplies ready for a wee one. https://www.littlehandsbigplans.co.uk/post/getting-creative