paint cut paste

aside from the art projects we do around here, N spends anywhere from 1-3 hours per day drawing. this month, i’ve noticed a few new additions to her artistic development, and i wanted to share some of my favorite creations from july with you all. (but gosh, it’s hard to choose!) you can click on any image below to open the larger sized version of it to look more closely.

i am intrigued by how parts of the faces are covered in this image, and how the features are continued around the white parts:

"mascots"

while we’re on the topic of parts being covered, the image below shows foxes in different spots, and parts of their bodies are hidden by trees and clouds:

"how many foxes do you see here?"

N has enjoyed drawing tables and chairs for the past couple of years – i just love this one:

"the cafe"

whimsical animals are always a fav… she’s really into outlining everything now in pencil or black and then coloring it in:

"animal friends"

while we’re on the animal topic, the lucky girl in this image has a merry-go-round in her front yard:

"merry-go-round"

loving this dude so much that i want him on a t-shirt:

"weird guy"

inspired by the horses on the beach on our vacation:

"magical horses"

not only do i love how much is going on in the picture below, but N’s use of shadows under the figures is a new thing. (she says the gray marks under the ground line are shadows of the figures above them.) the zig-zag-like squiggles near the figures’ mouths mean that they’re talking. hee hee.

"playtime"

the image below is about finding the silly things happening on the playground… yes, the girl in the upper right is naked and peeing on the bounce house.

"how many silly things do you see in this picture?"

another nude “with a cool arrow design on her” – tee hee:

"naked girl"

"surfers"

"squirrel with his dinner"

"outer space"

and one last one i just love…

"home"

most of our days consist of this: N chilling at her art desk with her crayons and pencils just cranking out the pictures, telling stories about them while she draws. i LOVE these parts of the day. i know she is fully in the flow and engaged in what she calls “play drawing.” i enjoy seeing the world through her perspective in her art, as all of her images are completely authentic to her eye since i’ve never taught her how to draw anything. thank you for letting me share these with you, dear readers. in all honesty, sometimes i wonder how i get any other art activities up on this blog.

aaand happy half-birthday to N, who turned 4.5 this week! thanks for all who chimed in on my facebook page about celebrating half-birthdays in your home – glad we’re not alone!

being an artsy momma blogger can be weird at times. there is so much art happening at our house every day — majorly overlapping projects. i sometimes look at these wonderfully organic art processes struggle with the question, “what is blog-worthy?”

tuesday morning, N painted & decorated a picture frame for a friend

in any given day, N draws/colors between 30-60 original pieces.

this sketch titled, "who wants some pizza?" cracks me up

there are watercolors and other paints on the regular. most days involve scissors and glue.

impromptu "paper house" made all on her own, after dinner monday night

cards are made at least 4 days a week, i can safely say.

moms' day cards for the grandmothers & great grandmother

lots of time there is sculpting or building of some sort. always photography. often fabric. constant make-believe. there are always gatherings of natural materials and using them for unique and artful purposes. or just watching nature’s magic unfold…

we watched these lives form over this week in our backyard playhouse

yet, days can pass where it’s more of the same type of art is happening, and i’ve blogged about it before.

mom's day restaurant tablecloth aftermath

whenever i introduce a new material, i generally blog about how that turned out. when N is in the flow and follows a self-initiated process through excitedly, i blog about it.

engrossed in beading

sometimes we create projects that are reserved for guest blogs elsewhere. (a few are coming soon!) a lot of the time i can’t blog about something awesome because it’s a gift we have yet to give. (ahem, fathers’ day cramping my style! why can’t i ‘block’ my husband from my blog, facebook page, and twitter feed for that one post?) oh well.

N "being the tree" at an artist open studio on mothers' day

and let’s be honest, i have sooo much less time to blog now that i see clients in my practice during N’s every single preschool moment. as she is getting older, school hours get longer and our chillin’-at-home-melting-crayons time is sadly on a gradual decline.

so, this leaves me curious about two things:

my fellow bloggers: how do you choose which of your many artful moments are blog-worthy?

and readers: what types of things do YOU enjoy seeing on this blog?

one of my dearest friends and among the shiniest people i know, my brilliant art therapy colleague, sabrina bajakian, was kind enough to offer us a peek into her amazing art studio in bozeman, montana, where she engages in art-making with her 2-year-old daughter, who we’ll call S. i am always inspired by the mindful way sabrina approaches her own art process, and the thoughtfulness she puts into creating/holding an inviting and safe space in which S can begin to engage with materials. through sabrina’s lens and in her own words, she captures such pure creativity, beauty, and wisdom. let’s visit sabrina’s studio and her precious little artist. take it away, sabrina:

"I follow"

25-month-old S has been coming to my art therapy studio since she was in my belly. As you’ll see she’s got an affinity for the color blue. Today S suggested I make a snowman. I followed her lead. She then decided to add details & fill in the snowman.

"New Beginning"

After warming up with the snowman painting, I wanted to give her a clean slate that would be her imagery alone.

"Free Space"

I’m amazed, and as a parent, relieved, that S is beginning to work all on her own without assistance for a few minutes at a time.

"Flow"

I’ve titled the photo above after Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi’s book. As an art therapist, I am very interested in how we might achieve optimal experience. This is the state of mind – state of being that we are all after – being immersed in an activity that we enjoy and is just the right combination of challenge and mastery.

"Proud"

Age 2 is prime time for a kiddo to say, “I made that!”.

"PreArt"

After she decided she had enough time at her big page on the wall, S continued her free play in the studio. She loves to make sense of things in her world and sort them by color. In the photo above, S is selecting blue chalk pastels, blue oil pastels, blue colored pencils. Clearly, Blue is the Best Color there is!

"New"

I offer S a box to paint and decorate. We haven’t ventured into the world of collage or assemblage together yet, so this is truly a first. She builds upon her skills with paint. What you don’t see in this string of images is how and when I am stepping in to give her a hand. As a general rule I wait for her to say, “I need help” or to be invited or directed: “Mama, paint!”

"Selecting Gems"

Again we’re seeing this budding experience of “Flow.” This kind of freedom, I think, builds confidence and imagination.

"Focused Work"

I also think this state of mind (only when we’re older?) is one of divine connection. For anyone who has worked in a creative capacity, we know that some of what we make comes from our preconceived and planned design. And, then there is what comes from our unconscious individual and collective consciousness.

"Gel Medium"

Gel Medium, how I love this stuff. It’s probably like Mod Podge, but I’m personally more familiar with this product. It’s a painting medium for acrylics, is essential clear, glossy paint, that can be used as a fairly strong, flexible, shiny, transparent adhesive. Dries quick, no smell, cleans w/ water.

I simply tell the little one that mama is putting glue on the box and she can stick things in it.

Together we pull out my bins of collage objects. I have one bin that I especially like that has shiny things. S digs around, selects a few things, puts the lid back on the box and carries her 3 selections to the little table. I’m amazed that she didn’t just get overwhelmed and lost in this process. She is a focused person for being so young!  This is definitely more fun for me than for her!!!

Her little fingers are getting some great fine motor training.  She has to practice pinching & picking up small gems & gets a little frustrated with sticky fingers.  I step in and wipe with a warm washcloth.  I ask her where she’d like me to pour out some glitter & she points to a spot on the table, “righdaar (right there)”.

Glitter

These opportunities to have choices are key for a child S’s age – or any age.  Little ones have to follow suit with the schedules & rules we adults impose so much of the time. From a developmental perspective, allowing a 2 year old to exercise autonomy and control are essential. What a fun way to help a child evolve through their developmental milestones!

"All done"

We both so enjoyed our art time together.  I didn’t have any expectation about how or if this piece would look finished to my adult eye.  S worked on it for as long as she wanted which was until she could no longer fit gems on the box top.  She tried to put heavy, glass beads on the side but learned that woudn’t work.  I let her try this out & before she got too frustrated I explained what I saw, “looks like those are too heavy” and offered her some blue star stickers to try instead.

"Washing up"

Washing up and helping to clean up are fun for S (so far!). These are glory days. Savoring every moment.

thank you, sabrina, for letting us join you and S in your artistic process in the studio! your perspective and offerings are so very inspiring!

if you’d like to learn more about the amazing work sabrina does in the world, visit her web site: artandsoulcounseling.com

sometimes we’ve just gotta have free art time… without limits on materials, without “how-to’s,” without specified products. i love these moments when N just asks for watercolors or markers or colored pencils and goes for it. we’ve been doing a lot of really open, unstructured art time in our home these past coupla weeks. it’s good for the soul. we just stuck to the basics and watched the creativity floooow…

in my art therapy training, we talked about a theorist named mihaly csikszentmihalyi (pronounced “chick-sent-me-high”) who coined an idea called “flow theory.” flow is his term for the emotional state opposite frustration. flow is when you are fully, happily absorbed in an activity, completely satisfied, but not taking on more than you can handle. it is often what happens when an artist becomes absorbed in their work, and notions of time and space fall away. i relish in this creative space, and kids organically go there in their imaginal creative play. when observing a child in this state, you can usually hear all sorts of made-up stories, characters, ideas, plots spewing out – like a peek into the unconscious, coming out without a filter. such an honor to witness.

while “in the flow,” N has made plenty of tiny paintings that have become and will become cards for friends and family…

N has also worked on some larger watercolor masterpieces that now adorn her art gallery wall…

"duck eating grass" & "N in a beret, about to climb a ladder"

by my nature, i’m more at home with the expressive arts than i am with the crafting. imagination plus pigment yields limitless expression!  so let it flow, let it flow, let it floooow…