paint cut paste

just a quick ode to self-directed kid art that occurs in the privacy of a 5-year-old’s bedroom… the other day, N emerged from her room and proudly announced, “i made bravery cards, mom!”

“ooo, what are bravery cards?” i asked, wanting to be enlightened. apparently N came up with the idea of making little 1-2 inch sketches on “cards” that show “all of the ways i am brave!” these ways include things like…

“i’d go surfing on a tsunami!”

and, “if a yeti was chasing me, i’d stand and face him!”

and “i can stand outside in a terrible storm!”

and “i could ride a wild, bucking horse!”

…among other things that make a momma faint of heart. but gosh, oh so proud of the resourcefulness and confidence displayed by this little being who has been toying with the idea lately of facing/running from her fears. i love how art is such concrete evidence of what is happening internally, though in some (most) cases, it is not nearly this literal, but as the old art therapy adage posed by janie rhyne goes, “form leads to content.” i always trust the image.

allstate’s good hands community approached me about writing a brief and simple guest post on the importance of artistic expression for children and how to create positive art experiences for them. hop on over to their site to read my reminders and tips.

i’d love to hear from you all:

why is art important to your children?

and

what tips might you offer about inviting children into an art experience?

to be honest, i have been up to my eyeballs in autumny-halloweeny-crafty projects, as you can tell from the past few blogs. while they have their place in toddler-land, i was really craving some good ol’ ART TIME with my girl.

matisee-esque?

sure, with toddlers and preschoolers, sometimes pre-fab art materials (“glue this spongey apple onto the spongey pre-cut tree, and voila: a recognizable product!”) can be satisfying and occasionally educational, but it does not necessarily warrant self-expression! for that, i break out the freeeee materials: paints, chalks, crayons, markers, sculpting material… let the lines, shapes, and colors come from the body and onto the page, canvas, clay! i love to see what and who visits us from N’s brain each day.

today i found an old canvas i had painted on years ago. i gessoed it, then painted an aqua background on it while N napped. when she woke up, i presented her with a palette full of fun colors (acrylic paints) and the prepped canvas. she was so excited to be “a real artist” and kept asking me if i would hang her painting in the louvre. (yes, i would.)

esteem

then i found two tiny flat canvases i had in my stash (3″ x 4″) and let her express all over those, as well.

my little monet is mastering impressionism

ahhhhh, ART craving satiated for this art therapist momma! (and i think my little girl had a blast, too!) why not let your pint-sized picasso have a crack at a canvas?