Art with LB

I thought I would continue with the theme of art. I've never been a crafty person. I don't paint. I can't sew. I am not a photographer. However, I was raised by two people who taught me to appreciate art and that includes not just paintings but sculpture, pottery, photography, etc. This is something I hope to pass on to LB. My mom minored in art history in college and is currently a docent at one of the museums in my hometown. My dad knows a lot about art as does my sister. As a kid I was never quite up to their level of knowledge or appreciation. I remember that my parents would take us to special exhibits at our local museums and a visit to a museum was often on the itinerary when we are on family vacation. When your parents are educators then it's a given that there is always an opportunity to learn something new no matter where you are. I have memories of sitting on those benches in the middle of the room at a museum and feeling impatient (and often cold) while the rest of my family really looked over each piece. It wasn't that I didn't appreciate it but I just didn't have the interest to spend a lot of time studying each painting. I was ready to move on. I'm proud to say that as I aged and matured I spent less time sitting on the benches and learned to enjoy the peacefulness and pleasure that comes from strolling through a museum or gallery.

I don't remember how old I was but I have a very clear memory of going to a Thomas Moran exhibit with my family that contained mostly his paintings of the West. We opted not to get those headphones that tell you about each piece because my dad was able to tell us a lot about the exhibit (and maybe my parents were saving a few bucks to pay for my ice skating lessons). I was standing next to my dad and I think we were looking at a painting of the Grand Canyon and my dad asked, "Do you see that horse there in the distance?" I didn't at first but then was able to see it when my dad pointed it out. He told me that Moran often would paint animals or people into his work and they would be small and hard to see as a way to convey how big our world is and how small we are in relation to nature. I'm pretty sure that was the first time something clicked inside of me and turned art into more than just paintings on the wall. I saw what the artist was trying to convey and I understood it. I finally gained some confidence in the world of the arts.

I took an art history class in college and I don't think I skipped a single class. Not that I skipped a lot but the point is that I enjoyed it. There was something relaxing about having the lights go dim and listening to the click of the slide projector as the professor went through each piece. In 2000, I went to Europe with a friend and we spent a lot of time wandering through various museums and it was fun. I don't think I sat on a single bench. I remember that I bought a print from the gift shop at the Van Gogh museum in Amsterdam and I was excited to hang it in my future apartment. I still have that print and it's one of my favorites.

Even though I specialize in stick figures when it comes to creating art, I've tried to find a way to include include art projects in to my regular repertoire of activities with LB. I have found some great websites that suggest all sorts of fun art projects for toddlers and I just copy their ideas. Two of my favorites are No Time for Flash Cards and Play Create Explore. D's parents got LB a bunch of craft supplies for Christmas and we've been having a lot of fun with them.

I have to work hard at not trying to direct LB too much but to simply present him with the materials and let his own imagination take over. Some days he'll get into whatever it is we are doing and other days he makes a few marks on the paper with a colored pencil and then decides to be "all done coloring." I try to roll with it. A few weeks ago, I set up his easel in the unfinished part of our basement and let him do some watercolors. He did it for a while but he spent half the time putting the brush in the water and then getting some paint on the brush and then putting it back in the water to watch it change color. He kept asking for "more new water." My initial reaction was to be annoyed he was just messing with the water but I reminded myself he was exploring and discovering and that there was value to it.

When my mom was here last week she taught him how to make a collage. He loved ripping the paper and then using his glue to put it on paper. We've done this several times since and he hasn't tired of it.

This winter I got a membership to our city's conservatory. You wouldn't think it would be a place that could entertain a three year old but LB loves it. He can walk around freely and there is all sorts of stuff to look at and explore. In the spring they have a butterfly exhibit. In the room with the butterflies they have a Chihuly sculpture on permanent display. Even though LB has seen it several times, whenever we turn the corner and can see it he always says, "Wow!" I love it. There is such a sense of wonder in his voice.

Fingers crossed that he never loses the "wow" and stays off the cold benches.