Family Artists

"Spiders Hiding" by Asher, aged 3-1/2    August 2023

Our three-year-old grandson loves his toy cars and is seldom inclined to sit and draw or paint a picture. When he visited our home at the end of August he crossed the road with me to the neighbour's house and asked the lady of the house,

"Could I see your Fiat? I have one just like it at home!"

I did not realize the car in their driveway, the one I had seen daily for many years, was a Fiat. 

Later that week I set him up with some paper and watercolour paint on the picnic table. He mixed every colour with black and created his masterpiece in about five minutes. It looked very similar to the painting below which is in the National Art Gallery in Ottawa, Canada.

No. 29 by Jackson Pollock (1950)- Black enamel paint on glass

His sister is pictured admiring this painting when she visited the gallery at age two. Jackson Pollock was in a "drip painting" period when he completed No. 29. This abstract technique consists of pouring and dripping paint on a canvas. I must admit that I roll my eyes when I see abstract paintings in art galleries. Unlike many people in my immediate and extended family, I cannot create an image on canvas but could throw some paint on the floor in an interesting design. 

My grandchildren are confident and proud of their creations. At what age do we become self-conscious and lose the joy of creating unique masterpieces? We learn to colour within the lines and try to please our teachers. I was a good student but never achieved more than a "C' in art which did nothing for my creative confidence.

I will keep "Spiders Hiding" in my special art folder as a reminder to appreciate creativity, even in its most abstract forms. And here is a sidewalk chalk drawing by Miss P of various family members and the dog.  It won't fit in my art folder but is digitally immortalized.