Mark has decided to keep his art projects top secret. I am not even to ask the medium he is using in class. He rode his bike to art this week even though wind gusts were strong so he could keep the secret a little longer. This is a pretty large piece and he says he held it flat with both hands as he rode his bike through the wind. Now that is dedication to art and the concept of a dramatic presentation.
Timothy is an awesome pianist. That is all for today.
This exercise for Paige in oil painting was interesting to watch. She painted little squares for days over a long weekend at home. If I understand this correctly, each paper represents the effects of a single color mixed in to the same paints. There are some surprises, and there are some panels that I like more than others. The seventies-looking panel comes from yellow being mixed in everything.
One thing I have learned from having a daughter in art is the power of color to convey a mood. I saw an interesting MFA project on display at BYU earlier this year which used color to track the moods of different people throughout a day. I took pictures of a few of the representations to show the contrasts. Each person tracked his or her mood for 24 hours. Each hour was represented by a color, with each color representing a mood.
What would the color palette look like for you today? I think we have some power over how we look at our days. I have seen how writing has been a good exercise in framing how I see my life. When I write, I tend to focus on the more rather than the less. It’s helped me frame my experiences with greater perspective. I see how petty I sound when I complain, and I see that I can often find a use for the difficult lessons. When I read my history on this blog, I see a plan emerge for our family, the friends in our path, unexpected opportunities, and experiences that have molded us.
We are almost halfway through October, which is normally a low month for me (think lots of purples), with mostly yellow and orange feelings. I think it’s because I am slowing down and writing. I am not letting myself get over-extended. I am saying no to things. I think it’s healthy to have a mixture of moods in life. I’m also allowing myself to feel what I feel and think what I think. This is a healthy change for me.
Next day addition: I don’t know the name of the person whose work I posted. I thought I took a picture of the name, but can’t find it. I wish I knew!
In 21 years, Paige has brought so much goodness and grace to this planet. And whimsical art. And beautiful dancing, expressive piano playing, and all the good things ever.
(Sorry for cell phone quality pictures and shadows on her artwork.)
Happy birthday, Paige! We love you.
We celebrated Father’s Day for Richard a week late, since we were fleeing Arizona last Sunday. This illustration Paige created on the card from the kids makes me happy.
I took some time to decorate the house for spring today. I rediscovered this drawing as I went through pictures and frames. This was Paige 19 years ago at Easter time. I hung this on the wall of her quiet room. It made me smile.
Mark enjoys art class each week, even if it means lots and lots of pencil strokes for dog hair.
I have kept almost every piece of art the kids have created over the years. It’s one of my favorite collections. I keep thinking I will do something special with it, but it hasn’t happened yet. I will probably take pictures of the pieces and make a book for each of them on Shutterfly so I can have a copy, too.
Until then, I enjoy having a child who still brings home drawings for me to put on the refrigerator.
Paige had two submissions chosen for a drawing from life show at BYU. This one won second place.
Here is the other piece chosen for display.
Mark and I walked through the gallery of the Harris Fine Arts Center at BYU to see the finalists. Memories of my childhood looking through this gallery completed the circle. Finally I know someone whose name is on those little white labels. Good job, Paige!
The library is my friend when I need to simplify concepts in science for Mark. I am teaching him from a high school textbook because it gives us a structure and helps him learn to analyze graphs and data. Many weeks we just use the book as a guide and seek material at the library to make it more interesting.
I love to pick up books of colorful microscope images. Our world is intricate and beautiful at every level. Mark and I spent a few extra days studying microorganisms through art. This is a collage of diatoms, which are single-celled and diverse, representing 10,000 species. They are producers, which mean they photosynthesize and are an important food source in aquatic environments. We couldn’t get over how colorful, intricate, and symmetrical their silica shells look under a microscope.
To do this project, we pulled out papers we had painted before, cut them into shapes, added more color with pencils, and made an Eric Carle style collage. Eric Carle art is something I have done for years with the kids because it is fool-proof. Every collage is a success.