My kids hate ART (ok, maybe not)

Last week's popsicle stick puppets

People tend to assume that because of my background, my children love to make art and are good at it.

Ok, I guess that is a fair thought considering that all 3 of them have been watching me engage in some sort of creative effort since they came out of the womb, and have visited their share of art fairs, museums, and art exhibits- However, by no means it is true for me to say that when I show up armed with supplies galore for a new project they are jumping for joy! Most of the time all I get are grunts! (from the oldest ones)

"Do we HAVE to?" (quoting my pre-teen)

"What are we making this time?"

"Are my hands gonna get sticky?" (quoting my control/cleanliness loving 6 year old)

"YEAH, ART time!" (quoting my 3 year old daughter who could care less if all she ends up with is a diarrhea looking blob of paint covered in dirt!!)

The truth is, sometimes, they feel like they can't "measure up" to my art (you know, for children, if you can draw anything they like with the least bit of accuracy, you are right up there in the Da Vinci category!); and with their natural and ever present need to please their parents, they become self critical and impatient .

Usually, after we get settled with supplies and such I assure them that we are just putting ideas together in the form of art (yes, I repeat the same thing every time), and that it is okay to share ideas, make suggestions and encourage one another to create. Most of the time, the kids actually relax and just let go. After a bit of resistance they get engaged and it is great!

However,last week when we had art time at home, I kept thinking what can I do to get to "This is fun, mom" part without the grunting?

Is my perfectionism in other areas of my life influencing the way they feel about doing this with me? PROBABLY.

I can sit there until I turn green and try to convince them that it is okay to have an abnormal sized nose on a puppet, but if when i do my own work all they see is their perfection seeking mother, it ain't gonna fly baby!

So I am making a conscious effort to mess up in front of them. It kills me inside, you have no idea! Anything from letting them know how I forgot my keys in the fridge, walking in the house with my shoes on (who could conceive of it?), spilling my juice (haven't done the grape juice yet because I really love my World Market placemats, but I am sure the lemonade gets the point across just fine). They laugh at me. It's kind'a cool and liberating; Maybe you should try it. And if you already do this, can you give me some pointers?
Thanks for reading!

Arte Natural

"Canoe" 2008

One of my favorite indoor places in the world is Barnes and Noble. No I am not getting paid to talk them up or anything, but man, do I have fun there! This week's trip led me to bring a pile of 15 books and magazines to my table at the coffee shop area, but of course I only got to 2 of them... I will share one with you this time:

In an effort to live a greener life our family has made several adjustments; you know, the stuff you hear about everywhere like recycling your trash, turning off lights, unplugging appliances, not flushing when you pee (this one is not yet under full compliance, yuk!!) organic gardening, safe cleaning supplies, green shopping bags, etc;

http://www.epa.gov/ to get started, also, links for kids of all ages to learn about environment awareness:)

(we have not yet changed all of our light bulbs to energy efficient ones, or put together a compost bin, but we'll get to that...) There is SO MUCH more we can do, eventually, but unless someone wants to donate to the "fund for greening my entire house" we are gonna have to take baby steps... And that's cool, all good!

However, I am not sure that my role as an artist and this environmental consciousness had made a true connection yet. Sure, living a frugal lifestyle almost forces you to reuse and recycle, I rarely ever have to buy art supplies, and just kind'a deal with what I have around the basement. But to make a statement towards environmental awareness through art? Now that's some good stuff... So, this book I came across is called "Green Guide for Artists- Nontoxic Recipes, green art ideas & Resources for the Eco-Conscious Artist" by author Karen Mitchel.

http://www.amazon.com/Green-Guide-Artists-Resources-Eco-Conscious/dp/1592535186

So fun! Full of ideas, and ways to create responsibly, beautifully made and wonderfully informative. For experienced painters, it provides them an opportunity to learn about substituting toxic materials such as adhesives, canvas and paint for better, greener alternatives. For me, (NOT an experienced painter), it just sort of revived the idea of using found objects, sharing supplies, and continuing to pursue a mixed media avenue in my own work.

This beautiful quote by William Blake is in one of the first pages...

"The tree which moves some to tears of joy, is in the eyes of others only a green thing that stands in the way. Some see nature all ridicule and deformity...and some scarce see nature at all. But to the eyes of the man of imagination, nature is imagination itself."

Locally, here are some places to check out:

http://www.artsandscraps.org/ (Detroit)

http://www.scrapbox.org/ (Ann Arbor)

Possible trips with the kiddos

http://bostonchildrensmuseum.org/exhibits/recycle.html at the Boston Children's Museum

http://www.wonderscope.org/rmc.php at the Children's Museum of Kansas