"Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up." Pablo Picasso This is my very first painting, a finger painting done in kindergarten with tempera paints.
I can still remember the cold slippery paint on my fingers and how much fun it was to play in it.
Young children are artists. They take joy in the process and are motivated by a desire to create. It's sad that as children grow they lose this confidence. The natural desire to create art is replaced with fear
-of making mistakes
-of what others will think or say
-of falling short of expectations...
and fear kills both confidence and progression.
By 4th or 5th grade many children do not think of themselves as artists and as adults most have completely forgotten they ever were an artist.
Celebrate the process. Play as children play. Find joy in creating.
I agree! As an art teacher I encourage children to trust that little voice....but sometime administration, standards and accountability challenges me in a strong way to keep children trusting that voice.
ReplyDeleteThis is great, and something that, as an art teacher, parent, and grandparent, that I have found to be so frustrating. About jr. high or high school age, something seems to happen so that a lot of kids feel that, if they can't do super photo realistic things, their work is not worthwhile. Nothing will change their minds, although they once were passionate about their art.
ReplyDeleteSometimes, it is the teachers who kill creativity. Sometimes it is rebellion. Or wanting to fit in. So many things can happen, but shouldn't matter.
I've found that students who loved their art, after they are grown, will pick it up again-sometimes in another form. They might now do crafts, photography, etc., where once thier love was for drawing or painting.
Interesting topic.
Wow.... I can't remember my first painting >< but this is such a great painting! It's so hard to believe that we could do so much as we were kids :)
ReplyDeleteI still remember building my version of Airwolf with Lego using assorted colors of blocks. The great thing is that, the blades did spin, and I could still remember that I imagined it very well that even the guns and canons were popping out. ^^
Hello Joanne,Words of Pablo Picasso,
ReplyDeleteI spent all my life trying to paint like children because they are free.
Congratulations for your work
Re. Alex's comment:
ReplyDeleteLegos used to come as building blocks and even the sets for specific buildings were very basic, interchangeable and generic. It took creativity to build and imagine. The new sets are too directed. I wish Legos remained as open ended art building materials.
This painting is amazing...and it gr8 that you could do such a lovely piece in your young age..!!
ReplyDeleteThanks for this; my memory of fingerpainting as a kindergartener is vivid----but not what it LOOKED like (my gosh, your image here is reminiscent of M.C.Escher's best!) so much as what it felt and smelled like. I loved it. That experience was much like the one I had at a pottery class recently (I'm now 55) when I had such difficulty with focusing on the product I was making and instead got totally into the feel of the medium and how thinly I could spin that clay, though I did also enjoy the spirals at the bottoms of the creations I managed to complete.
ReplyDelete