One Fantastic Drawing

*drawing by E.S.C., my oldest

Since my girls were first sitting up, they have had the joy of paints and pencils at their finger tips. Normally, I am the assistant, making sure that nothing is inadvertently eaten, freshening materials, washing hands and cleaning up. It has been a joy for me to watch them explore colors, and the application of materials. Now my oldest daughter is happy to pull out art supplies on her own, and sit down to self appointed projects.

So, the other night, it was late and the little one was already in bed. I saw my chance to have a little time with paper and pencils myself. To my joy, my oldest joined me. I am sure that we have been creative together before, but this time was different. I had an objective, and soon enough she did too. We both sat silently, together, for over an hour.

When I teach art to children, I try to show them different ways to approach their creation. Quick and spontaneous always wins over long and thorough. This is why it impressed me so to see my daughter working on one small drawing for such a long period of time. She really got into her composition and how the forms and colors were interacting. It turns out that it involved a pretty heavy narrative as well, one of a battle of good vs. evil. I simply could not resist to put her fantastic drawing on my blog this week.