Earthly sweetness: Great art

Is there anything more wonderful than your own child's art? I love that Katie has recently really taken off with her 'figural' drawing. On the left is a portrait of her 14-year-old cousin. On the right, a picture of Katie and her two cousins. Like most kids, she also loves to draw flowers, suns, and rainbows, but people really are her 'forte.'

We have tried faithfully to subscribe to Susan Striker's philosophy, outlined on this link:

http://artfulparent.wordpress.com/2008/02/01/susan-strikers-10-cardinal-rules-for-teaching-creative-art/

Also see Susan Striker's book, "Young at Art: Teaching Toddlers Self-Expression, Problem Solving Skills, and an Appreciation for Art."

While many may disagree with her cardinal rules, I have found that they have helped foster Katie's creativity immensely. She is a master at thinking outside the box. At the Clark Museum's family day this past Sunday, we were making a sand project: filling a bottle with different colors of sand. Each kid's bottle was turning out great, really -- they were all beautiful, but Katie decided to take all the extra sand that was on the table, mix it together, and put that mixture into her bottle. Inspired, she then began making different combinations out of all the available sand colors. Her bottle, when finished, was truly unique.

I must admit it took her longer to paint and draw recognizable objects, landscapes, etc., and I'm not sure if it's becaus

e I never drew anything for her to copy, or have denied her coloring books. But I love that all her art comes out of her own head, she's not trying to copy anyone else's ideas. Granted, I do give her things to be inspired by, and we visit museums regularly. But I never pressure her to copy anything. She still enjoys scribbling -- when I ask her about her drawing, she will say, "it's nothing, really, just abstract." I love that she knows what abstract means, at age four.

Here are some of her family portraits: