Getting Ready!

Well, we're getting ready for an all out Art extravaganza! Most of my supplies have arrived and I'm just waiting on a few more. I know the girls are so excited about doing some "real" art. Quite frankly, I am too. Art was quite traumatic growing up. We were expected to create things thoughout the year and then pick one we wanted to enter into the annual art fair. This wasn't optional. Nevermind that our supplies consisted of crayons, glue, construction paper, and some cheap watercolors. Then mysteriously one night, some anonymous committee would hang ribbons on those bestowed with the highest honors and then others would recieve silver stars as some kind of honorable mention. Year after year I would enter the cafeteria with hope of just a silver star, I never expected a ribbon. Year after year I was disappointed and grew in my resolve that I was NOT an artist.

Finally. Fifth Grade. A silver star! The artwork was a torn construction paper mosaic of a clown. Quite impressive! I probably was recognized for my ability to glue all those pieces of construction paper without creating a mushy, warped mess. Oh well, I was very happy to leave elementary school with the high honor of that silver star.

As an adult, I've come to believe that art can be learned, you do not have to be born gifted, and many things can be art. I hope I can help my children learn this way before they're thirty.