Not So Much Art, But....

OK This is just fun.  We finally had a lazy Sunday to relax.  Jermaine fans can finally get a glimpse at his mad dance skills.

Je t'aime Collage

We've been using a new tool in our home school sessions.  It's a website called Brain Pop Jr.  There are lots of creative activities, games and videos that we can use to better explain things.  They have a great social collection as well as art.  We were reading about Ezra Jack Keats since his books are among Gabriella's favorites.  She was then drawn to the idea of collaging as he often did in his illustrations.  This opened up a whole new world of possibilities!

We took a walk to the Menil Museum which is close to our Houston home to see the Henry Darger that had recently been on display.  She had noticed elements of collage in the 'Realms of the Unreal' piece previously.  Sadly, they had removed the piece for something new, but we found plenty of other not-so-common pieces by little known artists that showed GREAT uses of collage!

On the way home we collected flowers and leaves for an idea she had for her very own collage.  After several different attempts, she decided to make her first collage about her favorite subject, Maui the Holland Lop Bunny.  She took about a dozen photos of him, had them printed and arranged them the way she chose on a piece of sturdy pressboard.  Then she added some of the flowers with glue (after having them pressed over night) and added floral stickers wherever she felt moved.  A personal message at the top and Voi-La! Se Magnifique!  Collage!

Her next collage is supposed to be of us as a family and she has already taken some great photos of her and  Jermaine.  Hee hee.  I hope he'll let me post it, cause it's pretty funny :D

Rothko Chapel

Today we visited Rothko Chapel in Houston, TX.  This being my first time at visiting this unique location, Jermaine had to explain it all to me.  Apparently Mark Rothko's giant paintings of solid colors were meant to stir emotion in such a touching way, that they make a perfect backdrop for spiritual or inner meditation. A quote I really appreciated from Wikipedia that I think applies to the spirit of my blog:

 "According to Rothko, the work of modernists, influenced by primitive art, could be compared to that of children in that "child art transforms itself into primitivism, which is only the child producing a mimicry of himself."

After minutes of silence, Jermaine leaned towards me and whispered a little too loud, "I guess this could be a little boring for an 8-year old, huh?."  To which she confidently replied, "No, not really."  I love our kid.  

Piano Impatience

Often when it's time to practice piano, Gabriella will get bored with the selection and make up something of her own.  Twice her own pieces were performed at her recital.  They always start out simple, and I find them inspiring.  We may have to add lyrics to this one.  Hmmm......

Writing in the Rain

         For me, and many I know, writing has always been a healthy catharsis to cope with whatever stresses come in life.  Of course we want this for our artistic kids right?  We want her to start now with a healthy way of expressing her thoughts and feelings when they may not be so easy to vocalize.  (Fingers crossed that when the teenage years hit this will help ease the pain for us all...)

         We all know that writing needs inspiration.   What better inspiration than a rainy spring day.   Here in a house full of windows to watch it drizzle sometimes and then pour while the birds scatter from raindrops and thunder.  Here inside where the music echoes throughout and there are so many nooks and crannies to discover.

        So her assignment was - write.  Fact or fiction.  Just write about this rainy day.  Of course that is daunting when you are eight, so after getting the story started on a topic she loves, Arrietty of the Borrowers.  I thought this would be the ticket.  She seemed so excited about writing this since I know she loves the book and is excited about going to see the Studio Ghibli film.   Still, she gets frustrated.  Lightbulb!  'Why don't you go and hide anywhere in the house?!  Don't tell me where you are, you just have to be INSIDE and write for the next 15 minutes.'  Excitement ensued!  I had a winner!  Three minutes later she returns with again, writers frustration.  She likes no hiding space and fears the page, but she is showing it with irritation at the project as a whole.

      So I have resorted to the most unartistic thing I can think of.  Forcing her to sit at a desk with no music and just write ANYTHING for the next 15 minutes.  This is what she came up with....

From the Fridge - Part One

From the Fridge is going to be a new part of my blog.  Once in a while I will show you something old or new that is featured for various reasons.  I got this idea, because visitors to our home often languish here.  There is rarely empty space and the things that fill it make us happy. :)  It's just a peek at a time.  Feel free to play  'Where's Waldo' for photos of Jermaine......  

These pieces are appropriate to share this week since they are directly related to Gabriella's children's lecture on Klimt.  She seldom likes to 'color' as in coloring in someone else's work (not even coloring books when she was really little) but these were a part of the Met for the Kids and memorable - so they made the cut.

Metropolitan Museum of Art

Above - Gabriella is front and center for a children's lecture at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, our absolute favorite place to visit.  There is always something you haven't seen, or haven't seen enough. Here they learned about Gustav Klimt and his use of color and symbolism. 

Below - After the lecture, she was drawn to the little red-headed girl who loved Degas.  Together they sprawled across the floor of one of the world's largest art museums and drew like kids do.