Happy New Year!

To most people, this is just a mess. But, to me, it is an early sculpture. These things were just laying around and he put them together so creatively.

My little boy turned two a couple of weeks ago. He is at a great age for getting into art. I like to just give him materials and let him go.

Chalk pastels plus paper plates plus toilet paper...no rules...both kids loved this.

I am not a fan of the markers on the couch series, but if I don't make light of it, I may go crazy! This has happened three times now. Waylon has no problem getting the caps off the markers and feels compelled to draw on the couch. Luckily, the permanent markers are under lock and key these days and the washable ink comes right out--although I have had to take the cushion covers off and wash them. On the bright side, my couch has never been cleaner.

Like everyone else, the holidays have consumed me the last few weeks. We just got back from two wonderful weeks visiting family on the East Coast. The artistic highlight of my vacation was learning to knit, something I have wanted to do for a long time. (pictures of my first project should be available soon:). I have to say, I am feeling very relieved that the holiday craft madness has ended. It has been nice just letting the kids create art in their own way again, with much more freedom, which is what I think it is all about. Hollin has been spending a great deal of time coloring in her princess coloring books--not really "art", but it inspires her. I equate it to when I was in middle school and wanted to read nothing but Sweet Valley High books, that used to drive my mother mad because it was not "great literature". But, it spoke to me at the time and helped instill a love of reading. I have not read one in 20 years, but still have not read Pride and Prejudice because it was suggested so many times (although I think I am finally ready). While coloring books have no place in an art curriculum and should not be a substitute for creative expression, they can be a lot of fun. I hope my rambling makes some sort of sense!

The coming months will be busy. I am still working through a very time consuming math course (why do I get myself into these things?) and I just registered for a drawing class. I am really looking forward to taking a studio course again. It has been a long time since I have been able to
get out and develop as an artist. It felt so good walking through the art department, there was an immediate connection. The courses, homeschooling pre-K, and everything else that comes with raising a family will keep me on my toes. I had been thinking that maybe I should take a break from my blog, but I saw that I have 10 followers! Not huge, but hey, 10 people (and possibly more) want to hear what I have to say. Thank you, I am so glad you are out there. You have inspired me to pencil in a weekly date for Color Color Color. Enjoy!

-Gail

Moving In

No pictures with this post--I am not sure where the camera is! This has been a very busy week. We have moved into our new home after more than 2 months in a hotel. We still have lots of unpacking and organizing ahead of us. I keep eyeing the boxes labeled "art", but I am trying to stay focused on things like towels and dishes. It won't be long though, I just cannot take it! I have way too many projects on my "want to do" list. Holiday projects, curtains, murals, preschool art group...not to mention rediscovering the materials that have been in storage for 3 months. I have actually been losing sleep (in a good way) thinking of all the creating I plan to do in the coming months.

Be on the lookout for some snowflake crafts this weekend...

Happy Halloween!

We had so much fun decorating and making costumes for Halloween. I love that Hollin is old enough to really get into it. She was so enthusiastic--essentially going crazy with joy--while we decorated the hotel room, carved pumpkins and planned costumes. Waylon picked up on the excitement too.



Here is Hollin decorating her trick-or-treat bag. She wanted a pink plastic princess pumpkin that we saw at the grocery store...we made our own princess bag instead. I drew a picture of her favorite princess on a piece of fabric and she painted it. Then, I sewed it to a pre-made reusable grocery bag. Sadly, we left it at home for the big night of trick-or-treating, it just never made it into the bag of costumes, mittens and goodies. We ended up borrowing a pumpkin bag from a friend and did not miss our mermaid bag at all (now we have a very cute shopping bag). We did make Ariel leaning on a jack-o-lantern--if you look closely you can see the face. Pop-up cards for the family!

Hollin really wanted me to wear a costume, so I made this funny looking jack-o-lantern from an orange sheet. She painted the face for me. I made it nice and big so that it would fit over my coat. Every year I wish for something festive to wear for Halloween--now I am all set!

We had so much fun decorating our hotel room window. A friend gave Hollin the orange pumpkins, I cut our ghosts and bats and she made faces and stuck them to the window. The entire family got into the monster making. This will hardly put us on the cover of a decorating magazine, but that is not the point!

Hollin wanted to be Dorothy and we thought Waylon would make a cute cowardly lion. I can take no credit for his costume, other than finding it for $5 at a consignment store. I made her little jumper--which she is still wearing today, the day after Halloween.

Last week I realized that there would be no way she would be able to wear her Dorothy costume trick-or-treating in Alaska. She would need boots, snow pants, a jacket and hat--all of which would cover up her cute little outfit. So we thought and thought about what costume she could wear over her snow gear. The ice-cream cone was her idea. It was very warm--good thing because it was about 8 degrees!

I just love the faces she made on the clementine "pumpkins" below!

Time for a piece of candy.

Pumpkin + Markers

Who would have thought something so simple could occupy these two for so long! Markers, wipes and a pumpkin. And we can still paint it later as planned.

Still Driving

We are getting ready to start our 6th day. We are all feeling very rested after a good night of sleep. We are going to play in the awesome play land in our hotel in Winnipeg, Manitoba. We will be heading to Regina, Saskatchewan tonight.

Drive Drive Drive

These photos are a bit our of order, but I think you can still enjoy them! Here is Hollin looking over the edge at Niagara Falls.

Waylon contemplating a rock on a roadside beach (Lake Superior). Niagara Falls was our first stop. Fun town, amazing waterfall. We loved just watching the force of the water as it falls over the edge.

Moving Day! Anyone who knows Waylon can imagine how much he liked that truck. Hollin thought it was pretty cool too.

We are 4 days into our 12 day drive from Maryland to Alaska. We are driving an average of 350 miles a day, which comes out to about 5 or 6 hours of driving and many stops to keep the kids (and ourselves) sane. I think that by the end of this trip I may just be the world's authority on road tripping with little kids. I am actually amazed at how well they are traveling. Western Ontario is beautiful and very desolate. More trees than you can imagine, incredible lake views, rocky cliffs...there are hiking trails, parks and picnic areas everywhere. I wish we could stop more. We don't dare slow down if Waylon is asleep. We even managed a bathroom break stopping only for a second so I could jump out and Jonathan could jump in and continue driving around the parking lot. Hollin likes to switch cars and has been really fun. She loves a good adventure.

Water Play

We are really enjoying the challenge of playing without toys and creating without traditional art materials. We said good-bye to our sandbox and water-table yesterday, two of our outdoor favorites. I have to admit that I fretted quite a bit about not having those things in our yard over the next 3 weeks before we move. Now that they are gone I can honestly say we don't even miss them. Both kids enjoyed painting the deck with water yeasterday. Hollin got very into splattering the water and making foot prints. Waylon is happy with any form of water, including the container of ice cubes we had out there. I love water play because it is always fun and easy to clean up. It is also important to me that we spend as much time enjoying the summer and soaking up vitamin D now while we still can. Heat and humidity will be missed in Alaska!

Pack, Pack, Pack

Color, Color, Color may be taking on some new personas over the next few months as we plan for and execute our big move from Maryland to Alaska. Yesterday I spent the day packing up the majority of our art supplies. The movers will be here in less than a month and I really need to clear things out and start to see some progress. I did leave some things out to put a small travel art kit together for me and the kids because it will be quite some time before we get to our belongings. The move itself will take 2 weeks, then, everything will be in storage until we find a house and are ready to move in. I must say, I am excited about the challenge of creating with new and few materials. I did leave out our clay, it will have to passed on because it is just too heavy to take so I am sure we will be using that in the next few weeks. I think we will also be working with nature, looking, listening and talking about the art and beauty around us. I may actually discover that we don't really need many materials after all!