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when children paint

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I am an abstract artist. My medium is oil painting, often painting on primed board. My wife and I live in San Diego, California.

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Wonderful things happen when children paint. Put paper and brush before them and they paint with apparent and complete happiness. It is for them just another means of expression. It is a medium that blends and naturally coordinates mental, physical and imaginitive imagery. It is a wonderful hand/eye experience for them.
When our children were very young I made a low table with a raised spool at one end. On the spool my wife and I placed a large roll of butcher paper. It came down through a metal guide and then could be pulled unto the table. When they would fill up one sheet, it was easy to tear off and then just unroll more paper for them. They would often use chalk or watercolor and so, the paper would often get quite wet – ha. We would put them out in the sun to dry. It was always so fun to see them express themselves with such bright colors, such bold dashes of line.
When children paint, we feel a certain freedom come over us, a certain exhilaration ourselves. There is no judgement. Every line and dash of color is its own expression. I always found it fascinating how one child would choose certain colors and another, very different hues to express themselves.
I feel thankful that even at my advanced age, i still fill a distinct exhilaration when I paint or draw myself. It is my favorite activity. I feel most free, most myself when I am painting or drawing in the studio. I must express gratitude toward my parents to provide the means when I was very young – it started me on the path.

1 thought on “when children paint

  1. Thank you for the the brief thoughts on art, bite sized, but enough to stimulate the imagination. It is delightful to see the spontaneous activity of children, both those who have no training and with those whose inclinations have been guided by kind teachers such as yourself.

    –Bro. Joshua

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