My grandkids could have painted that....

As a matter of fact, they did. As part of ViMae's birthday celebrations, we gave each of them large-grip paint brushes and spill-proof paint cups. We poured in modest amounts of washable tempera paint, fashioned smocks out of garbage bags, and stood by with paper towels and a wet cloth. They both had a great time. Correction: We all had a great time!

ViMae has been using circular strokes in her drawing and writing lately, and we were pleased to see her begin with bold ovals that filled the page. She filled them with thick swirls of color upon color (see above).

Augie loved the green paint (which we mixed from blue and yellow, to their great delight), and he used it to establish an initial shape for most of his paintings. He said he was making pizza, and he added layer after layer of new ingredients (right).

When I asked Vi what she was making, she said firmly, "A pattern." Personally, hers reminds me of a vase and his a salad. and I love them both.

How about one more pair. At left, Pattern II by ViMae. Below right, Augie's I Think it Looks Like a Shark.

Augie's preschool teacher compared his technique and style to abstract expressionist Jackson Pollock (1912-1956) (two of Pollock's works at left). She hopes to introduce Augie to this work, to give him a connection to the art world. At first, I thought, "Bad idea." But Augie lovingly "played" the piano after watching Dr. John. He watches drummers, from Gene Krupa to Keith Moon to Karen Carpenter, and then produces his own music, inspired by theirs. Looking at Jackson Pollock's work will not diminish his own.

That's something we love and admire about both kids. Their art - like their music and their lives - is bold and free and bursting with color. It fills the page - it doesn't cower in the corner the way my timid little drawings did. In fact, I'm thinking of buying the same tools for myself so I can newly explore my own artistic side.

If you're doing this at home, the oversized brushes and spill-proof cups help, and we will use the cups even if we switch to daintier brushes. Also, we are going to try pieces of cardboard instead of paper. It will give them a bit larger canvas and will stand up to the great globs of paint they like to apply! FYI, the brushes and cups are by Melissa and Doug and the washable tempera set is by Crayola.

P.S., Thank you to all who commented so beautifully on my post about my dad. I'll be away from computers for the next couple of days as we bid him a final farewell.