Sunday, December 9, 2012

The art is the heart


Roboboy brought his self portrait from art home this week. I love it so much that it's already in an Ikea frame and hanging on the wall. He even drew in his lucky curl (as he calls it). Whenever I cut his hair, we always have to make sure not to cut off the lucky curl  as it gives him all his "extra power". Here is a comparison shot.


We are so,so lucky to have a wonderful art teacher at his school who embraces colour and collaboration. Here are some of the collaborative art works she helped the students create before the school fete art show.




Earlier in the year she introduced the grade one class to the work of Yayoi Kusama who had been featured at our Gallery of Modern Art. The kids then did their own interpretation of her work. It is freakish when your six year old comes home rabbiting the obscure name of an artist you have never heard of as if  he just had morning tea with her that day.


Roboboy's version is on the left hand side, second from the top. He was so happy to do this work because he just loves all this colour. He brought this one home recently and asked me if it would be ok to colour it in as all that black and white was bothering him.



It's not just Roboboy and I though, someone else seems to be showing signs of the colour bug too. Here is a recent birthday card that Liongirl made for a friend.


You can imagine our excitement when the school had a little makeover a few months ago.  Us colour lovers feel right at home at this little school.



 Not only that, they still send home school readers circa 1977, check out these glorious vintage pictures.    I think we kept this one home for two nights , just so we could both swoon over the pictures a bit longer.



It appears that Cornflakes and Special K have not changed their packaging much  over 30 years.



I studied Art right through to Grade 12 along side a heavy maths/science subject load. Art was my safe space, that place to relax and be free from cramming my brain full of facts and numbers. It warms the cockles of my heart to see the same love of art and colour in both my children, and absolute gratitude for finding a school that embraces and values creative pursuits.


20 comments:

  1. What a delicious post!!! You are so lucky to have a primary school with a specialist art teacher. Ours is more focussed on music and PE. Your coloured poles are glorious too. I was secretly very pleased when my big boys chose art for their Year 9 subjects for next year. It is so healthy for their souls. I'm back in an art room again next year and nervous but excited too. All that lovely stuff to play with. It makes my mouth water!

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  2. That whole lucky curl thing is just gorgeous Mel (what a kid!), as is all that colour, and that lovely old-school reading book.

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  3. How wonderful are the readers with the vintage illustrations, I love them. I too would frame that stunning self portrait. Love the lucky curl.

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  4. All that colour is amazing. Your kids artwork is wonderful, your walls and fridge must be very colourful.
    x

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  5. So much to love in this post Mel! Your boy's lucky curl is so gorgeous and their artwork must make you feel so proud. And that reading book!! I found a few 70s school reading books in an op shop recently - some of the illustrations are amazing - it made my day! xx

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  6. I recognised Roboboy in his portrait straight away. He has a talent in the art department. As does Liongirl. I love her yellows and oranges. What clever, curly-haired, cute kids!

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  7. I love the way our special kids get so caught up in life, they pick up on the smallest details that pass us by! It struck me the other day what a creative family I live with, musical, artistic, and then there's me, grappling with the finer points of the sewing machine! I'll catch them up in the end! :)

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  8. Ahhh the power of a lucky curl!. I adore the class artwork about belonging to the world. And how cute are those coloured bench seats at school!. Looks like that school has spunk!!.
    Allison x

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  9. I love every single bit of this post Mel! especially that lucky curl. Gosh I think we all need one of those.

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  10. What a fortune you can save, when your own kids create amazing art to decorate the house with. Love the self portrait - the details - bless! xx

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  11. Lucky curl - that is just gorgeous! Wonderful artwork. Can't wait till my boys start drawing more - at the moment it is all play and I struggle to get them to sit down and do anyting arty. x

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  12. what a lovely post, Mel, art and creativity is such a gift xx

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  13. I love his lucky curl!
    So sweet!

    That art teacher of yours seems amazing.
    I loved art class growing up...you are right when you describe it as a safe space.

    And how great are Ikea frames?
    Our kitchen wall is already full of Ikea framed masterpieces!

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  14. We get the odd vintage reader here too. I love the school paint over! Great colours.

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  15. We love colour too! How wonderful that the art teacher is so inspiring! Love the self portrait :)

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  16. What great artwork, and how lucky to have a lucky curl!

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  17. lucky curl? seriously makes my heart burst. i was working at goma yesterday and a little boy, wouldn't have been older than 6 came running into the ground floor gallery space screaming that he saw an m.c.escher. i couldn't believe my ears, of course he didn't see one unfortunately but the fact he knew who escher was and was recognising the tesselating patterns made me so happy. there's still hope for art in schools, it makes me so happy to hear it. you have quite the artists there, beautiful works! ps. i have put aside a bunch of wallpaper offcuts for you. we'll organise a tea date soon, perhaps early in the new year with soph and melania...will keep you posted. have a wonderful christmas with your gorgeous family if i don't get back here before then. xxx

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  18. Ohh I love a vintage picture book. When I was studying teaching at University (the degree that keeps on going because I keep deferring)... one of my favorite things was the collection of picture books from years and years gone by in the library! Glad to have found you via Blowing Kisses!

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  19. Love, love, love the lucky curl, especially it's inclusion in the self-portrait. Completely divine. What a lovely school for Roboboy and Liongirl to thrive in as well. The fabulous art teacher, the colours to inspire little minds and the retro reader, love it all! xx

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