The next Picasso

Art is for people of all ages

Art comes in different color schemes, shapes, patterns, sizes, and is for people of all ages.   Art can be messy, sticky, wet or dry, but no matter what the outcome of the design, I can guarantee that all of the hard work that was put into the artwork made it a lot more fun.

My love of coloring

As a child, I can remember the love of coloring; I had lots and lots of coloring books, and no matter how many I already had, I always found ways of convincing my parents to buy more.  I remember how I would spend time coloring the pages in my books, whether it was a lion, a tiger or bear, oh my!  No, really, no matter what the character was in the page I was coloring, and whether or not a story was being told, I would spend hours coloring.  I would always try to stay within the lines and found interesting ways to accomplish that; I would outline the black lines around the picture in a dark color crayon and that would always serve as a barrier protector to avoid going over the lines.

Making art is thrilling

My most creative pieces would then make it to my bedroom walls, my parents’ bedroom wall, our refrigerator, or even proudly displayed at granny’s house.   How about sending some out as Christmas cards?  Yes, I did that too!  The feeling of my pieces going out with Christmas cards via mail in a sealed stamped envelope, I thought, was so thrilling!  

My special Mother's Day gift

Today, I am a proud mother of two, one girl; already in college and my little art monster boy, who’s seven.  My daughter also showed her love of art in many ways as a child, from coloring books, to sidewalk chalks to clay and now having developed enough skills to see a picture and draw characters freely without tracing them. This mother’s day, I received a text message with one of her drawings; it was a picture of Betty Boop, one of my favorite childhood characters, and it read, Happy Mother’s Day!  She didn't have time to purchase anything for me this year, but that picture meant the whole world to me.

Art is so interesting to my kids

My little monster is also very creative in his own ways; he loves to write books and even adds his own characters into his stories.   His teachers admire his writing skills at such a young age.  Both my kids have displayed so much interest in art, no matter what the color scheme, shape, pattern, or size, once again, it’s for people of all ages. 

Limit the use of electronics and increase active creative play

The majority of our kids spend so much of their free time, indoors, with little or no involvement in art.  Their pastime is spent either watching TV, on their computers, tablets, or playing video games.  It is recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics that parents limit the use of electronics to one or two hours a day.   Too much screen time can be linked to, obesity, irregular sleep, behavioral problems, impaired academic performance, violence, and less time for play; less time for active creative play. 

The Mayo Clinic has an interesting article on how too much screen time affects our children.  It also has recommendations on how to limit screen time.  The article can be found at here.

Remember, less screen time and more active creative play

Whether it’s outdoor creativity, or indoor creativity, allow your children to demonstrate those skills that are hiding within those little brains and bodies.

You never know, inside those little bodies, there could be hiding; the next Picasso.  

I finish my story with a quote from the very own Picasso.

“Every child is an artist”

- Pablo Picasso

Post by guest blogger; Gladys Vilchez

Human Resources Coordinator at Square 1 Art