The Artist's Eyes by Jenn Lee

It seems the closer to Christmas we get each year, my childrens Christmas wish list gets longer and longer. All I hear ringing in my ears is, “All I want for Christmas is…” every day. The television commercials blast all the newest and coolest toys and the postmaster delivers mailer after mailer of Christmas deals with tantalizing pictures of colorful tidbits of toy treats. I’m starting to think he’s in on the attack! As we all know, we parents are pounded defenselessly against the brutal attack from the retail barrage coming from every direction. In my nightmares I peek into my wallet seeing cobwebs and lint and credit card statements delivered by men in dark suits looking menacingly like mobsters coming to break my knees in their attempts to collect.

Alright, enough with the dramatics he-he! Honestly though, it does seem to feel more and more difficult to justify the cost of all the wants for Christmas unless your wallet is bursting at its seams.  So with that said, I decided to share with you some ideas for gift giving for the creative youth(s) in your life, that serve dual purpose as educational or creative inspiration wise and are not quite so tasking on the wallet.

1. Every child likes to play with clay. As we adults can remember, we spent hours of fun playing with Play Dough, creating everything under the sun that our young imaginations could come up with. Sculpey is a wonderful clay that not only can they create with, but can be baked in any standard oven or toaster oven to keep as a keepsake. There are tons of how-to instructions on the internet as well as books you can buy from book stores or craft stores for every age group. From jewelry to statues, photo frames to ornaments, the ideas are limitless as are their imaginations.

2. What better way to inspire the young writer in your life than fun tools to grow their skills? Ultimate Writing & Creativity Center is a fun program that lets them create their written dreams and implement them with music, pictures and more. This program teaches them proper spelling, punctuation and the five steps of the writing process. It’s not only entertaining, but chalked full of hours of educational and creative learning.

3. Going along with the same topic, Storybook Weaver is an excellent program that your child can play with, create and even print with ease. Not only can your child add their own pictures or illustrations, but they have a large library of images at their hands in the program. Having the capability to print and hold their own work in their hands will motivate them to develop their writing skills.  What a wonderful way to inspire the young writer in your life?

4. I don’t remember having all the cool electronic games for learning in my life like kids have available to them now…how could a child not want to learn with all these tools..err toys available? Leap Frog and VTech have cornered the market with the almost limitless amounts of products they have designed for 0-8+ age groups. From preschool  learning aids to elementary age, the fun games they create have learning as their focus. Math games, spelling games, even science and history. The games are hours of fun with learning in mind.

5. Do you have a budding photographer? Yes I know, digital cameras can get quite expensive and are fragile. There are several great beginner cameras for kids that can take a beating. The Fisher Price Kid-Tough Digital Camera, VTech KidiZoom Plus Digital Camera, VTech KidiZoom Kids Camera and the LeapFrog Leapster Explorer Camera and Video Recorder are all great cameras that can handle being dropped or knocked around. A few of these are even water resistant.

6. Do you have a Michelangelo in your household? A great idea for your little artist is an artist’s easel. KidKraft makes a great easel you can buy at most local stores like Walmart, Kmart, Target or Toysrus called the KidKraft Artist Easel.  Guidecraft 4 in 1 Flipping Easel is another great childrens easel and available online as well as Sears.

7. Going along with the art easels or if an easel is not in mind for something you have room for, there are a multitude of art sets you can buy that can store in a bookshelf, toy storage or elsewhere. They come complete with all types of mediums for your little artist. One that I recommend is a wooden arts & crafts set on Amazon, but you can find many other alternatives at your local retail stores for crafts or even in the crafts section of major retailers like Target or Walmart.

8. There are many great drawing books available for young and old as well. Amazon has a great list of books that you can purchase or just use for a resource for ideas of types of drawing books. These are inexpensive and great tools for learning in all aspects of art.

These are just a few ideas that came to mind that focus on feeding creativity and imagination in those individuals that are giving you “All I want for Christmas is…” lists. Fun, educational and inspiring…in this artist’s eyes.

During my studies of ways to create art using items that I recycle/reuse, I stumbled upon the art of cardboard art. What in the world is a cardboard art? Well cardboard art is created out of cardboard boxes that have been ripped, shredded or cut  into pieces and glued together to create a sculpture of whatever the artist envisioned.  There are many really talented artists out there creating these recycled creations! Here are just a few of my favorites…

Chris Gilmour specializes in life-sized sculptures made from recycled cardboard and glue, using both plain packaging cardboard and recycled packaging material. From bicycles to motorcycles, furniture to objects we use in our daily lives, he creates all of his pieces in perfect detail to scale and realism.

Mark Langan is another talented artist that specializes in reclaimed/recycled art mediums. Since 2004 he has been working diligently at educating through his art. Mark’s sculptures celebrate the form of cardboard  itself, complimenting the textures and layers. His work leaves one in awe for its simplicity of materials turned into fantastic pieces of art.

There are many many more artists out there that also work with cardboard in their creations, but I didn’t want to make this post go on and on and on. Just type in cardboard art in Google and I promise, you won’t be disappointed!

What an inspiration these artists are both artistically and Eco consciously….in this artist’s eyes.

When it comes to my children, I have always tried to nurture their artistic side. I feel that nurturing their imaginations and ability to envision ideas is an important asset for their adult lives. Being able to create, envision ideas will help them in their workplaces as well as life skills.

When my fiance and I were deciding on where to purchase a home, it was important to him that we stay in Oldham County. He felt that the school systems here were some of the best in the area. After living here a year, I feel that I agree with him not only in their education, but in the art opportunities presented to us.

Oldham County Schools Art Center is a wonderful place for children to grow their creative side. They offer classes that touch upon just about every aspect of the arts as well as for any age group. Located in the heart of Crestwood, Kentucky Oldham County Schools Arts Center is conveniently located. They offer classes not only for children but adults as well.  The mission of the Oldham County Schools Arts Center is to provide educational opportunities and arts experiences to families, students, and adults in the county and surrounding area.

Children (and adults) can take classes in the Performing Arts, where they can learn dance, theater and musical instruments. OCSAC has classes in the Visual Arts where they can learn how to work with clay, drawing, painting, Theater painting and even digital photography. They have several galleries for artists to show their talents and a good size theater for their performing arts where they allow the public to see the shows the students work so hard at learning.

My nine year old daughter was given an art scholarship allowing her to choose a class to participate in this year. It was a great honor for her and of course us to see her receive it. She has natural abilities in the arts so it was a little difficult to figure out which class she would benefit from the most. In the end she chose Intro to Clay. In this class she will learn how to form and shape clay, learning basic hand building techniques working with coiled clay, slab clay and even the pottery wheel. This will be an exciting adventure and challenging class for her. I can’t wait to see what she comes up with!

Whether you are an adult or have children, expanding your creativity and imagination is never a bad thing…in this artist’s eyes.

I was watching television the other night and saw a couple of commercials that made me think a little. One commercial was for Windows 7. Their commercials have people talk about applications in Windows 7 and close with the person saying “I’m a PC and Windows 7 was my idea.” The other commercial was for Allstate Insurance, where you watch a chain of events with each person doing a seemingly little good deed that inspires a passerby to do some little good deed for someone else…creating a chain reaction.

This made me think upon these questions:  Do you ever think about how or where you learned what you know? Whether it be the way you raise your family, habits in your daily life, or your profession, what will you have left on the world around you once you are gone? Will you be able to say you left an impact, whether it be large or small?

As we grew up, our parents instilled in us morals and healthy habits. Our schools gave us education and study habits we took to college. College taught us specific fields of education and how to apply it to the workplace. Our professions gave us experience through hands on education and a place for us to really hone our skills.

What point am I trying to make with this? What question am I really asking?  What are you passing on? Whether it be through parenting, teaching, sharing your experience or knowledge, mentoring or just kind gestures, we are all able to pass it on…

While you go through your day, try and make a point to pass something on, maybe it’s something as simple as a smile, letting that car go before you, helping someone with directions, or making a point to say something uplifting to a family member. Or maybe you can pass it on large by sharing your time, skills or expertise with another in the workplace, mentoring a beginner in a field you are experienced in, or teaching your children things you learned through the years that will impact their future.

As a parent, I confess sometimes I take for granted my children “simply know,” kind of like common sense. I have to remember I learned from my parents and I must do the same. Even common sense is learned through teaching and experiencing.

When it comes to being an artist, I confess also, I forget I can pass it on. Every person in the world has an artist in them. I hear time and time again, people say “I can’t even draw a stick figure.” Wrong, you just haven’t had the right person find and hone in on the artistic style that best suits YOU. Maybe stick figures aren’t the right artistic outlet for you!

In closing, think a moment on what your strengths are. What are you a fountain of knowledge in? What impact can you leave on this earth for the younger generations? Share, teach, inspire, motivate…Pass it on!

This weeks Art Poll! The idea is to help me further understand the artistic views of those around me. I would love to know what you think, so please vote!

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