Tuesday, June 12, 2012

The Creator Must be Smiling


       I just never get tired of looking at children's art. For me there is something more than the physical aspect of "color, cut, and paste" at work.  It's spiritual. I am always amazed and often amused at what children imagine and produce. Given the same instructions,  no two children come up with the same result in art class.

       In fact, I rather think God smiled when He looked at our spring art show at school. His creations making creations of His other creations. It all points back to Him, the Creator!

       I took some photos of the art before the crowds descended.

Please pardon the angle. Long, narrow halls made it a challenge, if not an impossibility, to photograph everything up close and straight on.
First graders had a whale of a good time tearing paper and layering it for these scenes.  I got a chuckle out of the one on the bottom left.  Reminds me of a black lab with blue rabbit ears, swimming for dear life. (Click to enlarge for a giggle.)
                                      




The detail, precision, texture, color mixing, and simplicity of this sixth grader's tree scene and butterfly captivated me.  All her work was like this, and I awarded her the Excellence in Art for the year. 




Radial art done by my son, 4th grade. Of course it has footballs. I think 80 percent of his art featured footballs if he had a choice in the subject matter!











However, a certain one makes me smile the most.  Isn't he hard to "resist" with his Thomas the Tank Engine looking face?  Every parent and grandparent zoomed right in on their own child's work. If there were 12, or 1200, or 12000 pictures on the wall, we would find the one that has our kid's name on it because they belong to us and they make us happy. What they produce with their minds and hands makes us happy. 


In fact, a little brag fest here, if I may be so bold...my boy's art teacher (who was not I) gave  him the Excellence in Art Award this year. Yeah, proud parent moment. He gets his talent from his dad, trust me. 



Oh, how I love my job.  It's really not work when you're having fun. I would guess this is how God feels. His "work" in us is a delight to Him, not a chore. Are we a mess of a project? Yes, indeed. Do we   hands-on help from the Teacher? Certainly. Does He bring all the supplies and we just show up to class? Uh-huh.   Does He love His creations? You betcha.  We are His living art gallery and every day He gets to show off His handiwork.  That makes Him smile.

5 comments:

Susan Kane said...

I love them all! Teaching art is such a joy. I miss being in the classroom, but am enjoying the time I invest in my grandchildren. They love Eric Carle's books!

Joyce said...

I also love children's artwork. My nephew is 6 and definitely has some real talent. It will be fun to see it develop. I love the no-talent too though...seeing the world thru a child's eye is a treasure.

Beth Zimmerman said...

Beautiful, Zo! The art AND the words!

Arlee Bird said...

Kids are honest with their art. They depict things as they see and understand them. Love the colors.


Lee
A Faraway View
An A to Z Co-host blog

Laurie said...

Great art and artists via a Great Creator! This post reminded me of a song… again…

The Passion of Creation

Bird in a brown egg
Waiting for wings
Tree in a seedcase
Awaiting the spring
A mind holds a painting
Nothing can rush
Canvas is waiting
The stroke of the brush

CHORUS:
The rhythm of Your Spirit
Is beating in my heart
You’re whispering a secret
The hymn within my art
A vision of Your glory
You’ve given me a part
The passion of creation is in You

Far from the turning
Clay in the mire
Soon will be burning
A pot in the fire
Deep in the soil
The substance of art
To splendor or spoil
Harvest my heart

(CHORUS)

The passion of creation is in You
Create in me a work of art
Create in me a work of art
Create in me a purer heart
Create in me a purer heart

by Jimmy Abegg (who was one of the Ragamuffins)
from Jimmy’s album “Entertaining Angels”