Heron with Cars

Heron with Cars

Nature meets technology. This is on Route 66 -- see the sign in the upper left corner.

Proud!

Zebra

Q: What were you thinking when you made this? Like what were you thinking when you did the blue-green background?

A: Hmm...I don't know...(long pause)...some art is just unexplainable.

Lion

Portrait of Qaddafi

A. randomly drew this from a photo he saw in the New Yorker.

Gauguin Camp

Aidan did his first art camp this summer, a camp on Gauguin at a sweet little storefront in Maple Leaf called Early Masters. He learned about Gauguin's travels and made four stunningly colorful copies of his paintings. After going to Hawaii this summer, Aidan must have related to the idea of getting away from it all in the South Pacific. At the end of the week, this is what he had to report: "Gauguin was a great artist." And: "He was a hothead. He left his family to go paint."

Wispy Tufts

My kids' artwork never fails to astonish me. Not just because they are my kids -- though I'm sure there's some of that. But being 6 and 8, they have a sweet and sometimes-surprising view of the world.

This blog, which is a random posting of their artwork, is named for a poem by John Fuller called "Sheep Party" that my 8-year-old, Aidan, decided to illustrate for a class project. On his poster, he drew a blue sheep in a party hat and a "wispy tufts guardhouse."

Sheep Party

Under thorn and bramble

The sheep have left their rags

And decorate their valley

With little woollen flags

"This way to the party,"

The wispy tufts declare

"Between the bunks and hedges

Hurry, you're nearly there!

There's bracken newly curling

And bilberry in bloom

The guests are quite contented

And there's lots and lots of room,

But who am I to follow?

And which way should I go?

The wool is blue and crimson

And from different sheep, I know.

The red-stained sheep live that way,

THe blue-stained sheep up there

There must be several parties

And I really couldn't care.

For I like peanut butter

Not grass and twigs and stones

Like the red sheep of Mr. Roberts

And the blue of Mr. Jones.