Paint...everywhere!

Yesterday's creativity was mostly aimed at helping Simon be creative.

I made a breakfast smoothie...back to khaki I'm afraid, as it had strawberries in it!

Simon and I then did some painting. We went into the garden and I put down a plastic cloth and a big piece of paper and put some paint in a dish. I stripped Simon down to his nappy and let him get stuck in!

We had a great time! Simon preferred to paint his body rather than the paper, and he liked the paint being squirted directly on to the paper rather than in the dish. He found it easier to move around like that, and kept asking for 'bore' which means 'more!'

This was the final masterpiece, and he was so pleased with it! 

After our last go at paining like this (see my post 'plagiarism and getting messy' http://joscreativeblog.blogspot.co.uk/2016/08/plagiarism-and-getting-messy.html) I tried really hard to just relax and go with the flow, and I think I did well, as Simon was basically a multicoloured baby, and I had a fair bit of paint on me too. I'm glad we were outdoors though, as when it came time to wash off the paint I discovered it stained - Simon now has a tide line of brown round his tummy where his nappy was, and I have stained trousers! Thank goodness it was a hot day, the paddling pool was out and Simon quite likes being squirted with the sprinkler on the hose! Once the worst was off I cuddled him up in a towel and up into the shower to warm up!

As the saying goes 'you can't make an omelette without breaking eggs' and if you are going to be creative you have to be able to cope with mistakes, stains, disappointments, disasters, successes and going with the flow.

When I was doing my final piece for my Foundation diploma, I so didn't want to do an installation...it was just too art studenty. And what did I do? Take a look here http://joscreativeblog.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/Foundation and at other June 2012 posts. I remember a sense of inevitability that it HAD to be an installation, as in the piece wanted it. It wasn't my choice, other than I went with it, but it was the way the art work needed to go. I hadn't really experienced that before, but it is exactly what happened. 

Plagiarism and getting messy.

Ok, I admit it...some of the creativity I'm posting today is plagiarised from an up and coming young artist. Tuesdays are always an easier day for creativity as Adrian is out at an evening class, so my time is all my own.

Here is 'my' first bit of creativity from yesterday 

I took Simon to Tiny Towner which is happening every Tuesday morning during July and August at the Towner Art Gallery (here's their website http://www.townereastbourne.org.uk/)

They had a great sensory room with mirrors and fabric and books and cushions and lights, and a messy room with the chance to paint with your feet, hands, fingers, bottom, elbows, nose etc etc

As you can see Simon had a great time...and he got messier from here! He loved squishing the paint between his fingers more than mark making, although it was interesting to see his reaction to the cause and effect of paint on your hands being put on paper.

My reaction to his getting this messy was also interesting. I've worked hard on being a relaxed parent, but this made me twitchy. I worried about staining and about me getting messy too. Whenever I do anything like painting, dyeing fabric etc I try and wear old clothes or an apron, and now I don't do too much of that I don't have 'art' clothes that can get messy! I need to remedy this, for myself and for Simon. He needs to be able to just enjoy these experiences, and getting muddy at the park or in the garden and SO DO I! Removing blocks to creativity is essential if I am going to have it in my life.

What else did I create?

Another khaki breakfast smoothie - banana, mango, spinach and almond milk. Very yummy as the mango was really, really ripe, but not pretty, so I will spare you another khaki smoothie photo!

Spinach and cheese filo tart - forgot to take a photo till we'd eaten most of it!

According to the recipe book, it was supposed to be ideal finger food for Simon, but I don't think he read that page as it was rejected without tasting it! Adrian liked it though!

I also unpicked and redid the stitches on the I spy quilt, no new photo as it's the same as the other day! I hate unpicking, but it definitely looks less wrinkled.

I also did some what I call 'colouring' (it is colouring) while watching a couple of episodes of Miranda - such fun!