Seeing people make art for the sheer joy of it is always a pleasurable experience. The critic inside me takes a nap and the tourist takes over, looking and listening and smiling.
I taught college art courses for nearly a dozen years and occasionally someone would show up in class with a natural ability to move into the visual arena, without the hang-ups and pre-conceptions that most beginners bring with them to school.
One summer I had a whole group of such people, and the work they produced brought a thrill to me, both as an artist and a teacher.
My daughter made extraordinary drawings and paintings as a toddler. Most little children have this innate talent. Many of my daughter’s paintings were visionary and she knew exactly what she was painting. As she grew - past kindergarten age - she increasingly felt the need to have her renderings “look Real”. With this came the frustration of limited drawing skills and eventually the cessation of this activity entirely.
It reminded me of the story of Adam and Eve and the birth of self-consciousness.
At the sidewalk painting festival, my favorite paintings were the one comprised of many squares filled with drawings /paintings by youngsters, and the painted cars. What better use for a car than to paint it. Some day, hopefully, all cars will be turned into art.....and
recycled scrap.
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