Feature
May, 14 2008
Real Mom - Art Curator
by Susan Lindgren
Originally posted on the lil' mommy that could.
My talents in art consist of stick people and third grade flowers and hearts. You can say I appreciate art. One of the five best days in my life was the day I spent at the Chicago Art Museum. This was before children. I roamed the halls - Picasso, Seurat, Renoir. To make it even more special was a traveling display of Ansel Adams original portraits. Now you see his prints in every superbox store but nothing compares to seeing the original, the lighting, the signature at the bottom, heaven.
I look at art differently now that I am a mom. I see the two red stripes that are supposed to symbolize bloodshed for all mankind, more as two ketchup stains I know will be a bitch to get out. Was the true genius Jackson Pollock or the woman who had to clean the mess he made after his artistic masterpieces? And of course the true works of art do not hang in the museum but are on my fridge, and a couple of walls in my house.
Meg's artistic tool of choice is a pen. I know she is only one. She gets vast supervision. I have tried to buy the longer crayons that look like pens, but she was not fooled. Her drawing and coloring consists of masterful straight lines and angles set off by a few sweeping arches. Her concentration to her work is awe-inspiring. Very precise and very neat. When we got out the chalk she hated the idea of dust on her hands - no Pollock here.
Nolan's skills have evolved beautifully. I had mommy-pride when the teacher showed me his self-portrait. He was well above the other kids, even putting pupils in the eyes. So this is what DaVinci's mom felt like. Nolan is very fond of paint - finger paint. He has the skills of a fine modern artist. He is my Pollock if you will. I have a pair a pants that suffered the casualty of paint splatters, washable - my right knee. His greatest days are when I fill up my little tins with green, red and yellow paint. At school he heads right to the paint table.
I too enjoy coloring and painting with my kids. No masterpieces for me, but it is the fun that is more important. I enjoy the art I can put on the fridge, although I could do without crayon on the wall. My kids love to create and I love to show it off. So please excuse me I must adjust my track lighting to the new masterpiece on the fridge.
