On Slug Marmelade and Life Stages

An anthropologist friend of mine pointed out that even the niftiest artists and crafters go through life stages where their work has different levels of meaning and focus. Parenting a toddler is a life stage that is not to be trifled with. Which is to say that rather than sketching on this amazing sunny weekend during which spring was indeed starting to spring, I found myself...

• Introducing the kiddo to the concept of catkins, and showing how the pollen poofs out when you shake them,
• Clarifying that crocuses come in a whole range of colors, from yellow to white to purple, and
• Inventing fancy new common names for certain wild fungi (in Spanish, no less) to clarify that even though they are stunningly pretty, they aren't meant for human consumption. Thus, "witches jelly" is now "mermelada de babosa" (marmelade for the slugs) in my book.

And in turn, the kiddo did some marvellous drawing on the lids of cardboard boxes. Not only do I applaud the control she had to make all those broad parallel strokes, but she also 

• Clearly articulated the differences between "light" and "dark" versions of colors (claro/oscuro) for the first time I've heard, and
• Narrated a very specific strategy for which colors she wanted to use first and then which would come next, in a very deliberate way.

Dang. Landmark city in my brain, at least.

Plus, she declared "I love the catkins," which is the first time we've ever heard her say "I love (x)" about anything.

Am not sure if I am realistically going to keep updating this blog much in the near future, so this post can be a nod to the dynamic force of life stages in the meantime.

Wigwags and Zucchini Muffins

A favorite attraction at the Oregon Zoo is now the wig-wag train crossing signal that's across from the leopards. Sorry leopards, but you don't go "ding ding ding" or have a red light in your belly, do you?

A slightly clumsy attempt to capture the dynamic wiggler bouncing around in the cafe chair while eating her muffin. The proportions are all cattywampus, but the general concept of seat as jungle-gym is coming across at least. 

Spring, Springing

Portland trees are erupting with lovely blossoms all over town. I decided to challenge myself to an art experiment this weekend: capturing the beautiful pink cherry blossoms in the neighbor's yard using a unusual art tool...being the 16-month-old kiddo.

Step one: Admire the awesome flowers. (Wow, huh?)

Step two: Assemble non-toxic art supplies in the appropriate color scheme (in this case, a gray washable non-toxic marker, a custom mix of red and white tempera paint, a nice soft paintbrush, and a stack of cream-colored cards.)

Step three: Strategically hand art supplies to kiddo during a gap in the incessant going-down-the-slide practice and cross fingers...

Step four: Burst buttons with pride at how nicely that all turned out. Brag on internet, mail originals to grandparents.

Yeah, OK, it's not really that much different than the folks who dip grubs in paint and them them crawl all over the paper...But it's a fun exercise in selecting materials and introducing chaos! (Plus, it's so exciting to watch this grub learn how to re-load a brush with paint.)

Happy spring, y'all.