My daughter and I just finished this collaborative piece. She started the acrylic painting several months ago. Today we pulled it out to add a little oil pastel on top. She directed me every step of the way. For example I was told to, “Add some pink grass at the bottom of the tree. Now add some dark blue.” In the end, she felt that my tree was a little too representational for her liking. I suggested that maybe it was finished and she told me that we were “not finished” as she pulled up her black stool and made the necessary changes to the tree. The marks do add a little more movement. 😉 I am fascinated by the way that her “artistic eye” has started changing. She really likes to draw circles with dots of color in the center (see the details to the right).
They remind me of Chuck Close’s technique, used in his contemporary work. Do you think that he was inspired by a 3 year old?
Who knows?! Maybe she will end up being the next Chuck Close. Either way, I’m having a lot of fun watching her creative side grow.