Dinner with Van Gogh

As you know, I have three kids. More specifically I have three boys. Three active boys. That often means that dinner time can be utter chaos with everyone talking at once, Vegan Mom and me trying to keep kids in their seats, spilled drinks, etc. So, Vegan Mom came up with a great idea to help focus the dinner conversation. She signed some books about various artists out of the library, and every night each one of us tells the rest of the family what our favourite painting is by the artist of the week, and why. We then all say what we like about the painting, and discuss the elements and principles of art evident in the piece, as well as techniques that define the artist. On the weekend, we all make our own picture in the style of the artist.

It is a lot of fun to see what pieces of art the kids choose as their favourite because they have no preconceptions and don't go for the obvious. And, I have to admit, doing the original artwork is really hard! I loved art in high school and did a few pieces that weren't half bad, but art employs a part of the brain I have not used in a looooong time. I could almost feel my brain creaking and clunking away trying to get my hand to do what I wanted it to. Above is Son #1's interpretation of Van Gogh's self portrait. Below is my attempt at doing this picture a la Van Gogh. Next up: Picasso!