Art

By the time Lucy was two, Wes and I knew we were raising a talented little artist.

I've intended to periodically post about her work.  I've meant to sit down and sift through my massive file of "favorite pieces," and scan some of them in...but since that probably won't happen anytime soon, I thought I'd just walk around the house with my camera to record a random sampling of Lucy's current work. 

  Most of these are from her church notebook.

I love the varied styles, the visible emotion, the great colors.  Many of the drawings I come across daily around the house are incomplete.

Some are bizarre!

Most reflect recent happenings/activities.  Lucy whipped this piece out in about five minutes after watching Dolphin Tale the other night:

Pencils and pastels (thank you Rachel!) constantly cover the table.

As well as various other mediums.

And we've been experimenting more and more with paint.  Lack of canvas is the only problem.  I try to pick up pieces to paint over every time we're at the D.I, but we're still inevitably short.  For example, in February, just days after after creating this fabulous tree,

Lucy brought home a President's Day reader and was determined to try her hand at a portrait.  Goodbye tree, hello George Washington!

    

(She gave him just a hint of a smile.  Which made me smile.) 

I love these love birds.

And I love that after quietly observing my ultra boring painting one night (Spencer and I always join her and she is always so encouraging of our efforts!)

...she turned the idea into a real work of art!

Here's the full scene...which I decided should be our new blog header for a while.   Isn't it fun?!

A year or so ago, I showed Lucy the clip from President Uchtdorf's beautiful talk about how creativity (of all kinds!) is a divine inheritance that extends "far beyond the limits of a canvas or a sheet of paper and [does] not require a brush, a pen, or the keys of a piano. Creation means bringing into existence something that did not exist before—colorful gardens, harmonious homes, family memories, flowing laughter..."

"What you create doesn’t have to be perfect...Don’t let fear of failure discourage you...Start small. Try to see how many smiles you can create, write a letter of appreciation, learn a new skill, identify a space and beautify it..."

"The more you trust and rely upon the Spirit, the greater your capacity to create."

That is what I hope my little artist will come to know - in her artwork and in her life!