Our Son's Artwork // Arlington Museum of Art

We are so proud of our son, Daniel who recently had his 3rd original piece of artwork chosen to be shown at the Arlington Museum of Art. His piece this year is a painting of silent film actress, Clara Bow.

Daniel is an exceptional person, not only for his mad art skills. He is hilarious, smart, fun to be around, and one of the most genuine people you could ever hope to meet.

Throughout this post are snapshots I took with Instagram. The museum is filled with Mid-Century institutional furniture (one of my own personal favorite things since elementary school) in cool colors and classic shapes. Ah, nostalgia! I can almost smell the Elmer's White Paste and Crayola box of 64! Laser Lemon and a crayon sharpener built into the box--yeah! 

The Arlington Museum of Art is filled with quiet spaces. I find there is a special quality to places such as these...a simple beauty...a great many stories implied with hardly anything more than some stairs, a window, ceiling tiles, and a palm. 

The creativity of children is so inspiring. A cat that looks like a ladybug! Just darling!

There is really something special about the artwork of children. It is what they create before the world really has a chance to tell them the "right" way to make art. Before their inner editor creeps in and spoils the joyful process that is making something just to be making something. Because you can. Because you want to. Because it is fun.

I think it's important to remember who you were and what you wanted before the world started telling you the answers to those questions. 

And besides...

Since when do you have to believe what other people tell you about yourself?

xoxo,

Ashley

App Addict - Flowpaper (and how your anger toward me for hating the iPad is a psychological defense mechanism called identification)

I have always wanted to paint. Mostly using oil paints and watercolors. However, outside of public school art classes, I've not really made the effort (not that I would have time anyway between writing, photographing things, housewifery, et cetera.) 


The other day I discovered a wonderful application for my iPhone, which allows me to get my painting fix...sort-of. It's called Flowpaper and basically what it does is allow you to create lovely flowing ribbons of color (you may choose the color or a combination of colors) using some principles of physics...and your finger. It's like finger-painting meets science...but without the mess or the math (though I'm perfectly okay with either).


Fellows, take it from me. Flowpaper. Is. Addictive. And it's only 99 cents, so it's probably way cheaper than anything else you're addicted to right now (smile!) It's one of those apps that will drive people like me (perfectionists) crazy. It creates that frantic feeling that you're just SO CLOSE to creating a masterpiece and if you keep erasing and starting again, you'll have it. 


Here is my most favorite "painting" I have created with Flowpaper in the past few days that is not a nude woman (teehee). I urge you to download this app yourself, try it out, and then appreciate my mad skills. It is NOT as easy as it looks!

See?! It's a fancy fish and a cute little bird (a Bluejay, let's say...or Cardinal...I like both) with his wings extended and his tiny legs outstretched for landing. It took me approximately 5 minutes to create this...after I spent 15-20 creating and erasing to figure out how the patterns work. 


Go try it! Apparently it works on the iPad, as well...and now that I think of it, is probably slightly easier to use on one of those, but...to me the iPhone verses the iPad is the difference between college ruled notebook paper and those icky brown preschool sheets of paper with the thick dashed lines and enormous spacing. Or, if you'd rather, a scalpel versus a child's safety scissors. 


Now, don't get all offended if you love the iPad. It's not as though you invented it, after all. It is a piece of electronics, not your sister. Though, I know the same principles of psychological defense mechanisms (identification, to be exact) apply to loving Apple products and defending their meritoriousness as do joining sports teams or gangs or countercultures. So I pretty much expect some of you to resent my comments on a deeply personal level...which is exactly what Apple strives for, though not what I have intended. I'm just glad you're not in a gang.


Big smile. The End!