Artist in the Making

My son, like most 14 year old boys, wanted PC games for Christmas. To his disappointment, he didn’t receive any. That’s not because I didn’t care to give him what he wants, but because he’s got plenty already. The primary reason though, is because kids are too caught up in games these days and they shouldn’t be.

Games are fun, but there is a whole world out there beyond their computer or TV screens. It is a world that children need to know and learn to appreciate. Because of this, I decided to get my son something different that will enable him to broaden his horizons. An art easel.

He loves to draw and is very creative. During his ‘no computer’ time, that is what he often does. We’ve been wanting to get him an easel for a couple of years, but for one reason or another it’s not happened. After searching in the toy aisles for an hour on Monday for the perfect gift, I ended up not buying anything from that department, except a couple of hot wheels cars. At 14, he still loves those cars.

Frustrated and tired of looking at toys, I scurried over to the arts and crafts aisle to see what I could find for him there. To my excitement, there was an easel sitting right in front of me when I rounded the corner. So the easel, along with acrylic paints, brushes and a 3 piece canvas set all got tossed into the shopping cart. In one aisle and within 2 minutes, Christmas shopping was done.

Then came Christmas morning, or in this house, Christmas afternoon. Even though I had given my son a heads up that games would probably not be on the list this year, he was still a bit disappointed as he opened his gifts. I’ll admit that I felt somewhat bad for him too. But, as I began explaining to him what all the items were for and how we could frame and hang his art work, he began to get very excited. By the time his gift tour was over, he was smiling from ear to ear and bouncing with joy.

I told him of how he could sit outside in the summer and paint the landscape. That’s when I started to get excited too. To sit outside on a nice warm summer day and paint, sounds almost dreamy to me.

The Joy of Painting with Bob Ross

Like my son, I’ve always loved art. My fascination with painting began when I first watched Bob Ross on TV. Not only were his paintings beautiful, but he also never let his mistakes bring him down. He would just turn them into trees. He was amazing to watch. Until a few years ago, I used to draw all of the time. I’m not sure why I stopped, but I sure do miss it. Thankfully, my son said that I could borrow his supplies while he’s in school.

Today however, is his turn. There’s no school and we’ve already planned to put his artist hands to work. I can’t wait to see what he comes up with and once he’s completed one, I’ll be sure to post a picture.