Public Art and You!

    We are so lucky to live in a city with so much public art- there is of course quite a bit of discussion amongst the art's community that it is not enough- but as we all know you can't please all of the people all of the time. From a pedestrian point of view I feel there is an abundance of free, public art- accessible to all if you just go out and look for it.

     Recently we visited two of our favourite pieces of public art- local Vancouverites will not be surprised to see A-mazing Laughter by sculptor Yue Minjun. One of the most feel good sculptures I have ever seen the viewer is drawn in by the shear size of the "Funny Guys"- as our Littles call them- one cannot help but interact with the piece which is apparent as they are currently decorated with pots, pans and other cookware!  Check out this interesting story about how A-mazing laughter has become a permanent fixture in English Bay- if you have yet to experience the "Funny Guys" I would highly suggest it- located right on the corner of Davie and Denman Streets in the West End.

      Our next stop was brought to us courtesy of the Mr. who had heard about this place on the radio- I assume the CBC as that is all he ever listens to! Nothing Happens In Good Weather is a fantastic installation that plays with the viewer's eye as to what colour things actually are. A narrow alley just off the busy Fraser St and 46th is painted hot pink and black stripes which I interpret as very similar to the sunset- it has that same glowy feeling.

      Nothing Happens In Good Weather is a social investigation by the artist collective Instant Coffee- given the space and props the community is invited to interact and actually use the space- combining an underused space with a bold aesthetic. I think the results are truly art for the people, by the people. If you haven't checked this vibrant installation out yet do so- I believe it will be around for a few more months.

      I love art that is fresh and current- public art is often both of those things- usually temporary and often ephemeral. I love that public art is for the people of a city to enjoy for free- it is usually very easy to understand. If you live in Vancouver- a city I know to be full of free art- I encourage you to go out and experience it! If you live other places I know if you look you will discover a vibrant arts community- because the art's are never anything but vibrant- look around, do an Internet search- I encourage you all to go out and find one or two pieces of public art in your respective hometowns! It's free and it is there for you all to enjoy!

Mixed Media Mayhem

      As we come to the close of week two in my Creating a Creative Family series I am finally bringing you all the kids art project I have promised! We have talked about how to live with art you love, store art you love - now lets make some art you love! This project is not necessarily just for kids- this is an excellent project for artists of all ages- there is no right or wrong here - loosening up and being free is the overall goal here.

    The materials I have used here are all artist quality as that is what I had on hand however you can find these items at any price point- I suggest that you buy the best supplies that you can afford. Overall you will use less paint and wont get frustrated with the paper. When you work with the right tools you will get better results. So gather up a few large sheets of water colour paper- I like Arches but you can get large 22x 30 sheets starting at the $2 mark and they will work just as well. A good set of water colour paints- here we have a set of Yarka paints which have fantastic colours! Crayons, Pastels, markers or drawing pens will be your final tools- or feel free to use any in combination!

    To start with we did some drawing ( on the heavy water colour paper) with wax crayons to get us in the mood- I asked the kids to start thinking in visual stories- inspired by our Draw Me A Lion print. As we sat drawing I casually asked the kids questions about their drawings- The Boy was very clear that he was drawing robots with balloons going to school, Miss Lo was a little more hush hush about her drawing preferring to work in silence- which is fine- no pressure here!

     Once the base drawing had been established the kids then loaded up their brushes with vibrant colour and started doing "washes" over the crayon. I use the term "wash" loosely here- the idea is to wash a light layer of colour over the wax crayons which will then repel the water. However moderation when it comes to paint is not something my kids are accustomed to- so this is a technique that will take a bit of practice- and that is OK! Like I said the idea behind this project is to loosen up your mind and really just to have fun!

 The final step is to go back in after the paint has dried and use either marker or pens- like The Boy did above or pastels like Miss Lo did below and add another layer or dimension into your drawing. The Boy chose to run with the visual story idea and made his robots really stand out- incidentally the red dots are the fence around the school garden in his story!

    Miss Lo did not have too much to say about her drawing aside from that it is dirt and grass and the sky at night- I love how kids art is just naturally free- I love how Miss Lo's drawing is not overly perfect and how it literally flows together- people study at school a long time to be able to paint like this and kids do it naturally!

   Friends today is finally Friday- it has been a long week for me and I am glad I have this quiet space to come to each day and think about something completely different than the giant pile of dishes waiting for me endlessly in the sink! This weekend we are headed to the Okanagan for some down time with my mom and dad- there will be some work in the form of tomatoes but also lots of wine and laughter I am sure. I hope where ever your path takes you this weekend you find happiness and creative inspiration!