My first great passion was painting, oil painting.
I started painting at Middle school, after I found my mum’s old painting supplies: oil colours, canvases, mediums, brushes, and even a French painter’s apron! It was like finding treasure, and a world opened up to me! In painting I was self-taught. Unsatisfied by my early attempts, I started to copy the paintings I love most: The Impressionists’ and Van Gogh’s. Trying to recreate these masterpieces was the greatest lesson I could have!
After graduation I felt ready to express myself by painting personal subjects, especially country-sides and alleys, but also portraits and self-portraits (some original paintings of mine in My CW post).
Perhaps I have passed on my passion for painting through my genes because both of my children started painting as soon as their grip was good enough to manage a brush! In the pictures below, Lollo, 2 y-o, very concentrated, painted his beloved cardboard castle in yellow showing a great control of the brush. My little fairy in the garden, under the age of 2, looked like a true artist!
Painting, especially oil painting, needs inspiration and dedication, and more concretely, time and space. Even if I had a deep urge to express myself by painting, and I was very inspired, I often had to deal with the lack of a dedicated space, little time available, distracting presence of children. So, over the time, I tried to find a compromise between the desire to create something and a quicker creative craft – such as crochet, sewing, papercraft, sugarcraft – or suitable to do with my children.
I like to stimulate them with creative activities, and they love to create something with me. In general, I offer materials and tools to them and I start to create something, making some reference to the technique as I work. But, more often than not, they look at me for a while and then they have a go themselves! To the younger I offer (but more often she requests!) watercolours painting, hand painting, play dough / salt dough modelling, sticks/ leaves/ flowers collection for collages. The elder, over time, developed a preference for Hama beads, wax modelling sticks, papercraft (especially scrapbook and card making), papier-mache sculptures and 3D pen drawing.
In the blog I will show you our best creations and also suggestions about materials, tools and how-to-make, so, if you would like to be updated, follow it!
Let’s start with… Decorated Mache Initials from scratch and scraps, a papercraft project for grown-ups but not only, and Ex-straw-rdinary bunting!, a recycling and super-easy activity for all.
Have fun with other posts in this multicoloured, miscellaneous category:
Let’s get social!
Join in the conversation and see the latest Craftymessymom’s updates on Facebook and Instagram. Find Craftymessymom on Pinterest too!
Crafty Messy Mom 