Weekend

My weekends are mostly about negotiating the activities of three children who can't agree whether black is black or black is white let alone what they would like to do with two whole days of freedom stretched ahead of them.I have become quite adept at thinking up suggestions and bribes and we generally manage to do something interesting or vaguely amusing.

The trick is variety.

Burghley House is on our doorstep. I'd call them our next door neighbours but that would be stretching it slightly. We go often. The children know every nook and cranny of the park, every deer by name and every possible way to climb the trees. There comes a point when they they will get bored of going. But in the meantime I have to keep thinking of ways to make this time, this day, this trip more interesting and exciting than the last.

This weekend I decided it would be an art expedition and we would take paper and pens, pencils and paints to capture Burghley House. It was a long shot, but it worked and we all went willingly, laden with artist materials and a picnic.

Picnic first. Demolished in minutes. Tree climbed next. Scaled repeatedly for half an hour. And then art.

The Big One: A deer. Sort of. After 10 minutes he decided to run between our picnic blanket and a tree repeatedly.
The Princess: A self portrait. Kind of. She persevered and enjoyed herself but completely ignored all the inspiring scenery to create a portrait. Gah!
The Wee One: Made a piece of paper very wet. Then took a paintbrush and stuck it in the holes in his crocs.
Me: A drawing of Burghley House. Ish.

Next weekend, shall we take some clay?


Joining in with Sticky Fingers and the theme of Weekend for The Gallery.

Art

As a child, I was always happiest if I had some paper and a pen. I would draw, scribble, doodle and colour. Oh to colour, with a rainbow of felt tip pens. That incredibly happy feeling I would get when I had new felt tips, the richness of the colour, the luxury of pouring colour on to the page without having to go over and over the same spot because the ink was drying out, trying to suck more ink through the mashed up point of the pen (yes, i did get a multicoloured tongue and it did taste vile, but I was an artist, and artists make sacrifices).

Actually, as it turned out, I wasn't an artist. I was remarkably average if truth be told. I probably hit my peak at about 13 and anything I attempted to draw on paper after that, still looked I had drawn it at 13.

But through the years I have yearned to reignite my 'talent' and purchased watercolours, oils, pastels in a misguided belief that perhaps my artistic career faltered at 13 because I just hadn't found the right medium. No. Still remarkably average.

The Big One was given an art project at school and wanted to draw a pyramid. This had also coincided with his newfound knowledge about shading. I remembered I had a box of pastels hidden at the back of a cupboard and I offered them to him to use.

As I opened the box, his face lit up, he sighed at the beautiful array of colour offered to him. He picked up a pastel and drew a line on the paper for the first time, snapping it in two. I gasped. He had broken the pastel. I breathed deeply to calm my anxiety. He had broken the pastel. I forced myself not to snatch the box back from him. He had broken the pastel. I reminded myself that they had been in a cupboard for at least 10 years. He had broken...

I let him carry on. Those pastels are now his. The younger two children are not allowed to even breathe over them. His rule. Not mine.

I hope he will continue with his art. He loves it so much. It is the only thing that he concentrates on. He enjoys putting pen to paper as much as his Mum and even if it turns out that his talent peaks at 13 too, he will have enjoyed creating his master pieces.

Incredibly, with all that colour at his disposal, he drew a panda.

Saturday is Caption Day

Oh I do like to be beside the seaside
Oh I do like to be beside the sea

You get my drift right?

Today's caption opportunity comes to you courtesy of the Sheringham art trail.

Caption at will!
And then go here -> Mammasaurus
And caption some more.

Andy Smith Olympic Illustration

Have you been into a Waitrose this week?

If not, hot foot it. Do a Usain Bolt impression and make haste.

And pick up the Waitrose Weekend free paper (before Thursday when they replace it with the next edition).

Because on the cover you will find a fantastic illustration created by Andy Smith. It represents a city scape of London incorporating all the countries competing in the Olympic games, even Palau.

Pure genius.

Silent Sunday

Thank you Mocha Beanie Mummy for the inspiration that is Silent Sunday x