The Mischievous Mommy

Although this blog is mainly used to post about my projects and the collaborations with my toddler, Eve, I wanted to create an ALBUM dedicated solely to her work.

I know how easy it is to underestimate a toddler's "scribbles" or creations, but the more pieces Eve created the more beauty and life I found shining through them!

Children have such a beautiful take on shapes, colors and textures that is so completely outside of the box. They haven't been taught what is and isn't "right" / "normal" yet, so their work is completely unique and REAL, with no outside bias or influence.

Not only can a child's work stretch the boundaries of what we know, but it can be used as an inspiration, a teaching method, to what we are truly capable of.

All of the paintings in this album were created solely by Eve with no outside instruction. She tends to create several pieces in one sitting and chooses one or two that I can collaborate with, however these remain completely hers.

I hope you enjoy them as much as I do. Feel free to take a look and see what YOU can see in them. Leave a comment to share your vision and experience with the rest of us :)

My dear, oblivious finance was under the assumption that I would be too sick to prank him this year. Which means I absolutely had to.
My very reputation and his secret fear of me, that I have worked so hard to establish, depended on it.

That being said, I spared him from some of the more extreme pranks I wanted to pull and went with a few smaller, more subtle ones to take the edge off the day.

The last few months for me have been very dark but for an amazing reason. I've been struggling with something called Hyperemesis Gravidarum, which on the dark side leaves you bedridden and you feel like you're dying, BUT on the positive side it means you're pregnant!! We are expecting our second child in September and I am over the moon, but unfortunately pregnancy and I do not get along. With being as sick as I have been all of my art and collaborations with Eve have had to be put on hold, however this past week things are beginning to slowly get better. I feel terrible to have let this blog trickle off but fully intend to begin posting mine and Eve's adventures as soon as possible.

We only scratched the surface when we began collaborating last summer and with 3 months of not being able to create, it has only left me with plenty of ideas and inspiration just waiting to explode into reality. Eve has also just turned 3 and her mind and ability to focus has grown in leaps and bounds, I can only imagine what she will be able to create..

Thank you for continuing to follow us on this journey, stay tuned for some new collaborations!

THE MOON BEAR

 There were so many things I could see in Eve's original drawing but this time I knew exactly what had to be done. As she was drawing I had noticed her holding a tiny little bear figure, I slowly realized that she had been using it as a reference while she created her drawing. This was the first time she had ever done something like this and it blew me away, not only because of her new thought process but how quickly she was growing up. As it was beyond obvious that her drawing was about a bear, I knew I had to incorporate her ideas into the collaboration piece, which is exactly how "The Moon Bear" came to be.

Although the support for mine and Eve's collaborations has been overwhelmingly supportive and kind there were a few ignorant comments (as there always will be) that made me chuckle. One of them was how I was stealing / destroying her artwork when I should be saving all of it, which as most parents know would be quite ridiculous.

As parents, you begin to realize just how much artwork a child can create... from doodles to masterpieces they do multiply quite quickly. That being said most parents will keep a box or two of this priceless art and probably won't end up keeping it all, otherwise they would end up being up to their necks in artwork by the time the child turns 18.

Now Eve having access to all of my art supplies, well let's just say she pumps out art in ways I only wish I could! Without having to second guess herself or her work every piece she makes is a symbol of her inhibition and creativity.

As she is getting close to turning 3, her attention span is growing and I am able to teach her different tricks and techniques with her fully listening. I have been loving her grow and learn right in front of my eyes as she picks it up quickly, going above and beyond, which ends up with her teaching me a thing or two.

One of these tricks is the use of salt on watercolors, which creates an awesome effect since the salt soaks up the water leaving little dots and patterns. It is a great lesson and activity for children giving them a sense of control and independence as they decide which colors to use and where to place the salt. If you include a spray bottle filled with water most children will delight in using a giant "water gun" to create art, I know Eve does!

When it comes to mine and Eve's collaborations and the idea that some people truly believed I was stealing her artwork for myself I had to find amusing. If only they knew how much artwork she produces!!  Every single collaborated piece we have created has been using art she has offered me giving me her full permission. (Trust me, if a toddler doesn't want to give you something they won't, especially their own creations.) Eve gets a kick out of our collaborations and is especially enjoying the more recent ones which has us painting simultaneously. If you have never tried it then I highly recommend creating a piece of art with someone else. It is a learning and bonding experience like none other and the outcome is completely unique, two imaginations intertwined into one piece.

For the paintings below we mostly used liquid watercolors and sprinkled salt (we used Kosher salt) over the wet paint. Once it has dried you can gently shake off the salt or leave it on if you like the texture.

If only I could create as much uninhibited art has my little girl can, here are 7 pieces Eve created in just one day, with the first four using the salt trick. Hope you enjoy them just as much as I do!