Family Art...

     The art on the walls of our family home is homemade. It's made with our own hands, our own paint, our own crazy sense of whimsy.

      Nothing looks better to me than the kids’ school projects neatly framed and grouped together. My husband’s oil painting looks classy in the dining room and reminds me of quieter times (when he had the extra time & money to take an art class). I tend to think that each piece of "family art" (with its story, the adventure and related memory) makes our house a home.

The latest art to be placed in our home is this beauty:

      The overall design of this piece was inspired by a large canvas that had been created by a professional artist. The original was a masterful blend of colors and strokes. Our version (with it's many imperfections and rough edges) is much more dear to my heart.

Here’s how we made it:

1) I waited for the annual “half-off” canvas sale at our local art store and bought a large base for our project. There's just something about a large, white, blank canvas that sings "POTENTIAL!"

2) Using a yard stick and a template I made from cardboard, I traced a grid of blocks and hearts onto the canvas with a standard pencil.

3) I purchased a rainbow of basic craft paints and let my sons finger-paint in the various sections. I’d let them get creative with one color and a few days later (when the first had dried), we’d have another finger-paint session with a new color.

4) Little by little, the canvas filled until finally all the white had been covered and it was ready for the world (or at least those who enter our basement) to enjoy.

5) Taking a few blocks from the old toy box, we then named our creation. Looking closely at the finger smudges of paint created by my sons - I couldn't think of a title any more appropriate.