Adventures in Art

I mentioned in the previous post that we had another adventure in the afternoon. I started a project with the twins that had been bouncing around in my brain for a while. Actually, since this post almost a year and a half ago! Lucas had let the twins color on the wall because he didn't want to squash their artistic expression, and while I wasn't thrilled that their art was all over my walls, floor, and even a few doors it sort of stuck with me. Suddenly I remembered this hallway/stairway at the school where I went for most of my elementary years. Every year, the seniors (in art class? I'm not sure the qualification) got to collectively paint a mural. Because it was in the high school portion of the school, and therefor a place we rarely traveled, it seemed an exotic and magical place. I remember catching glimpses of seniors painting, looking at every detail, and dreaming about the day when I would get to paint on the wall. Of course, I was at a different school by the time I was a senior, so that never happened. But there has always been a secret desire in me to paint on walls.

So I looked at the walls in the basement, a good portion in the main room being cement (which we would probably never hang any artwork on anyways). And I thought about how a simple coat of paint would make the room neutral once again should we ever want to sell. And I thought about how much my children (and I!) would enjoy painting on the wall. And I started to plan.

The last few months I started to really have a desire to put the plan into motion. To just let them paint. So, I've been on the lookout for inexpensive paint to start our project. A fortuitous trip to Lowe's and a stop at their discount paint provided the perfect start. A quart of paint in a beautiful blue. Even better? It was the special (expensive) No VOC, paint and it was only $3! I bought it, and then I got the twins ready to paint as soon as we were home. They were as excited as I was!

The beginning of our mural. 2 very different styles.

Soon they began to spread out and fill the white space.

Allie decided 1 brush wasn't enough to paint everything she wanted to paint.

Soon after, she decided that she needed to be more "hands on" with her artwork.

Ryan thought that was brilliant and joined in.

And it wasn't long before they were painting more of themselves than the wall...at which point I called it quits!

I love it. I really do. They are so excited about their artwork and showing it off. I love finally having color on the wall. Lucas wants us to add to the "mural" as well. And I found more paint in our furnace room for us to add more colors and layers soon! I, of course, had a talk with them before and after about how we don't paint on any other walls (unless I say...because I have other walls in mind...), and hopefully that sticks. But I feel happy to have provided them with the opportunity to live out my childhood artistic dream :)