A Dozen a Day

A few weeks a go, some friends and I got to be part of a group to preview an Imax film about Vincent Van Gogh. As the film concluded with the documentation of the latter part of the artist’s life, I learned how frantically he painted. He was known to have turned out 70 oil paintings in 70 days in the last year of his life. After seeing his huge, gloppy brushstrokes up close for the first time, I couldn't imagine how much paint he must have dipped into during those 2 months. Thankfully, nothing about this man reminded me of my son EXCEPT his frantic, in our case, drawing. On any given day there are at least a dozen drawings around the house, mostly on the kitchen table and on my desk. However, one Wednesday night after work when I was turning back the covers of our bed, tucked under my pillow, I found a Christmas picture of a tree with ornaments and the beginning of the attempt to write "I wish you a Merry Christmas.” (He made it to “u”.) Sweet dreams,for sure. His pictures are typical 5 year old material- not amazing- just abundant. Every time I go to “print” something on my computer, I hear the familiar “beep, beep, beep” because there is NO paper in my printer. I gave up on the "save a tree" thing months ago. Brighton is not "green". The "other side" does not interest him at all. He likes his paper crisp, white and very blank. He is getting a reem of paper for Christmas!
Most of Brighton’s drawings are of maps and roads which have become three dimensional at Miss Barbara’s adding road blocks, stop signs, and cars made of toothpicks and pasta wheels. He also loves to draw football fields with either the letters “TCU” on the fifty yard line or since our October trip to Greenville, South Carolina, the diamond “F” for Furman. Some of my favorites are the Statue of Liberty, a pirate boat, me holding him as a baby(at the very bottom) and the lay out of our November Pilgrim Party complete with seating arrangements and turkey.
Here is one he actually did in art class at Science Etc. It is a favorite because of the story he told that goes with it.



The pirate ship is on the left, with flags and people. I think you see the fish. Do you see the key sort of floating in the air? The door on top of the water? Here is the story: The pirates dropped the key to the treasure chest (on the bottom right) and they are hurrying to try to get it before it goes through the door that opens to the pathway that leads to the deepest part of the ocean where the treasure chest is! I loved that.
Here is his first of many nativity scenes. There are a few stars but there is certainly a special one. Don’t miss the moon. I like the road with the middle markers. The shepherds had it easy in this story. Baby Jesus is in the right place. I am not sure why Mary and Joseph are so far removed but at least Joseph is really happy.


I love that he draws. I think what I love the most is to find out what he's thinking about- not that he doesn't tell me a thousand times a day, but it is fun to see how he "sees" what he is thinking about. You can bet the first silent treatment I am given, I will promptly hand him a clean , very blank, fresh pad of drawing paper and hope he remembers.

Even though I sort of look like his favorite monkey named George, I like my big smile.