This time of year is inspiring as I am starting a unit of study with my sixth graders about the origins of art. We look at the almost fanciful cave paintings and carvings (though in reality they were nothing like fanciful) and then learn strategies for drawing accurate contour lines. The kids look at images from Lascaux and Altimara and take visual notes about what they see. This is a really important transferable skill that is overlooked in other subjects -- so much information can be captured and remembered when drawn. The note pages the kids create are really adorable and always make me smile. Following in the steps of a paleolithic artist. line by line. Time disappears. I especially like the images of the man with the bird mask, who has a bird-topped staff by his side. Parrots and people have been together forever, methinks!
Check out some really cute kids' art here if you need a smile. Not finished work, but little sketches to help them observe and remember. Time goes on. Art was a magical, powerful process 25,000 years ago. Still is.
What will you make today?