From "Explojinations" to "Moons and Stars" - Only Through a Child's Eyes!

This piece, uniquely titled "Explojinations," is by Will, age 7, from Stafford, VA. He created it when he was just five years old and it now hangs in a prominent spot in the family living room. I'll let his stepmom, Edie, explain the rest.

"When Will was 5, he created this in art class. He told us the 'guy' on the right was a firefighter and there was a battle going on with lots of 'explojinations.' He's never been a violent kid, but he loves to play battle games. So, in a way, I was glad to see him turn his passion into something, um, a bit more creative! :)"

The two pieces below are by Claire of Fredericksburg, VA, also 7. She created the first sketch at the ripe young age of 20 months and when asked what it was, promptly replied, "Moon and Stars!" (With a bit of a "duh" in her expression, I'm sure.)

The second piece below is untitled and hangs in the office of proud aunt Edie (stepmom to Will, above.)

Claire drew it as a gift for Edie at about age four. Again, Edie with a little back-story on the piece:

"(Claire) has always been a free spirit, into fairies, wizards, princesses and the whole concept of 'Never Never Land.' I feel like the piece has a "think outside the box" feel to it, which is so totally Claire. I don't recall her explaining it to me, but I've always liked the colors so it's framed in my office.''

Wouldn't the world be a happier place if we all had something like this framed in our offices?

Thank you, Aunt Edie, for sending us these wonderful works of art! We look forward to seeing more from Will and Claire!

Mystery of the Polka Dots Revealed!

Hmmm, it's obviously a close-up of something. It has an almost other-worldly quality to it. And it's just the sort of thing only a child would think to photograph! So, what is it? It's a polka dot skirt worn by the same sweet Zoe of the orange Crocs shot below.

The world need wonder no more! I'm sure little Zoe of Orange County, CA, will have some other photographic mysteries for us to solve soon.

So, what is this all about? Well, if you have a budding photographer with a unique eye, or a painter, poet, sketch artist or all-around dabbler, (under the age of 18), please send us an email and we will be happy to give your young artist a chance to shine.

Through the Eyes of a Child is just getting its feet wet so to speak, but our plans for showcasing children's art to the world are far-reaching.

The "technical" guidelines are listed to the right but the biggest rule (if you can even call it that) is this - nothing that your child has put to paper is not good enough. That is the lesson perhaps an art teacher or two has drilled into all of our heads, but we are here to rewrite those rules!

I don't mean to offend any of my artist friends out there who have studied and labored for years to improve their craft. However, I truly believe there is something beautiful and revealing about what a young child comes up with all on his or her own - without the benefit or restriction of formal teaching.

Enough proselytizing - the point is this - we would love to post your child's work for all the world (or at least our small but rapidly growing number of followers) to see. Email us at KidsArt2010@gmail.com.

Also, if you see something you like, click the comment button below and say so. It could change a kids' life.

The real Orange County - but not housewives!

There is no doubt that a sane person would be asleep at 2:39 a.m., but since I can't sleep anyway and my first photo submissions have arrived, I figured there was no time like the present to get them posted!

These two unique images come to us all the way from Orange County, California and are the product of a sweet little angel named Zoe, who is four years old - five in May, she would point out!

Zoe loves her orange Crocs so that was a logical choice to photograph while helping in Mommy's garden. But the second image calls for a little more scrutiny.

Since it is too late to contact the artist and get her comments directly, how about a little contest? The first person to correctly identify what this close close-up actually is will win a prize that is yet to be determined. But since most of you know me, you can track me down if I don't follow through!

So, take a good look and click the Post a Comment link below if you think you know what our young photographer was trying to capture here. Thanks again to Zoe for sharing her work with us and an extra special thank you to Mommy Lynn for taking the time to send these over so quickly!

" All young children, at least part of the time, live in a world of magic."

Just came across this poem from Make the Morning, a collection of writing and artwork by a young boy who dictated poems to his mother from the time he was three until he was about six. The work was published by Stone Soup, one of the leading publishers of children's art and writing.

Here is a snippet from Make the Morning, dictated by James Anatole Lindbloom, pictured above, to his mother when he was three years old. The book was published in 1977 and is still available in limited quantities from Stone Soup for $15.

Make the Morning

I want make it be dark

I want it way, way, way dark

I gonna get bigger, bigger

and the whole world gonna shine

and I gonna be the sun

and there be lines on me

not any head, not any bottom.

I didn't make it up,

it came from the sun.

Welcome to a "work in progress" - submit your child's work and help us all remember to see "Through the Eyes of a Child!"

Children's art - be it written, painted, or sketched in crayon on the sidewalk - often captures a view of the world, a unique perspective, that many of us have lost as we get older - and perhaps life has bumped us around a bit. Children don't typically have all the "stuff" running around in their heads that we "grown-ups" often allow to interfere with our true vision. I think we could all learn a thing or two from the child's view of the world.

So, the purpose of this blog is to provide a space for children of all ages to post their artwork, their poems, and their photographs - anything really that captures the world as they see it. Depending on the response, I eventually plan to post questions or suggestions - and see what the multitudes of youthful minds produce.

As the headline indicates, this is literally a brand new work in progress. (One that took me 10 years to finally undertake but brand new, nonetheless.)

If you have an image you would like to submit, here are the basic - and very simple - guidelines.

1 - Send a jpg, gif or bmp to this email address: amyjeanellis@gmail.com. Preferably 300 dpi, but if you don't have that or know what it is, don't worry about it. You can even send prints and I'll get them scanned in. (Last resort only, please. :)

2 - Include your child's full name, although we will only publish first names for privacy reasons. Pleaes also include your hometown and your child's age. Being a former reporter, I know it's fun for readers/viewers to see where everyone hails from. But, as a parent, if this is a concern, that is your call entirely.

3 - Each child will maintain full ownership of whatever work they submit. I will never sell any child's artwork; although, at some point, I would like to set up an online store through Cafe Press or some similar site to allow the kids to sell their own work. Depending on the response, there is also a chance that some of these images may be selected for publication in a book. But we will cross that road when - and if - we come to it!

I am also interested in publishing quotes or anecdotes that you come across that, once again, demonstrate the pure and unadulterated view of the world children have. The way children see the world is priceless and I don't think we do enough to honor them for it and showcase the wisdom that lies behind it. Pay attention to them - they deserve that much. This little online "gallery" is my way of paying attention.

I welcome your feedback and suggestions! Thank you to Child Art Magazine for use of the top image and Centennial Middle School for the wonderful drawing of the Historic Courthouse in downtown Dade City. (More from those talented kids to come!)

Amy

PS - The heart image above is actually by Brazilian artist Romero Britto, who has managed to maintain a child-like enthusiasm in his work. This image is Heart Kids and is reprinted here courtesy of Posters.com. The Kids and Earth image above that is courtesy of Squidoo Kids Art Supply Kits.