I find my world so crowded with the speech of others lately that I can barely form my own thoughts. This is actually good news, as it is my youngest (with Down syndrome) who is turning into a big talker lately.
A sketch of my feet and my little one’s from when she was a baby…sometimes we wear crazy socks for world Down syndrome day. Sketched from a photo I took.
While I really struggle with not having enough bandwidth to attend to all the existential questions and random kid chit-chat on some days, it is truly a huge blessing for our littlest family member to be surrounded by so much speech. Since my kids stay home and I teach them, my tiny one is exposed to language all day. She is exceptionally good at observing and mimicking; this is how she learns—Memorization is one of her super powers. She talks nearly constantly now and insists on having most of her sentences and phrases repeated back so she can hear everything spoken and phrased correctly (and also to make sure I am actively listening to her—she’s a smart cookie).
My little one is a bright, shining, handmade one-of-a-kind masterpiece, represented by my drawing of handmade and hand painted coffee cup and a lightbulb.
All that to say…my brain is fried this week. Here is a crazy cloud I tried (unsuccessfully) to sketch this week. It was moving pretty fast across the sky, changing forms and I just could not capture it, though it was fun to try and I enjoyed sitting outside for a few minutes watching. But the thing is that I’m pretty sure this is what it’s like inside my head, —all scribbly and nonsense— and that is kind of funny.
Oh. And speaking of clouds I sort of lit my hair on fire doing a science experiment with my kids. We were making a cloud in a jar by dropping a lit match into a jar full of hot water and placing a bag of ice on top. I have long hair, and on this day I was wearing it down. I lit the match and a spark flew out and into the lengths of my hair; luckily I was able to put it out quickly and still pull off the experiment. It was a good demonstration for the kids on why we don’t play with matches, at least.
Matches sketch.
We are studying Roy Lichtenstein and Andy Warhol today. The kids are especially excited for Lichtenstein and his comic book style. Art making will probably have a Pop Art flair today.
Thank you for being here to witness my brain fried scribbles, I actually wrote and prepared something else to share, but it was so downright sad that I couldn’t bear to post it. I like to hope that perhaps an upbeat post with a few artsy touches might make someone’s day a little brighter and inject a little bit of something beautiful… like a genuine smile from a stranger in the aisles of a grocery store.
And finally, I’m in the middle of a painting and I’ll give you a sneak peek:
To see more of my art, you can find some originals on Etsy or a whole bunch of links to stuff here.
Have a beautiful weekend!
Jenn
*All art is drawn by me with pen and ink from life unless otherwise stated.
Your sketches and this post remind me to make time for solitude and seeing. I carry a camera to help me do both. But I’m a word-guy, so I have to make myself turn my mind off. So glad you’re also working on a painting. Love it that you’re doing Lichtenstein and Warhol with your kids—two of my earlier Art Drops. Thank you for another delightful peek into your world, Jenn!
Whomever said that life is a "vale of tears" didn't know the power of the human soul to give and receive love. Yes, what mothers do is very hard and there's no manual, and no pay except for the dividends that add up day after day...seeing the progress of our kids and watching them fall and get up again. Those are the long-term perks. You're a good mama, Jenn and a great artist, teacher and writer to boot. Blessings