The intention was to make snowman magnets. The results looked more like a cross between a snowman and a turkey, and that’s exactly how they remained because these little oddballs were too adorable to mess with.
If I don’t get a chance to post again before the end of the year, do have a wonderful holiday season with your friends and families, and I’ll see you in the New Year.
Filed under magnets
I love that moment when inspiration works its magic, and a cool idea enters your head. In this case, I saw a great exhibition of Frida Kahlo’s work at the AGO, and in the gift shop were some bottle cap magnets with her image inside (see photo at the end of this post). I started thinking about the zillions of bottle caps I’ve collected, and how cool it would be to fill them with images of art to create a matching game. Most kids do end up playing a variety of matching/memory games when they’re young, and making their own would be awesome.
Filed under bottle caps, games
Last year, my daughter came home from school with a bunch of little pom pom people she had made. They lived in our Christmas tree and looked adorable. This year’s bunch look a little ragged, like they stayed up too late, and that’s what I love about them. They’re incredibly easy to make, and a fun way for young children to contribute to your holiday decor. Perfect pom poms be gone!
Hope your Halloween night was fantastic! I’m guessing by now your little ones have eagerly examined their candy stash, taken inventory, and are slowly eating their way through it. Here are a couple of ideas from the past to help you make use of your Halloween garbage:
Back in August, I made an erosion bundle which spent close to two months braving the elements outside in my garden. Not sure what an erosion bundle is? Have a look at this post to get a clearer picture.
When I finally went out to collect it, my biggest fear was finding it filled with potato bugs and worms, sucking back those juicy orange slices I included. Turns out it was bug free, and had morphed from a colourful collection of random things, to something you might find in a landfill site. The oranges had decomposed, plenty of stains were now on the fabric and paper, but some things simply hadn’t changed at all. More perishables and more time would have created better results, but there was still plenty to work with for making a Halloween sign and a collage.
Filed under Art and Nature, Erosion Bundle, Halloween
Still-Life With A Skull by Phillippe De Champaigne, early 17th century. (Photo)
Skulls have been used by artists through the ages, to remind us of our mortality. Here’s a small selection of what they’ve been doing with the beloved cranium and mandible combo. It’s Halloween, after all…
You guessed it – toilet paper roll criminals. And they’re up to noooo good. Who’s in the line up? We’ve got Vincent “The Kid” Vampire who eats way too much candy, and his teeth are turning fifty shades of grey. Charlie “Pretty Boy” Pumpkin may look like a real charmer, but he gets his kicks spitting seeds at innocent bystanders. Wanda “Butterfingers” Witch? Couldn’t get a spell right if her life depended on it. Jimmy “Scarface” Skeleton? That’s right, the guy can’t take two steps without breaking a bone. Finally, there’s Cat Capone who keeps crossing people’s paths to bring them bad luck. What does she care? She’s got nine lives.
Filed under Halloween, toilet paper rolls
Dioramas are 3D scenes created in box-like containers, and a spooky Halloween theme is perfect for this time of year. It’s a great opportunity for kids to make a miniature world filled with skeletons, ghosts, and a few imaginary characters of their own.
You may have heard of a film called The Clock by artist Christian Marclay. It’s been showing in galleries and museums around the world for the past two years, and is now in Toronto. It’s the result of an ambitious two year project involving collaging and remixing thousands of images of film and TV footage, to represent every minute of a twenty- four hour period. The film is edited to be shown in real time, which means it’s 24 hours long. Crazy! I recently saw it, loved it, and found myself wanting to stay much longer than I could but…no time. In fact it was really interesting to be so engaged in something, yet constantly aware of the time, and in my case, when the parking meter would expire.
There are plenty of clips on YouTube which will give you an idea of what the film looks like. Naturally, a clock project had to come out of this, since at some point we all have to learn how to tell time.
Filed under Artists, Christian Marclay, clock, recycling
All sorts of interesting experiences await you on this wonderful, all night celebration of the arts. It’s a free event that runs from dusk ’til dawn, and if you’re lucky enough to have one near you, I highly recommend bringing along your kids and a bunch of their friends. Not only do they have tons of fun, but it opens up their minds about what art can be. They get to see some pretty unusual stuff, some of it interactive, and share their opinions about it. They also get to stay up later than usual, drink plenty of hot chocolate to stay warm, and wander the streets with thousand of others, in what is a very festive atmosphere. How cool is that?
Over 1oo cities are participating, although not necessarily on the same night. I’ll be checking out a few things here in Toronto, and hopefully you’ll have an opportunity to do the same near you.
Filed under ArtsBeat
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