Art Emotions

Usually I can appreciate a fine piece of art. I understand the depth and concentration and value that goes into a piece of work. The more love, color and texture, the more desirable a piece can be.

Jake is the artist of the family, and I'm constantly finding his Monet's and Picasso's plastered with tape all around my home. Here's a space picture that Jake drew for his little brother, which has now brightened his brother's originally dull bedroom door:
And these lovely drawings are located on the wall of Jake's own room, too valuable and prized to be placed in any other room of the house. (Fine by me!)
And above his bed is an entire row dedicated to anything he wants to "glance up and see" while he's sleeping. I've tried telling him that if he's sleeping then he won't be "glancing" anywhere. But he countered with, "Then I'll see them first thing in the morning and they'll make me smile." Okay, I was sold:
Today I spent the better part of my afternoon coloring with my five year old. We do this fairly often, and I actually find it quite therapeutic, but some days I'm just not in the mood--that would be today. He hadn't picked a nice, small, 8x10 sized picture from a book for us to color. Oh no, today he picked the 16x20 equivelant from the Cars poster-sized book that I had bought last year. I reluctantly relented and we set forth.

This lovely picture of Mac is the picture we worked on today. He did most of it and was very, very proud of "all the red". I looked around his room and said, "Where is it going to go?" to which he replied, "In your room!"

Oh, dear. Without meaning to offend him and hurt his tender feelings, I absolutely, positively, did NOT want Mac in my room. My bedroom is the one room in the house that I don't allow any toys, books or kid-related items (dirty clothes only, and even then...) I suggested a beautiful white wall in my master bathroom that was "in desperate need of some color!" He had other plans. We argued over the wall space above my bed, by my dresser, and finally he suggested under the window. Feeling rather pained and totally embarrassed that I was irritated by this Mac picture being forced into my personal space, I let myself out of my shell and agreed.

So here it is, below my window, across from my Pottery Barn bedding (isn't it cute!!) and between my silk curtains... a bright red symbol of my darling child's affection:
Maybe I can tear it down in a couple of weeks without him noticing!