Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up.
-Pablo Picasso

For the most part, young children approach drawing without any inhibitions. It’s like a wild animal has been let loose, attacking the paper with dynamic marks and lines. It’s not until they get older that the hesitation sets in, the lines become shorter and more detailed, and the general self-consciousness begins.

And this quality is what I love about Avery’s drawings and why our refrigerator is hidden behind layers of construction paper and magnets.

So I decided to make his artwork a permanent installation in our home.

Step 1: DRAW
I dug out a canvas from our pile of old art supplies tucked away in the attic. I handed him a permanent marker and encouraged him to draw whatever came to his mind.

An “egg”

Working in a Peter Pan shirt and super hero underwear helps Avery tap into his creative side.

Within the egg he added a fish. And to the right of the canvas, a three-eared, four-eyed, three-legged bunny with fangs was imagined.

Step 2: PAINT
In the spirit of collaboration, he handed over the canvas and I added color.

And because it was his drawing, I tried to tap into his mindset and add paint without thinking, which for me is extremely difficult. Using cheap acrylic paint, the canvas was covered within a few hours spread out over a couple of nights.

Avery’s description: To the right, a bunny with four eyes, fangs and a buddy growing out of his third ear. There’s also snot flying out of his nose. And the other object is an egg with a little fish inside. The lines at the top represent a roller coaster.

Step 3: HANG
We hung it over the piano, which added a playfulness to an otherwise conservative corner of our house.

Step 4: ENJOY
But what’s best of all, is to see the pride on Avery’s face when someone asks about the painting. He takes joy in describing the details.Especially the part about the snot.And I’m secretly hoping someone will mistake it for modern art and comment, “my kid could do that,” to which I’ll happily respond, “he did!”