Children never fail to surprise us !!
We usually judge them even before we know them, and even when we know them, we try to fit them into our stereotype of 'this is what children are ...so this is what they should do' ; and yet so beautifully children inch past the stereotype and find their identity and expression .... if only we take the time to observe them and let them be !!
'S' loves her abstract patterns. She was very hesitant to start off ...probably nagged by the kind of idea we put into children's head about 'good art' (a scenery with a house, mountains, and a lake and throw in some trees, and make sure that the colours dont cross over the lines) and 'bad art' (anything that does not fit the good art description) ... but when left to herself, and asked to draw whatever she likes, she made a lovely pattern with mostly traingles, and coloured in with oil pastels, with her initial in the center. Wonderful usage of colour and a great composition overall. Now she has her focus set on making glass paintings using her abstract patterns !
We usually judge them even before we know them, and even when we know them, we try to fit them into our stereotype of 'this is what children are ...so this is what they should do' ; and yet so beautifully children inch past the stereotype and find their identity and expression .... if only we take the time to observe them and let them be !!
Take 'A' , for instance. All of 8 years, his interest in skyscrapers is nearly fanatical ! He loves to draw tall buildings, and city scapes. Day after day ..never tires of it !! And ...what amazing attention to detail ...we started his adventures of Max (a boy character 'A' created), who would visit a new city in every drawing. Each drawing now depicts a new city .... Max has been to Dubai and Tokyo so far ! When 'A' draws a city scape ..it is not just a building ...it is a detailed version depicting every thing that 'A' knows about that city. So Dubai has burj khalifa, with its entrance/exit having words written in arabic ( or what 'A' thinks looks like Arabic), there is an Emirates plane in the background !! In Tokyo, it is a JAL plane, and a bullet train, and buildings with movie screens ! 'A' is always planning his next painting, and almost rushes into class ..."I have an idea and wait till I draw it for you" !!! Now, really, how many of us have that kind of commitment....!!
'S' loves her abstract patterns. She was very hesitant to start off ...probably nagged by the kind of idea we put into children's head about 'good art' (a scenery with a house, mountains, and a lake and throw in some trees, and make sure that the colours dont cross over the lines) and 'bad art' (anything that does not fit the good art description) ... but when left to herself, and asked to draw whatever she likes, she made a lovely pattern with mostly traingles, and coloured in with oil pastels, with her initial in the center. Wonderful usage of colour and a great composition overall. Now she has her focus set on making glass paintings using her abstract patterns ! 
'K' is a playful 12 year old who loves to ask a ton of questions !! The first few sessions were mostly him trying to fit himself into the 'good art' kind of person ! Now that he has realised that he has a free hand to do whatever he likes in class, he started to dabble with paint, and did 6 sheets of abstract color doodles using poster colors in an hour of class....bold swirls of paint!!
It is indeed wonderful to let children amaze us with their ideas, and commitment ! I am now confident that these children do not hesitate in calling for help when they are stuck / or if they need an opinion.
So the key is to observe from a distance, just where I can hear them call for help, and just where I can watch them in their creative journey without intruding on their thought process.
Hoping to have many more surprises and learnings !
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