What is Art? Win a Free Book!

I think art is a wonderful thing. EVERYTHING can be art.. which is awesome! When my son and I are on our walks together we try to discover new "art" in all different things!!! Sometimes he sees a tree that has cool bark and finds designs in it and tells me what it looks like. Art is all around us and I feel that as parents we should make SURE our children are aware of that!!!

art is anything that we absorb that we choose to retain in our collective memory. My boys had wonderful teachers that brought the "fine" arts into their lives. At an early age, not touched by criticism, they were able to draw Van Gogh's sunflowers in the free spirit way that they could, from the heart.

art is definitely in the mind of the artist. i love showing my children different works of art to hear their interpretation of it.

My family and I love any kind of art. I love to make collages of any kind.
My daughter does too. For school, we make different collages with
differnet themes. We are making 2 now, one with a Fall theme,
the other a Halloween Theme.

Art expresses to others the inner-self of the artist. Whether shared or not, it is a perceptible representation of ones interior self.

For all of my children, I have not needed a clever way to get them into art. They gravitate toward creating tangible works of self-expression. I have a child who draws, often in anime, another who is studying theater arts at a magnet high school, a third who bought his own guitar, and a fourth who writes and memorizes poetry.

I don't have to do much to inspire my children to do art. I just give them a blank piece of paper, some colors or paints and they go at it. Sometimes we make crafts. Sometimes I take them places to make crafts. They love it.

Little Miss already loves art! We go to museums and galleries, and point out art wherever we see it.
Little Miss has her own table where she can do crafts. Now it's mostly coloring, but as she gets older we'll add new things!

We love looking at art and I personally enjoy flipping through art books. My middle son is the one who really loves art. He loves looking at it, drawing it, etc. Sometimes that is how he works through his problems.

Yes, art helps you work things out in a docile way rather than in a frustrated or volatile way. I think that's one big argument why every child needs to have art available to them at all times.

My son is almost three, so we are of course in the early stages of art appreciation. It seems like we do a little of everything everyday; he definitely loves to express himself. He loves to color/draw with crayons, colored pencils, chalk, even bath crayons. We do crafts and always make time listen to different types of music and enjoy dancing.

He is always a budding photographer. :) He has his own Little Tikes camera and loves to take pictures of everything--and I do mean everything!

I love art and have taken many many clases in art. My favorite artist is Van Gogh followed closly by Albrect Durer. A wonderful lesson that introduces children to art & Van Gogh is one that I have written titled "Looking at the Sky" Basically it involves taking children outside ato lie flat on there backs and playing I spy with color chilps from a paint store then reenforced by then painting a watercolor of the sky using the colors that they found from the color wheel and the paint chips.

My family is very art and culture oriented. We frequently visit museums and talk about the pieces in the exhibits as we see them - such as asking questions "What do you see? What does this remind you of?" Also, my son has a sketch book that we put together with just a binder and paper and we'll use different medium for each page - finger paint, poster paint, pipe cleaners, glitter, etc. We'll often incorporate what we've seen at the museum into the sketch book.

I think art is anything that inspires, moves you or make you think in any way. My oldest son calls himself an artist, and he believes that his friend Jesus is the greatest artist in the world, because he is amazing at drawing dinosaurs.

I love the softness of Monet, but I also admire the creativity of Dali.

Aww that's adorable, J. R.!

art is something that makes you think or feel.

We surrounded our girls with possible art materials and always celebrated their work. When I was working on a major photographic project we went through great amounts of photographic paper so I would bring the empty boxes home and they would gather them up on their play rug in the basement and create settings. One day they would tranform to be a cafe, another time a school, castles, etc. their imagination went wild.

One of their favorite activities was to make what they named "Funny Bunnies.' From magazines they would cut out bodies, animal or people and then find different heads to put on the bodies, they would also accessorize with purses, sports balls, you name it. Once down they would in case them in plastic. My husband kept some of the girls "Funny Bunnies" in his office and once a visiting artist asked which gallery he could purchase them from.

That's such a cute idea. Funny Bunnies! I love it! :)

I always really loved art. My daughter is 5 and has said for the last year that she wants to be an artist someday. She loves to paint and draw and color. She loves to do collages and just anything art related.

First I have to say this is a brilliant list of what art is!!! Kudos!

We tend to forget the sacrifices artists make, art truly can become an all consuming passion.

For me art is personal expression, a hunger for beauty that erupts from the inside, a way to communicate without words. A desire for art is a global, human trait, for some of us as necessary as breathing.

Art is beauty, healing to the spirit and without it this world would be a dreary place indeed. Letting art into your life can change your life forever.

I grew up in a family where art was discouraged.

Oh, Rose, that just saddens me that you grew up in that sort of house. Art is so wonderful and so integral to a person. I can't ever imagine discouraging it.

Oh even if we don't win this I'm going to check it out. We are a very art oriented family and this is just wonderful.

We have tried to let Gideon experience all types of art both viewing and creating it. For example, we often take him to Dr Evermor's Art park, which is a scrap metal sculpture park. It's not traditional art, but that's the cool part of it all. It's art made with ordinary items, and perhaps dare I say it's "boy art"? We enjoy watching the artist create there and have spoken to him and his wife on a few occasions. We've even been allowed to stand and sit on some of the pieces for unique family photos. We've heard about how much of a perfectionist Every seems to be (something that plagues me as well in my art, and Gideon has it too) and how long it took him to make the Forevetron - which is the world record holder for the largest sculpture. We got to stand up there for a photo taken by Elanor, Every's wife. We go through there and try to pick out what things made the sculpture - for instance his birds sport dull knife wings and often have door knob eyes.

We also have checked out books on the great artists of years past so that he can see all the different styles of art that are out there. It's great to let him see just how wide the horizons of art span. We talked about which ones we liked best and the origin and years the art came from. It was a real learning experience.

As for his personal art: Gideon has worked in pastels, oil pastels, chalk, crayon, water color, acrylics, clay, playdoh, marker, fabric, food art, recycled art, ceramics, scrap collages, puppets, photography and more. Most of this was before he even started school. His art album is here, if you'd like to see what he's done. And his Craft album is here.

His photography has grown in leaps in bounds over the last month since he got my old camera. It has allowed him to shoot all those pictures that his "starter" camera never let him shoot. He's shooting with a 7.1 mp camera and we can (and will) make enlargements of some of his shots and frame them for house art. You can see a few of his photos here. I still need to upload all the new ones he's taken. :)

We never ever deny him art supplies despite the cost - that's a house rule. He gets any art supply he wants so that his creativity can and will grow in leaps and bounds.

I, too do art, and I know the importance of self expression. Art is more than colors on a board, or cartoons. Art is a way to express what you see in the real world, what you see in your imagination and it's a wonderful creative outlet. As you see, art is very important in our family, and this book is a must have!

I think introducing children to the fine arts is very important. My favorite teacher made it a point to do that with us students.

That's funny, just this morning I was asking my 10 year old grandson if he was taking art at school and he said no so I said, well in junior high maybe you can take art and he said no, he didn't like art, that he only liked drawing. LOL I had to tell him that drawing IS art! So seeing this post is just too funny for me. I like to encourage the kids to draw, color, create something, darn it! LOL I think being creative is very important for a person's mental well being. I know that drawing helps me to feel better, just doing it and concentrating on it, then seeing the finished product. My daughter and I are always buying the kids colored pencils, crayons, markers and giving them notebooks so they can draw and write, whatever they want.

Art is physical expression of one's inner self. It can be in the form of music, pictures, scultures, and dance, to name a few. I try to keep my children involved in some type of art or another. We make our own ornaments every year for Christmas. I encourage them to draw pictures. I turn up the music and have them dance in whatever way their body tells them (with some limits, of course). Art is so important because it helps one's soul.

in our school district; children are exposed to art from throughout history on a monthly basis. volunteers bring prints from around the world; from all eras into the classrooms. a bit of the history of the prints & the artists are discussed, then the children are given an opportunity to discuss what they think regarding colors, subject matter, texture, etc. on many occassions the art teacher will be working on similar subject matter during their class time. many schools have field trips to the large art museums in the area as well as trips to the local libraries where there is art on display from local artists.

i keep lots of art supplies here for when the grandkids are old enough to start their own art galleries!!

my favorite artist is monet. his use of blues & purples i think is what attracted me to his work. :)

I make things all the time. One thing I always thought and still think, if you keep supplies readily on hand, kids will love to use them.
One great tip for younger kids is to keep a basket with construction paper cut outs in it (various shapes and sizes, like 1, 2, and 3 inch circles/squares/triangles of all colors) and it can be a quick and fun craft to glue them down to make pictures, animals, or even decorating puppets or something.

Art is another way of learning something new. Art is produced by an artisan who wants to create something, not necessarily to SAY something, but the viewer gets to SEE within that resulting art form a message or meaning for him or her. That meaning depends upon what kind of life that person has had, what CONNECTIONS he or she makes with the images of or from the art. Art is not objective, one person's favourite poem is another person's utter revulsion. Why is that? They have different tools or memories or conditioning which they bring to the poem.

But that's all too technical. We just enjoy art, or not, as the case may be. It would be helpful if art critics tried to produce some art, just to EXPERIENCE the moments which help to evolve a piece of artistic work. Often there is a backstory to the work, which viewers will never know or appreciate; a book can take a year to write, or even more. It can take a week to read. We need to appreciate artistic talent more, that of others.... and that of ourselves.

Peace.

art is everywhere
all your descriptions are so true
art is all around us
my form of art is my crafts
both of my daughters love to draw...mostly anime, but they do a great job

For me I think art is anything you make creatively, Meaning if you to something that was trash and made a collage with it -that is art, if you had your kids paint with friut to see what pattern it makes- that is art. Art is just another way to express what and who we are on the inside. My kids like to paint using different things like marbles, or cars with groves in the wheels, or painting with different fruits like apples or lemons, or with veggies like peppers and onions. We paint with forks and spoons, with tooth brushes, with q- tips, with plastic toy dino's, frogs, spiders, and animals, with our fingers and our hands and just about anything that can make a cool pattern on paper or fabric or foam. We just like to get messy that's half the fun.

My favorite art is 'useful' art. Not just things to be tacked up on the wall somewhere, but something that is a creative expression that I can actually use my home. My daughters are not hard to convince to express themselves this way at all. We have made so many things togher. I have jewery boxes, jewerly, ash trays, flower vases, there is even more that I can't think to mention right now. But, the point is that we like to channel our art into something that is useful and can stick around for a long time to come.

There is nothing better than art from your child. It is from their heart and who doesn't love those gifts from your child!

Art is putting your soul into something and it becomes real and beautiful and original!!

To me art is a interpetation of someones insites that is brought forward. My favorite artist is my 12 year old daughter and she is very talented! She would love this book.

We have read books on art and then made art using similar techniques. My children love abstract art (they are 3 and 5).

I've always enjoyed visiting art museums but never truly appreciated it until 4 years while in Italy. How can you not while staring at the Sistine Chapel. I have been wanting to share this world with my niece but thought she might be too young to appreciate it. I think this would a perfect book to introduce to the world of art.

My favorite artist is Michelangelo. His sculptures are amazing and I can stare at the ceiling in the Sistine Chapel for hours.

My kids' school has a very good art program. They have been able to fire clay creations, and learn about all sorts of artists and techniques. They have brought home some really amazing works of art. I think art is in the eye of the beholder, certainly. I like to let my kids see different works of art and form their own opinion. This book sounds like it would allow them to do just that.

My daughter dances, which is a performing art....

We got her in to an art class at the middle school this year by telling the school admin that Angela wants to go to the performing arts high school (which she does). Angela doesn't need the art class to get in, since she wants to go for musical theater and dance....BUT the middle school didn't seem to know what was required to be considered for the school. LOL. The school let her in to the art class.

I started drawing at a very young age and while my art was encouraged and supported by my parents no one ever encouraged me to be an artist FOR A LIVING --- most people treat it as a hobby and not as a profession. Well, I proved them all wrong!

I am now working as a graphic designer and have been for the past 12 years, and while I love design, my true passion still lies in pencil drawing. I recently applied for graduate school to get my Masters of Art in Medical Illustration, so maybe their is more fine art in my near future!

My kids have all seen my artwork and they already like to draw pictures for me. Only time will tell whether it will become more than just a hobby to them. I for one won't discourage them from pursuing it professionally, but will also be equally as excited about any dream they wish to pursue!

What I love most about art is that I believe God was the original Artist. One of the very first things He did was CREATE... so when I am drawing, I feel very close to the creative heart of God. Nothing I do is original, everything pales in comparison to God's original design, but mimicking His work makes me feel very close to His heart! And when I am done with a piece of artwork, I love to sit back and look at it and say, "It is good..." Just like He did after he was finished creating the world!

Art is self expression.

I create things I call art, but I'm sure most other people wouldn't consider it so. I'm far from what most people would call a "talented artist"

Most of my art I do in my journal, as a form of self expression and self exploration.

It's what I say it is. :) It's one of those Potter Stewart definition things.

Art is something that is created by someone, or something that someone shows (plays/reads,etc.) to you perhaps in a new way, that makes you feel anything, it's all good....

does one really need to get thier children into art? kids are artistic by nature from birth. they dont have to think it, they just do it.

not all kids are. the more they are influenced by tv and games, the less creative they become on their own. i tried to teach some kids a few years back, and they kept asking me what they should draw. they had no imagination of their own.

I think art is something different to each person. Every one is unique and has their own opinions about art. That's why there are so many different types.

I am art!

the things i create are art

everyone has artistic talent, it's just a matter of finding out in what area it lies, and then to nurture and build the skills needed to express your ideas.

art should make you feel something. good or bad doesn't matter, as long as it makes you feel.

art is any form that expresses how you feel in side

some of my favorite artists are dali, geiger, and alex grey
my boyfriend is a painter and i would love for my son to take after him.

Art is way to express yourself with emotion and thoughts. You can do it anytime with anyone or alone. A baby can do it and so can a geriatric with Alzheimer it way a way of letting go! It's also a fun way to express yourself and a great activity that kids enjoy!

Art is talent.

Artists run in my family. I started drawing at a very young age. I took Industrial Arts and several art classes in school. I learned different techniques to master and enhance my own creativity.

My wife is really gifted on the computer, and her mom, my MIL started her own homemade card business. She is really the one that got my oldest daughter (7) interested in creating cards, etc...

I believe my daughter would really love this art book. In fact here is a post about one of her art creations that I posted on Gather.

Art to me is anything someone puts their mind into. Like my 7 year old draws well. But usually its what he is thinking or feeling.. his art is my favorite art!

thoughts on art Art is whatever the Artist feels that it is. I personally think there is Art in everything in life. Art can be a visual thing like photos or a drawing or painting, a sound like music, a smell like aromatherapy, a texture like silk or a taste like chocolate mousse.
your favorite artists that's hard because we are all artists, one that I have personally met= my 3 year old daughter. One that I wish I could meet= Vincent Van Gogh, Starry Night is my absolute favorite piece of artwork.
clever ways you’ve gotten your children into art I didn't have to do anything clever to get them interested in it, they all LOVE to draw, they have since about 1 year old. we have a 14 month old, a 3 year old and an 8 year old.

Art is the expression of the soul. I think that's why we all love children's drawings - they're the purest expression of the innocent soul, and they tug at our heartstrings and remind our souls of when they were innocent.

Honestly I think art is in the eye of the beholder, one person may not agree with another in certain pieces of art. I think if it comes from the imagination and is visually stimulating it is art.

Art is beautiful. I love color, shapes, the way the paint blends together to provide depth and distinction to the picture. I only wish I had that kind of talent!

I like to read books by Eric Carle and have used the art book that shows his methods and has art projects that small kids can do to introduce them to various art techniques. I also enjoy taking them to the museum or looking at art in books and asking questions about the picture to help them look closer to the piece. "How many kinds of birds do you see?" "Where do you think that road goes?" "Tell me about the family that lives in this house."

It's fun to take kids to the art museum, to participate in family activities, to find art methods that we can participate in and either practise using that method the same way the artist/illustrator did - or trying to 'expand' that method to create our own art.

Art is creation of the soul.

All of God's creation is art. I am always amazed at the beauty in our world. Likewise God has given people artistic abilities and the many expressions of art created by people are everywhere for us to enjoy. I particularly enjoy work by Renoir and Monet. I was privileged to visit the Norton Museum of Art and see first hand original works by these and many other European masters. In addition I like the art of American painters like Grant Wood and P. Buckley Moss.and Constable. During the years when my children were growing up I taught them to appreciate art in many forms. I'm pleased that they are passing this on to their children.

I don't think one can talk about art and not include music. It is the one art form that I can truly take part in. My favorite classical composer without a doubt is Tchaikovsky, but I also love more modern forms of music. Andrew Lloyd Webber I think, is one of the great contemporary composers. "The Phantom of the Opera" work never grows old for me.

While no person likes all art forms I believe everyone has some art form that they are drawn to. Teaching children art appreciation begins with their simple childhood drawings and songs and sculptures. It is so important to praise a child who is sharing his/her art because someday they might be another Renoir or Tchaikovsky.

"Beauty is in the eye of the beholder" and "One man's trash is another man's treasure". Both of these statements apply to art.

My most valuable piece of art is a 10x13 painting of a fish in the water painted by my son in art class. I have it on my wall at work.

Art is in everything you see around you. Whatever is in your heart will come out in your art work. Thomas Kincaid is a beautiful painter. He brings his art work to life and it all has meaning in every picture. I have seen beauty and life in lots of art work.

Art in what ever form it takes should involve passion, work, and imagination! It should have a theme and subtext as well.

I taught my twin girls about photography; the basics of composing a picture. I think it has helped them preserve a lot of memories in their lives and to do it in a creative way.

Art is a gift. Art teaches us to learn to appreciate things in life. It is a great way for people to learn and experience things.
Some of my favorite artists are Manet, Monet, and Umberto Boccioni. They are all great artists!

Art is such a personal thing. Art helps make you who you are and touches you way deep inside of you.
Larry and I love fantasy art. It covers the walls in our living room. Our first piece of artwork was a numbered Leroy Neiman print. You may have seen it. It is his leopard.
I believe children should be exposed to all forms of art at an early age. Paintings, sculptures, glasswork, photography. The list goes on.

The mother of seven children with a limited income we have learned the value of art. My children walk with me through the local woods and notice the dance of the falling autum leaves, the silence of the departure from the tree and the dance to the ground. Each thing in nature is a form of art. Given by its creature a beauty that most of us no longer see. Expressing a variance that could place us in awe at the lines and forms of its simple existance. We have used leaves, pants, camera's to try and capture the presence. Each of our minds offering a sense of perspective that leave an imprint on our mind of a different feeling.

Art should be more than a painting, more than a building, more than a work of words placed together in a formation to evoke an emotion within our souls. My children have learned through our walks through the forest, the local cemetary that anything that we create from ourselves, anything that we take into ourselves is indeed art. The respect for a lifesized angel who was placed on the grave of a prominant West Virginian named Harry Cotton. The person who hand chiseled her face and wings had put not only his time and sweat into her but his soul. Art should be something created that imprints on others souls and comes not from our hand or imagination but from our hearts.

Very well said...Michelangelo once said about a piece of marble he carved into an angel..."I saw an angel trapped inside and I set her free"...what a great mom you are to share the art that surrounds us in our simple, everyday lives and give it form and exploration for their senses!

Art is also turning your emotions into reality in a form.

Art is anything you create-simple or sophisticated (I am always simple)

Art is everything around around us..

cool

Oh, how we love art at our house. We have done some wonderful Art exploration. One of my children's favorite "discoveries" was Michelangelo. I shared with them how the sculptor could draw a perfect circle free hand...they, to this day, attempt to do as the master did. We talked about how even at 80 he was still physically fit enough to pound the chisel and create amazing sculptures. Their favorite part of this lesson, was when I taped butcher paper to the bottom of our kitchen table and set them free to pain the Cistine Chapel. Such appreciation they acquired as I told the story of how that chapel ceiling came to be.

We've study Jan Van Eyck and the Wedding Couple. It's like a treasure of Hidden Pictures. They are still impressed when they see his self portrait in the mirror as a "witness" to the marriage and think he invented graffiti by leaving his signature on the wall!

We've painted with paint and left it in the rain to learn about Monet.

We've colored pictures with short wiggly lines as Picasso did in his infamous "scream" painting.

Art surrounds us. It's something we are inspired by. My children's pictures hang in my living room next to a great painting to encourage them. Someday it may be their picture on display at a museum...if not, it is an expression of who they are, what they think, a dimension of their soul.

We've ventured into art being music and I have an amazing guitarist who started his own band and his artistic side is strong here as well.

Art is one of the greatest joys we have to share and explore.

Art is the process and not the product. I teach young children. I supply the materials they create the art. I never tell them or show them. I give them space and time.

I think art is interpretation and expression. I would love this book for my preschool class!

It is so sad that art has been taken from alot of schools. My son is a great artist. He is 30. It helps one the get their feeliings out and express ones self. I would love to have this for my oldest grandson.

art is an imitation or interpretation of life! My children are both actively artistic and understand the importance of having total creative freedom during that process. One way that I encourage them to create art, is by taking them to the painting room in our local Discovery Center. It's a room with 4 glass walls. The kids take off their shoes and socks, put on a full body smock, and paint the walls. We went over the last week, and my son stayed in the room for almost 40 minutes, painting flowers for his mommy. :)

Art is color, beauty, movement, space. It is expression of feelings, interpretations and windows to the soul. I love art for the inspiration it gives to me, for the colors that attract me, and the feelings I get when I get to buy a piece and hang on the wall. I would forego a new pair of shoes, bottle of wine and piece of chocolate for a new piece of art. To be creative and express yourself is the ultimate testimony of art.

To get our kids into art we have taken them to local art museums and have bought them art books, including special art books for children like a Picasso art book for kids. We also try to do different art type activities with them - painting, drawing, finger painting, chalk drawing, coloring, photographing, scrapbooking, collaging, etc. We also let them look at my husband's huge art book collection from an early age. We had different books sitting around on end tables and coffee tables and the kids were free to look at them as they wanted.

The winner of Children’s Book of Art is Shannon R. Congratulations!

Congratulations Shannon R

Congratulations

Art is the free expression of the human soul on paper, in words, through sculpture, music, makeup, hair, its however you choose to creatively express your inner feelings and values!

I feel art is your feelings expressed in a visibal form---painting, sculpture, wood ,glass ,or even fabric.
My children have been incouraged to express themselves in many forms of art---maybe one of the few moms who would tell her kids the sky doesn't HAVE to be blue or the grass green in their pix.
I don't know if I could pick just on fav but I do enjoy Mary Cassatt , M.C. Escher & A. Adams .

I have a 2 1/2 year old son who loves arts and crafts, and he has an amazingly long attention span for his age! Just today we were mashing different colors of Playdough together and flattening it out on the table to see what animal shapes appeared. We've made Easter cards together with cut-out shapes, stickers, markers, beads, and glue. He's painted pumpkins and pre-cut seasonal board designs. He often colors and draws with crayons, markers, a pen, or "painting" pens. We also enjoy drawing in the driveway with chalk. He's always loved music, and we make up new dances to different types, as I teach him rhythm; we also drum on all sorts of surfaces and sing. We build sculptures and lay out patterns with blocks and other toys. For a toddler, he's very interested in artistic expression already, but I'm always looking for new ways to broaden his perspective and enhance his skills!

Art is anything that makes you think or feel, period.

Yes, art comes in many forms that are brought to life by
putting things on paper or whatever. My 7 adult children
are all artists. #1 son has many talents, decorating is one
of them.#2 son does drawings in pencil, has a license in
cabinetry, in mechanics. #3 son has great artistic talents
draws many pcitures for decorating his child's bedroom.
He just built a beautiful 2 bdroom, 2 baths, large kitchen,
large living room, large front porch. It all came from his head
not drawn out on paper. Colors were fantasic. He also makes
cabinets of all kinds. #1 daughter is very good at drawing
most anything. She bakes cartoon character cakes for all the
youngsters. Makes gorgeous wedding cakes. #2 Daughter is
a master in calligrahpy, draws exact pictures of people. Many
other things also. Has been passed down to my 9 adult grand
children, even my greatgrand children, very artistic !! Oh my !!
I have written a novelette !! Just wanted to share this with you.
Just Me,
Barbie

Ummmm...I forgot to mention that I do paintins in oil. I really
didn't know I could but the art teacher saw something in
He handed me a paint brush, let's see what you can do with
this. I've painted a few nice pictures which can be found in my
photo's here on Gather if you're interested that is.
Just Me,
Barbie

Art is a god's gift which allows you to express what u feel in a poetic form.Art is created from the intuition of an artist.Sometimes u may wonder what your intuition says,art could bring it out well.Only arts could help our children to come out from this mediocrity world