that Dr. Grossman told them that "thinking is
stinking". By the time children reach the third or
fourth grade and sometimes way before, their art
changes from spontaneous expressions to what they
think they should be drawing or painting. What and how
replaces inner expression, in other words, they start
thinking. This not to say that there is no place for
instruction, Historical techniques and "tricks" artist
have figured out over the centuries can assist the
creative mind. But confusing techniques and "tricks"
for art is the downfall of art education. I remember
in elementary school a classmate that was the best
horse drawer in the class. I tried to draw horses from
memory like I thought she was doing to no avail. Years
later I realized if I wanted to draw horses my mother
could have bought me the same how to draw horses book
told me to practice, and I might have been able to
learn to see and draw horses creatively. What she had
learned was a shortcut technique to see and remember
what horses looked like. There is a famous quot in
Texas I am sure its in other places too by Picasso:
where he speaks of learning to draw as a child. He is
speaking of the ability to let go of pre-conceived
ideas of what art is or should be. It is the act of
looking inward to see the real world. Plato posited
that all knowledge exists independent of humans, in
special creative moments we discover it.
It is sort of like going to bed with a question and
waking up with the answer. Sometimes I can't recall a
persons name or think of a new idea , I stop thinking,
take a walk or go to the bathroom and the name or idea
pops in my head. The power of fooling around, Of
seeing images in the clouds,is demonstrated by this
5th grader who discovered the faces in his computer
screen.
"Originally, I was just experimenting with the
different tools in "painter", but then I saw a face
developing. Faces and how diverse they are have always
fascinated me." Jacob 5th Grade
