Angela on Art
Every Child is an Artist
“Every Child is an Artist. The Problem is How to Remain an Artist Once We Grow Up.” -Pablo Picasso
L’Arlesienne, 1958, Pablo Picasso
Before we are told to stay within the lines, what colors are realistic, what proportions are correct etc., we are pure creativity.
Of course, not all kids want to put crayon or paint to paper. That was my young son’s idea of torture. All through K-12 grades, he suffered through the mandatory projects (but the things he made were pretty cool). Interestingly, now in his twenties, he does surrealistic and abstract paintings on his own. They’re good!
My daughter had a different personality. She drew, glued, taped, wrote stories, dressed up and performed all day long. Her favorite subjects to draw were young girls in crazy outfits. She grew to be a fashionista in high school, a fashion student at FIDM and now a denim designer.
As a framer, I know that I’m not the only one who loves “Kid Art”. I’m fortunate to see all of the wonderful, creative masterpieces people bring in to frame. The frame designs are as diverse as the art.
Art by Henry in a custom frame
We love framing Kid Art as if it were an expensive masterwork. (It’s often hard to tell the difference) I think Picasso would approve of this treatment. The value of the art is what it’s worth to you, and your precious child’s art will be valuable to you forever.
Our “custom ready-made” frames are often perfect to use. We make them with remnants from custom framing in 11x14 and 8x10 sizes. This option gives you all the custom framing services and materials but at remnant pricing. This also helps us to reduce our waste saving these materials from going to the landfill.
Art by Henry in an 11x14 readymade
You may have been targeted by ads for factory-made frames for Kid Art that display and store children’s art. They are a good idea because you can switch out the art yourself when you get a new piece, and the old ones pile up behind it in the frame. The problem is they are mass produced and cheaply made (think IKEA and Amazon quality)
A customer recently challenged me to figure out a way to do this, with all of our fun frame options. I DID IT! We just need to choose a frame with some depth to it, so there is room for storage. Leave the rest to us and we will make it easy for you to switch out art and re-hang it in a jiffy. We use our usual UV protective glass and acid-free mats and backing.
Early work by Ginger Joy Taylor in Display/Storage frame
For art that you don’t want to frame, but you need to keep it forever, I have a couple helpful hints. Itoya brand Art ProFolios in the 9x12 size (which I found works for most Kid Art) have acid free, archival, top loading pages, to store 48 pieces. They come in many other sizes, so you can choose what works for you. They are slim, with a spine you can customize with your kid’s name and dates. I used one per year for each kid and they take up minimal space in my Ruby and Marco Historical Library (haha but true). I like their photo albums too.
I also love the archival boxes used for photography. They are sturdy, simple and you can stack them easily. They’re great for more volume and for art that is 3D (kids do lots of collaging!)
“Creativity is an area in which younger people have a tremendous advantage, since they have an endearing habit of always questioning past wisdom and authority.” -Bill Hewlett