The Pear, by Angie C.

Sometimes you just have to move over and make a space for the artists coming up behind you.  Well, not just move over and make a space, but reach out a hand and say:  "Come on up – your work is grand!," or two hands:  clapping "Hooray for you!"

The Finding Water group has been a wonderful excursion into art and networking (if not necessarily reading the book and following the activities), and I found Angie’s work on her mom’s blog one day when browsing the Finding Water list (one you can easily get lost in – so many good blogs.  So little time.)  It was during my dry spell, when I was grateful for the ArtOMatic [it opens today all you locals!] interviews so that I had something to write.

The Pear is what met my eyes as I was browsing, and I was thrilled with it’s beautiful colors – and look, can you see the shadow behind the pear itself?  Angie is 6.  I claim discovery (Moms and Dads can’t discover, but they sure can support – and Angie’s Mom and Dad are behind Angie’s art 200%).  I am seriously thinking about waiting in the wings and offering to be an agent.

What is your favorite thing to make a picture of?

I like to draw rabbits and angels.

How often do you make art and what do you use:  crayons?  watercolors, paints?

I make art two or three days a week, plus I have an art class in school on Mondays.  I use crayons, markers, colored pencils, oil crayons, and glitter glue.

How do you learn to make new pictures?  Do you read a book, watch a tv show, have a teacher or teach yourself?  Do you make pictures with friends?

I copy pictures from the t.v. and magazines.  Most of my artwork comes from my imagination.  Sometimes I draw pictures with my friends but I like to draw more by myself.

Do you have any suggestions you’d like to make to other children who want to make pictures like you?

I usually tell my friends that if they don’t like how their pictures come out the first time, then they should try again using different colors or different shapes.  Also, I like to use a lot of color; it makes pictures cheerful.

Do you have anything you’d like to tell the people who are reading about your work?

I want to say "HI" and I hope that my pictures will give you new ideas.

Here and here are some blogs and pictures of Angie.  Below, in order, are Angie’s pictures:  Angie Looks at April, Butterfly, Lighthouse, Gold Dust Woman and Pastel Butterfly.

Next, as if this isn’t enough to feast your eyes on and take your breath away, I’m including some more photos from my ArtOMatic shift Wednesday evening.

In the spirit of today’s Emerging Artist Interview with Angie, here are the ArtOMatic Peeps.  As far as I know, all of the creators of ArtOMatic Peeps are over 18.  But they have managed to keep the whimsy of childhood in tact, and are helping the landfills of the world by recycling Peeps, those sentimentally awful tasting Easter goodies that look great in the basket.  I was surprised that all of the Peeps were rabbits since the peeps of my childhood (were they ever tasty?) were all, well, peeps – another word for chicks.  Someone at ArtOMatic mentioned that the Peeps people have branched out with Peeps for Valentines and Halloween, among others, but the name "Peeps" hangs on.

I apologize for the photo quality of these – I was on the fly and taking pictures with one hand.  These are only two of many.  I believe the title of the first one is Mommy Dearest, but I didn’t write it down, so am not absolute.  I did not see any individual artist attributions.

thought for the day:  We all get by with a little help from our friends.  Remember your friends today.  The ones you already know, and the ones you are about to make.  Thank them for helping you "get by" and remember to play it forward. Tammy V.