My Artist

I like to think that I'm a pretty involved mom in my kids' lives. I like to think that I know all that's going on, who they are friends with, who they aren't friends with, what they are into, their likes, their dislikes... Since Kael's in school full-time, I feel my involvement in his life is not so there anymore. He's developing another life outside of the home, getting another persona -- Kael the Kindergartner -- in addition to the Kael I know. Most of the time I think this is cool. I want him to become his own person, who's strong and caring and knows his own mind. Other times I'm sad that he's growing up so fast. I want to be his "Mommy" a little while longer.

This growth or independence in Kael's life is very obvious when he brings home work from school. Most of the time it's the usual schoolwork that I always see. Once in a while, he brings home work that amazes me and hits me in the heart that he's got his own thing going on when he leaves my Mom Orbit that still has Malia and Taede in its gravitational pull.

One of the classes he has at school is Art. In my mind, I envision finger painting, some water color, some acrylic. Kind of Curious George stuff where they have fun and do abstract stuff. I never imagined this:



In addition to making art, they are also learning about art. Kael told me this kind of art is called Impressionism. Additionally, the artist who originally painted this work, Mr. Monet (I swear that's what Kael said "Mister Monet") is "dead now, and his house is a museum that you can go inside and visit, and can we go there sometime?"

I was floored. Or maybe I'm hanging out too much with Malia and Taede that my expectations for Kael are still at the "2 Years Old and Under" range. Anyway, I can't decide if Kael's work is a reproduction of Mr. Monet's The Artist's Garden At Giverny:


Or his Field of Poppies at Vetheuil.


Another piece of art by Kael:


which I think kind of looks like Mr. Monet's Water Lilies: