Crayons – Launch of the Summer Art Season

Jan7

Maybe we should develop a Crayola bomb as our next secret weapon … And every time a crisis developed, we would launch one. It would explode high in the air  … and send thousands, millions, of little parachutes into the air. Floating down to earth — boxes of Crayolas.
– Robert Fulghum (All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten: Uncommon Thoughts on Common Things) –

For the past few summers, the grandchildren have arrived at the cabin shortly after school lets out. Their invasion means the launch of the Summer Art Season. Crisp white or coloured construction paper, freshly sharpened pencils and pencil crayons, scissors, glue and the good old wax crayon – all stand ready for action.

multi colorsThis particular box of crayons is a mix of old ones and new ones; ones with sharp points and ones with rounded ends; ones with new paper covers and ones that have lost their paper; favourite colours and seldom used ones. The wax crayon is the tool of choice when a large swath of colour needs to be laid down!  At the end of each day, pictures are cleared off the dinner table, then sorted and stacked in the drawing cupboard where they await their fate. Some will see the light of day again on the door of a fridge. Some will take pride of place in a scrapbook, and some will get scanned and saved in a folder of cherished memories. Some, well, they still sit in a stack in the cupboard at the cabin.  I’ll see if the kids want to use them to light the first bonfire of the season – this could be the launch of a new tradition!

A Picture is worth a thousand Words. In a 483 word essay, The Phrase Finder explains where this saying comes from, ending with the comment, “Perhaps I should have drawn half a picture?”

Art Galleries: A totally different kind of art is being offered to the public for virtual viewing. It is called Art Project, and it is powered by Google. Similar to Google Earth, this website gives the viewer the opportunity to browse through art museums around the world. Not only can you walk the corridors, you can zoom in on the art, which is presented in super high resolution.

I quickly navigated to Amsterdam and London to revisit a few of my favourite pieces of art. Although it is not nearly as exciting as being in the galleries for real, Google has done an excellent job at making great art accessible to the world.

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39 thoughts on “Crayons – Launch of the Summer Art Season”

    • Thanks for the excellent link, Ruth. I enjoyed your crayon poem!
      I have to agree that there is no longer lasting crayon than CRAYOLA.
      As you can see from my photo, we have a few big fat crayons, excellent for small chubby hands!

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    • Hi Ronnie – yes, crayons certainly have a distinctive smell! I’m thinking I might go out and buy a nice new pack of them, just so I can take pictures of them, and enjoy their newness.

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  6. Pingback: Launch (Weekly Photo Challenge 2012) « Cardinal Guzman

  7. Back when my grandchildren were still young enough to enjoy sitting at the table with their coloring books, we used to take special fun from choosing just the right page in the book that would allow them to color one side of the page, and Nana to color the other side of the page. I always asked them to sign their masterpieces, and to this day, (even though all my grandkids are old enough to drive now), I still have some of those treasured pages with their names scribbled across the bottom.

    When you move from a large house to a small home, you have to make decisions about what to keep, and what to discard. I still have the metal lunchbox with shiny butterflies on the outside that holds dozens and dozens of crayons. I mean, really, there’s always room for the important stuff! Great post!

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  8. I am nodding my head. Isn’t it incredible to think as we did in Kindergarten? I love all of Fulgham’s books and his musings.
    I don’t think the world would be the same without crayons. They span the age barriers and generation gaps. They are constantly adding new products to the line of artist supplies. I am learning, once again, that my kids and grandkids depend on this medium for crossing those gaps.
    On my Christmas wish list was the new Crayola melting machine that creates mixed colors–kinda like tyedye in one crayon.. but alas no under three..I’m not too sure Santa thought I was serious. Your crayon box photo reminded me of this.
    I loved coloring with my kids and now my grandkids, it is relaxing to be creative. Perhaps if we could solve all problems with crayons everyone would be happier.
    Ta Ta for now Cathy the Bagg Lady

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    • Hi raggz – Many days I think my grandchildren wonder if I am ever going to grow up, what with my collection of LEGO and crayons!I hadn’t heard of the Crayola melting machine! That sounds like fun, and I’m sorry that Santa didn’t deliver it to you.
      We attended a retirement workshop a few years back, and the facilitator gave each of us some paper and wax crayons. He then asked us to draw a picture of how we saw ourselves in retirement (without letting our spouse see what we were drawing) and then compare our pictures to our spouses. It was a fun exercise, all the more so because we could colour with wax crayons!

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    • Hi EC – I enjoyed the photo of the spaceship house on your blog – it would be quite a fanciful place to live, and certainly looks like it could be launched!

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  15. I just love this box of crayons. It’s as if I can smell them – y’know? – how they have that waxy kind of smell? Childhood memories..memories of my own kids when they were young. I don’t think I could burn them…but what fun!!!

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    • Hi JSD – I was exhausted by the end of the day (which was about 3 hours after everyone had gone home). But the next morning, 4 or 5 bags of frozen perogies made it all seem worth while!

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