You can call her Jackson Pollack!

I think we all create and express art in different ways, and it is so exciting and incredible for me to think about all of the beauty and creativity that God chose to place in his creation, both in nature and in people. 

One of the things I'm most looking forward to as Lucy gets older is to teach her about creation and creativity and the arts. I'm excited about showing her the arts and helping her to appreciate the beauty, as well as supporting her as she discovers the creativity God has given her and how she will outwardly express it. 

Francis Schaeffer wrote, "For a Christian, redeemed by the work of Christ and living within the norms of Scripture and under the leadership of the Holy Spirit, the Lordship of Christ should include an interest in the arts. A Christian should use these arts to the glory of God -- not just as tracts, but as things of beauty to the praise of God. And art work can be a doxology in itself."

I love this quote! We are thinking through how art does and should influence our doxology, but I do believe that appreciating and actively living out art in our lives can be expressed in thousands and thousands of ways and God has given humans unique abilities to express art in ways that imitate the beauty of Christ. 

So, this week I helped Lucy express some of her very own art. Admittedly, this idea was not my own, but I stole it from this blog. I gave Lucy a blank slate and let her create in her own special way. I loved watching her move from curiosity to uncertainty to increased curiosity to discovery and joy. 

We both, along with my kitchen counter, got really messy and had a great time doing it! I don't know what Lucy's natural creative bent will be as she grows, but I loved seeing her express herself with paint and color at 15 months of age. And I'm pretty sure she loved it, too.

And with this quote in mind by Franz Cizek, "What adults call 'wrong' in Child Art is the most beautiful and most precious. I value highly those things done by small children. They are the first and purest source of artistic creation," I resisted my longings to "fix" parts of the canvas and allowed the finished product to be what Lucy made it. Even the part when she managed to get one of the drying canvasses from the kitchen counter and carry it around without my knowledge and smeared some of the paint. I was however, thankful for washable paint, because I'm not quite to the point where I'm willing to let Lucy's creativity be expressed on my kitchen floor, and stove, and refrigerator, and cabinets! 

Lucy's first creations turned out quite well and I see beauty in them because I see her own expression, which I completely believe is an expression of Glory to God from my toddler. The finished product is now proudly displayed on my kitchen wall!