Over the past few days Wren has returned to drawing with a frustrated obsession. As soon as he woke up this morning he wanted to go and draw. He wanted to draw even more than he wanted to play with ME! Yesterday he drew for a couple of hours. Drawing is a very serious occupation. The ingredients are:
1) Paper
2) Pencil
3) Narrative
4) Frustration
Wren starts each drawing with loud complaint. “I don’t know HOW TO DRAW A…” bulldozer, crane, D&D, guy or something else. He yells this a few times and sometimes throws away a first attempt. However, do not be fooled into offering help. He will accept a picture in a book – then he looks at it and draws something utterly dissimilar – but more commonly he just complains to overcome his drawers block facing the open page and will yell at you even more if you try and help, express encouragement or praise.
Once the first shape is drawn there is a critical pause.
If the first shape meets some obtuse internal criteria then he continues. If not, he crumples that up and yells or cries and starts again.
If left alone he usually complains but continues.
Continuing, the narrative begins on a theme: “I am drawing a rocket. This is the engine. It is a big rocket. It is a space ship in space. It is fire coming out. It is ‘rupting. It has a guy. This is me. I am a guy. ....” then there is silence with some muttering and concentration.
Sometimes he asks me questions like “what does he need now?” I suggest he needs a planet. Frost generally suggests strange things. One of Wren’s recent drawings of D&D guys and a house includes a generous sprinkling of “black Pokeballs” which I blame on Frost without any real reason other than doubting Wren thought up black Pokeballs on his own. Its just unlikely.
Sometimes I get my sketch book and draw Wren drawing. I am not feeling very creative so I am just drawing what I see. Unlike Wren my imaginative renderings are poor and dull. However, I have hopes for some kind of derivative portraiture and must remember to ask Bill and Judy to cut the ply for me before they FINISH THIS WEEK!!!!
Yes, you heard right! The bathroom will be done this week.
Wren starts each drawing with loud complaint. “I don’t know HOW TO DRAW A…” bulldozer, crane, D&D, guy or something else. He yells this a few times and sometimes throws away a first attempt. However, do not be fooled into offering help. He will accept a picture in a book – then he looks at it and draws something utterly dissimilar – but more commonly he just complains to overcome his drawers block facing the open page and will yell at you even more if you try and help, express encouragement or praise.
Once the first shape is drawn there is a critical pause.
If the first shape meets some obtuse internal criteria then he continues. If not, he crumples that up and yells or cries and starts again.
If left alone he usually complains but continues.
Continuing, the narrative begins on a theme: “I am drawing a rocket. This is the engine. It is a big rocket. It is a space ship in space. It is fire coming out. It is ‘rupting. It has a guy. This is me. I am a guy. ....” then there is silence with some muttering and concentration.
Sometimes he asks me questions like “what does he need now?” I suggest he needs a planet. Frost generally suggests strange things. One of Wren’s recent drawings of D&D guys and a house includes a generous sprinkling of “black Pokeballs” which I blame on Frost without any real reason other than doubting Wren thought up black Pokeballs on his own. Its just unlikely.
Sometimes I get my sketch book and draw Wren drawing. I am not feeling very creative so I am just drawing what I see. Unlike Wren my imaginative renderings are poor and dull. However, I have hopes for some kind of derivative portraiture and must remember to ask Bill and Judy to cut the ply for me before they FINISH THIS WEEK!!!!
Yes, you heard right! The bathroom will be done this week.
Some pictures from yesterday
By the way, Wren is just 3 and I think these pictures are fabulous!
The bulldozer picture
(the wiggles on the top of the paper are "my name WREN" and the wiggly stuff to the left center is rubble. The thing to the right is a bulldozer and a tractor underneath it. The dark spots are the first Pokeballs.)
Detail of the spider and WREN.
Another picture. This one is about robots and a city or house. It supposedly shows plumbing and a rubbish bin and pipes that go DOWN THERE.
Wren drawing the PIPES drawing. 
The one below is one of my favorites. Wren says it is a robot wearing a coat. Mentally, I have been calling this drawing the hairy man. Whenever I look at it I have the sense of meeting a yeti. Its like a worst case scenario for needing waxing but I am relieved it is only a robot wearing a coat. Not so scary at all.
Finally, a picture of A SPACE SHIP Wren made tonight. Joshua was told about this one too. Wren says it includes an ice-cream, sprinkles and SPACE NEEDLES.
I hope you share my sense that they are most gorgeous and accomplished. Now, if I had drawn and painted them they would be some kind of surreal folk art.
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