Painting Van Gogh

1. Watercolour painting at the kitchen table, 2. Miss Five's painting. 3. Mama's painting, 4. Master Eight painting, 5. Cohen's finished painting

This month we have been studying one of my favourite artists, Vincent Van Gogh. We borrowed a few books from the library and Cohen's interested was sparked when I told him Vincent had cut off part of his ear. He read the books to find out why. We also spoke about the framed print in Cohen's bedroom. When my husband and I were travelling around Europe we visited the Van Gogh museum in Amsterdam. We both fell in love with a blossom painting, that Vincent painted for his brother Theo's firstborn son, which hung above his cot. We brought a print and posted it back to my sister in Australia while we continued our travels. It stayed in that postage tube until we were pregnant and finally had it framed and hung it above our son's cot. Now it holds so many layers of meaning.

Today we studied one of Van Gogh's sunflower paintings and made our own versions using watercolour. Miss Five and Master Eight were apprehensive about undertaking such painting until I sketched them out the rough shapes, then they went to work painting their interpretations of the piece. I am so proud of their pieces, their efforts, their greater appreciation for fine art, and their increased confidence in their skills.