An Easel in the Kitchen

I'm sorry that I didn't write this sooner but I was trying to find a picture. Unfortunately, I didn't find it. In case I haven't mentioned it, I have three children, Jeremy (33), Sarah (26) and Zachary (20) and I worked full time even when they were babies.

I always kept an easel in the kitchen when my children were little. At first it was out of necessity. When we lived in D.C., the apartment was small so, the only place to put an easel was in the kitchen. Watching Jeremy draw or paint while I was preparing dinner soon became the highlight of a very busy day. As he was drawing, we would talk about the colors he was using or he would tell me the story of his picture. Occasionally, he would ask me to write down what he was saying. I seldom wrote directly on his work. Instead, I would write on a separate strip of paper. The strip would then be placed under the picture. The wall behind the easel became his gallery. While Jeremy majored in jewelry design at Savannah College of Art and Design, he currently works for a large food chain in their marketing department.

After Sarah was born, we returned to Maine. There we had a larger house but I still put an easel for Sarah in the kitchen. Sarah was and still is a talker. She would chatter away while I worked. By now I was more skilled in finding out the meaning in the scribbles, although with her there were few scribbles and more images. She always wanted me to write what she was saying and wanted it placed on her pictures. She loved words and books. Any folded piece of paper became the place to write her story. Needless to say,she read early and is still an avid reader. Sarah received her BA from Dartmouth in art history and a masters in art history from the Courthauld in London . She is currently a free lance writer and editor.

Zach did not spend as much time at the easel. Perhaps this was because I was also busier and we spent more time transporting people around. Jeremy was in high school and needed transportation to and from marching band and Sarah and I were in a clogging group where I was an instructor. He was more likely to lay on the floor with a pad of paper and a crayon. As he grew older I discovered that every time he read a story or watched a movie, he would have to draw a picture of it. It was his way of processing and remembering. Today he is majoring in film at Emerson College and still drawing pictures of the movies he sees. As evidenced by this quick sketch of the joker in Dark Knight.

On my granddaughter's second birthday I bought her an easel to keep the tradition going.


They also make a great place to hide!