I have been crafting for many years. Doing a little bit of everything throughout the years like scrapbooking, stamping, collage, mixed-media and dabbling in fabric. I love to create as it is a soothing and relaxing time for me. I do tell everybody that my best creation came about four years ago and his name is Montana. He is the best thing that has ever happened to me and has even changed the way I create. My artroom was always off limits when Montana was little since I was always afraid that he would get a hold of something and hurt himself or poke himself in the eye.

As he got older I would let him go in the room and explore and just watch him play with things. The first thing he would always do is grab the colored pencils and scribble and play on paper. Eventually I went through all my paperthat I would no longer use and turned it on the white side and made a stack just for him to grab and use when he went into the artroom. I have a wall of stamps that stores all my mounted stamps and I soon showed him how to rubberstamp. He then would go and pick a stamp and whatever inkpad he wanted and would just stamp on the papers.



I myself do not do my creating until Montana goes to bed at night. But we do go in the artroom at least once a day so that he can play. My tables were always a mess as when I create I seem to drag everything out and it looks like a tornado went through the place. I decided that Montana deserved his own space so I did a mass cleaning and managed to clean off a table just for him. I then took a big roll of white paper and wrapped it around the table as I didn't want him to mark up the wooden table. When he covers up a section of the paper, I just cut it off and pull the roll from behind to the front of the table and he has fresh new paper to draw and scribble on.



On Montana's art table are some of his favorite things so that he doesn't have to go searching for them each day. He always has a stack of paper, a few inkpads, crayons, pencils, and rubberstamps made by both of us. Montana's favorite move is The Iron Giant. He loves the giant and he was always drawing the giant everywhere. I did my own little version of the Iron Giant and made a stamp out of it. After that I took a huge drawing that Montana did of The Iron Giant and I scanned it into the computer and then resized it. Then I took it and traced it onto the carving material and he then had his very own Iron Giant stamp that was drawn by him. I love it and will always treasure it and save it so that we both can remember the movie and see his little drawing when he is older.



Other things he loves to do is take an inkpad and smear it all over his hand and put his handprint everywhere. He also found my oil pastel crayons one day and I showed him how he could draw and then smear the colors to blend them in and he loved those.



I just love to see my son create, even if it doesn't make sense or I can't make out what he is drawing it just warms my heart to see him having so much fun and being so free. I love to see any child create. Montana started pre-K last year and I was lucky enough to go to his class and create little projects with them. I can't tell you how enjoyable it is to be there to see my son and his little classmates create a project, how each child puts their own spin on the project and how different they all turn out. I am looking forward to doing more projects with my son and his classmates this year.

My son is my inspiration. Because of him I love to use color and love to use vintage childhood images. I even have had him add to my artwork. I love to add random scribbling on pieces but realized that my scribblings looked to robot-like and not free. I had Montana scribble on the piece and it looked so natural. So whenever I want some random scribbling I just ask Montana to do it for me.



I would encourage any parent to try and do craft projects with their child. It doesn't matter what it is or how small. It could be just having coloring time or even getting some chalks that can be used outside to draw on the pavement. Go out and art it up with your child and have fun. Montana and I do this outside and inside also. For the inside, we got some of that chalk paint from the home store and made a huge chalkboard on one wall of his bedroom that we can go and write and draw on with all different colored chalks. You might be surprised to see the enjoyment that art brings your child and the enjoyment that it brings you the parent by just watching them.

Audrey Hernandez is a mixed-media artist that lives in sunny FL with Rick and their son Montana. To see her art and more of Montana you can visit her blog at http://smallcreations.blogspot.com. Audrey welcomes emails at jadeinfla@hotmail.com.