Maïa's writing

I always thought that reading came before writing, but it seems that for Maïa, the inspiration to express herself in the written word has come early. Here she exclaims Maïa loves (heart) her crown:




Today we were decorating the Christmas tree (I know: it's a little early), and Maïa got to talking about Santa. We reminded her of all the work Santa's wife does, too. In our family, Mrs Claus has a name: Gerty. Now Gerty is actually much hipper than her husband. In fact, we have a Gerty figurine that we make out of Lego (picture to come, I hope). She often gets decked out in striped stockings and wears her hair blue, red, or green (none of that boring white for her). Maïa commemorated her thoughts of Gerty by writing out her name and cutting it out:


GORDE CLAS

Ode to Cinderella: A Visual Odyssey, Part I

Today, Maïa brought home these pictures that she's been making over the past few days at daycare. Derek and I pulled them out to take a look after the girls were in bed. We were amazed (though not surprised) that all of them contained Cinderella in one form or another.

So here is Maïa's first theme-based exhibit. Ode to Cinderella: A Visual Odyssey.


This is a rare portrait of Cinderella for a few reasons: first, Cinderella is the only element in the composition; second, she seems rather angry in this portrait. This is the new Cinderella, ready to take on the world, and to punch out (or at least threaten) anyone who stands in her way. Also, there is a Frida Kahlo beauty about her here, would you not agree?


This portrait of Cinderella is Dalì-esque in its long lines and appeal to the subconscious. Here, Cinderella sports her never-before-seen mini ballgown. She is also wearing earrings on her unusually large ears. Perhaps another link to Dalì and his favourite subjects.


Cinderella Afloat in Flowers. Reminiscent of the great master, Monet. A shame this piece has been damaged.

Ode to Cinderella: A Visual Odyssey, Part II

This is a group shot of the princesses. The princesses are immediately recognizable by their physical attributes in an almost Pop Art approach, reminiscent of Andy Warhol. The one on the left in the yellow dress is Belle, which you can tell from the colour of the dress as well as her brown hair and eyes; the one in the middle is Cinderella, which you can tell from her blue dress, blond hair, blue eyes, and the weird hairband-earring combo that the newer Disney version sports; Sleeping Beauty is the one in the pink dress on the right; the girls in the green dresses are Mulan and Jasmin (the artists has left this particular distinction unclear); and the teeny-tiny girl between Belle and Mulan-Jasmin is Snow White. The pregnant "princess" is not identified.


This is a Picasso-esque drawing of Cinderella; her neck is actually wider than her torso! What flare Maïa has with a marker! In this representation, Cinderella does not have any hair; surely there is symbolism at work here. The image of the flying girl in grey behind Cinderella must be a Freudian element.


This is Cinderella: Larger Than Life. OR Cinderzilla. Certainly a tribute to Peter Paul Rubens.

Nana & Grampa, by Maïa

Maïa drew this picture this morning. She decided that she wanted to make a card for Nana. So she began to draw Nana, who is seen here in profile, wearing a dress and high heels; she's obviously decked out for a ball. Nana is part of a matched set: Nana & Grampa, so Maïa drew Grampa, too. He, too, is wearing high heels, which elongates the look of the leg, as evidenced here.

The best part of this drawing, though, is that Maïa sounded out and wrote both "Nana" and "Grampa" on her own, with only a little help with writing the G. That's my girl!

Hallowe'en colouring, by Maïa

Maïa coloured this picture a few days before Hallowe'en. Notice the clever and creative use of colour. Notice also the little face on the witch's bag: "That's an ogre face." The little dots to the right are musical notes that are coming from the flute (the rectangular object with dots on it — the dots are the holes).