The Intersection Between Books and Art
by Exhibiting Author Kathryn Horn Coneway
My books grew out of my work at Art at the Center and are designed to offer inspiration and ideas for families for working with art materials.
As the director of an art studio for kids and families, I love the moments of discovery and joy in the creative process. Kids generally jump right in to play and experiment with new materials, but adults are sometimes more hesitant. I encourage parents to work alongside their children, to join in the experimentation and discovery in working with materials. Much of what I do involves de-mystifying artistic process and helping people get started.
My picture books are designed to be shared by parents and children. They tell stories of making prints and collages designed to inspire readers to make their own creations.
“Oops Paint” is aimed at toddlers and preschoolers. The child in the story begins to paint, but different family members come through accidentally dropping things in the paint. As readers turn each page, they get to guess what was dropped in the paint to make the print on the page. The last few pages of the book include a matching game of additional object prints as well as a note to parents with ideas for getting stated with printing and stamping at home.
“COLLETTE: A Collage Adventure” is aimed at preschool and early elementary children. The word for collage comes from the French, colle, for glue so it is fitting that the glue is the central character in this story. Collette is a bottle of glue who feels left out in the painter’s studio until a visit from a young girl helps her to discover the art of collage. Collage illustrations throughout the book illustrate the story as well as offer multiple examples of techniques for collage. Additionally, Collette’s collage tips throughout the book offer ideas for working with collage. The book ends with images of collages made by artists of all ages at Art at the Center as well as a letter for parents on getting started with collage.
Visit my booth to try out collage and printing activities for artists of all ages. Create a unique collage face on an image of Collette and then take her on an adventure of your own and send us back a picture. See pictures of Collette’s travels so far on instagram at #collettetravels.
Kids, parents, teachers, scout leaders and the young at heart will enjoy sharing the creative process through getting to know Collette and Oops Paint.