Family Painting, a Quarantine Time Capsule

Like the rest of the world, we’ve been in quarantine. These are dark and scary times, not just for us but for our kids too. We are all mourning the loss of our busy scheduled lives. There isn’t a day that goes by, that the kids don’t ask to go somewhere (mostly Disneyland and school) and every day, I have the task of reminding them that everything is closed. Even though these are difficult times, there is something very beautiful about the slowing down of time. Suddenly we have the time to do the things we were always in too much of a rush to do. Read another book? Sure! Take a walk around the block! Of course! Try that complicated new recipe that will take all day to cook? Let’s do it! Organize that linen closet? Doable! Pick up that book that been sitting on the table waiting for you? Sounds like a perfect afternoon! Time is suddenly on our side.

One of those things I always wanted to do is create a family painting. I just thought it would be a fun way to decorate our home. Now, with our current extensive and unfiltered family time, I thought it would be a great time capsule to remember our time at home. In years to come, the family can look on the painting and remember, not only working together on it but, on the days we spent together in quarantine.

“… there is something very beautiful about the slowing down of time.”

You only need a canvas. I prefer a large size to give everyone enough space to work. If you don’t have a canvas, you can use a large piece of canvas fabric or a sheet to be stretched later. Hey, maybe you have time to make your own frame and stretch the fabric over it!?

Now, here is the tricky part… You want your family to create something that you’ll want to display. If you’re cool with anything that comes out then let them at it! But if you prefer certain tones in your home its ok to only give them a pre-selected array of colors! This will be a process, encourage the family to take their time! We have plenty of it! You can start by adding texture to your canvas. Let them spread gesso on the canvas or, glue pieces of papers with Mod Podge. Maybe pieces from one of their million home school worksheets! Let them draw with pencils to add lines, or even little doodles. After your first layer is dried, then start with painting. Offer different sized brushes or, let them paint with their hands or fingers! For smaller kids, don’t offer too many paints at once because they WILL mix them all together and paint everything with a mud brown color. Try playing music while you are painting! It will change the way they paint! Have fun and don’t forget to grab a brush and paint too! This is a family painting after all!

During our painting process, I asked that they not try to write words or paint anything specific. I just wanted them to have fun. We had a couple of rainbows turn out, and I thought it was a great representation of the times. My oldest daughter wrote her name somewhere in there. At first, I thought to casually paint over it but, then I remembered the significance of her name to us… Vie is “life” in French and these kids, this painting, and the home that it will hang in IS our life. It turned out perfect for us.