Cooperative Art: photo essay

Thanksgiving weekend 2025

The art gene skipped me, but has nestled favorably in the souls and bodies of several other family members.  My aunt was a very talented amateur watercolor artist, and she also sometimes made creations in clay and jewelry-making.   The Common Household’s Older Daughter has celestial art talents, and so does Extended Family Nibling. 

Me, I can barely draw a stick figure.  But I like to “do” art as an activity, as long as actual artists supply me with the tools, some basic directions, and low expectations.

I was thrilled when Older Daughter brought to our Thanksgiving gathering the supplies to do a cooperative painting - some huge canvasses, inherited from said Aunt, paints, brushes, and enthusiasm.  We set up in the basement.  Here’s how it went.

Painting A: the Artist in Residence specified no rules for this first attempt.

Painting A

I participated heavily in this creation.

Fun, but maybe we should try anew.

Painting B: The Artist-in-Charge selected just four colors to use, and placed each of us at a separate section of the canvas. There were three of us to start.

A fresh blank canvas.

The four colors:
Permanent Pink
Yellow Ochre
Earth Green
Cadmium Yellow

I made that green curvy line.
And then I quit.  It was far more
enjoyable for me to watch the others.

A cooperative artist builds on my line.

Close up of figure.
This is significant because one of the
artists had just spent 18 months
hiking in New Zealand.

The painting takes on new meaning
and more definition.
Also, the other family member
 with artist genes
joins the effort.

Three artists at work.

This figure, on the other side of the
 painting,  mirrors the first figure.

The finished painting.
Perhaps it is two parallel universes.

It was really joyful to watch this painting develop. I think the limitations on colors strengthened the artistic merit. (But really, I am no judge of art! I just know when I see art that is meaningful to me.)

Painting C: The Artist-in-Charge chose four different colors, a darker palette than for Painting B, and placed the limitation that there were to be no curvy lines.

Ultramarine Blue
Burnt Sienna
Payne's Grey
Sepia
Does not the color Burnt Sienna appear in 
every serious art work?

The darker colors and the rule
 against curvy lines
leads to a much starker
universe.  But an interesting one.

This is the painting, half way
through.  I had to go do some other
task, so this is my last
photo of this painting.

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