Pumpkin Painting!

Well, it's been at least 2 weeks since we got our pumpkins at the pumpkin patch - so Friday night I sporadically got them out along with some of my paints and paintbrushes. Jacob was so excited to use "Mommy paints and brushes" - and I have to say, it was special for me, too. I haven't sat down to paint for a while, and it was a great time for both of us.
Jacob loved painting! We have painted with his little tempera paints before, but this was different, and he got really into it! His favorite part was mixing the paint on the plate while changing colors constantly! (the artist in me was inspired by that - and it made me want to get back to that "fearless" feeling with art, where you just go with it and see what happens...)Jacob, the black and red period. This lasted about 2 minutes. He went from mixing the paint on the paper plate to mixing it all on the pumpkin! At first I wanted to ask him to stop - but I had to laugh! I am the same way! I started out with art by mixing my sister's fingernail polish and painting a secret mural behind my bed (yep, my parents got a huge shock when we moved! haha) I loved mixing the colors and making a huge blob of some new color and then I would find a use for it (two of my favorite components of making art - colors and taking something there and making it something else/giving it a purpose). It was a great moment for me, and even though Jacob was just brushing away, I felt closer to him - seeing something in him that I identify with - it was amazing!
As you can see, the colors on the pumpkin are turning into one big color block as he mixed and mixed! The pic doesn't show it, but he was loving this! He looked at what I was doing on my pumpkin (its a few pics down) and wanted to try to paint like me :).
Here is Jacob's finished pumpkin - he chose all the colors for the face and I painted it on for him - and then, as you can see, he added some more finishing touches - he was proud to give it "eyebrows and hair". Great work Jacob!
Here is my pumpkin at the point where I stopped to put him to bed...I have always been fascinated with the sky and nature, and I find clouds and water particularly challenging to paint...at least for me. So its my little homage to the night sky :).
After I got Jacob cleaned up and in bed, I came back and messed around with the paints - this was my final. I couldn't get it all in one picture, but you get the general idea. If some of my art professors saw this they would love it - others would be shocked at all I must have forgotten! Haha...its just a pumpkin after all. In my brain painting pumpkins seemed easier and less messy than carving - plus they last longer...it will be fun to have them for our little family Halloween party! It was great to have that time with Jacob and feel such inspiration from my 3 year old with a big paintbrush, and a much bigger spirit!