Who needs paint brushes anyway? The kids used flowers to paint…flowers! They explored textures and layering of colors to imitate Impressionist Masters like Monet.

Flowers as Paint Brushes

The beautiful bouquet of Grandma’s birthday flowers began to droop. Time to toss them. Or wait! Let’s try something new. Not knowing how messy this might get, we gathered our Washable Paints along with paper plates, paper, and flowers. The roses were our paint brushes as we dabbed, swished, and splotted!

Connection to Monet’s Work

While the kids explored different flower and color combinations, I showed them one of my favorite Impressionist paintings- Claude Monet’s Vase of Flowers. I told them about visiting the unique Courtauld Gallery in London. I had been captivated and kept returning to this one over and over again. The texture and layering of color added depth. Depending on where I stood, it looked so different- like a real vase of flowers!

If it weren’t for the London Pass, I’m not sure that we would have included the Courtauld Gallery on our (long) list of Must-Sees. For Impressionist lovers, this elegant museum on the banks of the River Thames is one I highly recommend. Search for Van Gogh’s missing ear, Manet’s bartender, and there’s even an Animal Scavenger Hunt for kids.

Upcycling Paint Materials

Our finished products looked nothing like an imitation of Monet. However, experimenting with textures and color-layering was evident in the dabs and swipes across all the masterpieces. Bonus: painting with flowers certainly made the clean-up easy. Now I’m wondering what other items could be upcycled to use as paint brushes?!

Art Museum Connections

The next time we’re at an art museum, here are some questions I plan to ask our kids.

• Why do you think the artist decided to layer these colors?
• What textures do you notice? What do you think it feels like?
• Does the painting look different if you stand in different places?

If you try out this activity, let us know how it goes!