Scrolls

There was a time when Hana used to fold her art work. This was after the time that she’d staple it with 325 staples. She’d fold it into intricate patterns, and everyone would get a folded piece of paper, which - upon unfolding - would show a drawing.

These days she’s into scrolls. Everything gets rolled up, and needs a rubber band (The rubber band is absolutely vital).

A work of art is not complete until it is rolled up (preferably a little rumpled) and tied with a rubber band. It does have something serious to it; a scroll.

And this shows up when it becomes 'unrolled'. It is a house. But as the artists is not in right now (she has a play date with Ali; one does need to network), she cannot explain the finer meaning of the drawing. You’ll have to wait for that.

Butonned Christmas Tree

Hana's teacher is obviously cleaning out her closets, and this 'belated' Christmas Tree came home today. At the beginning of the year her teacher sent us a (very long) list of things she would be interested in having in case we were throwing them out. Toilet paper rolls, shells, pebbles, magazines, old film roll cases, shoe boxes, you name it, she wanted it. Buttons featured on the list as well. I know see what she does with it all. It's a nice idea.

Marlene

We do not have a Marlene in the family, so I do not know where she got the name from. This one is on a post card, destined for her grandparents in Holland.

I like the movement in 'Marlene'. She's got cute 'clumpy' feet, long hair ending in curls and she seems to be going somewhere. With a smile.

Cubism

Suddenly abstract blocks appear in different colors, and with different faces. I am not sure where the sudden inspiration comes from. I know that in class she learns about different emotions (happy, sad, angry etc), so maybe that's what keeps her busy.

First Attempt to Map Making

This one is inspired by maps. She has seen me studying a map last week, and has created her own map. I don’t know what the writing on the left means, but there is a boat (she went on her father’s boat last week) and a wooden bridge (the boats are moored onto a wooden pier). On the left is another boat (circle with cross) that can be reached by gangway (she visited someone else’s boat and had to walk over a gangway). On the right is our house.

Juggling

We suddenly have a recurrent theme; Juggling.

Picture on the right
H: "That one is with a boy juggling up in the tree. He wants to have a party with his friends. And there are fishes up. There are balloons. That is the party sign (right). "

Picture on the left
H: "That’s another boy juggling. He is a clown. And there is a boy standing next to him thinking - he's got his eyes closed, see? - that he is going to the circus. "

Conversation
M: "How do you know about juggling? "
H: "I learned that people juggle in a circus. "
M: "Who told you that? "
H: "My brain told me that."

Oh Christmas Tree

Hana is in the Christmas spirit. It's stars and Christmas trees now. There is of course the traditional Christmas tree with the yellow star on top. This one is a mix.

"That is a mermaid jumping in the air (note the bra, or the boobies, I am not sure which one was intended), and a little bird is flying to its nest. It is very tiny. There is a snake on top of the house. And there are Christmas stars on the house and there are people coming out of the house. The tree is a Christmas tree. "

Letters in Jail

When she first showed me this work, I had to ask several times what it meant. ‘Letters Indjale’, she said, and repeated it several times. Finally, exasperated with her mom’s dim logic, she explained; “The letters are in prison, and the smiley face too.”
I got it. She used the lines of the paper as bars of a jail. And thus the letters are in jail. Hence the name, 'Letters in Jail.'

And this is what it looks like when it is mounted on the wall (with 3 pieces of scotch tape).

She does not know how to read or write yet, but letters have a great attraction on her. She experiments a lot with letters.

Christmas Tree

Inspired by the Christmas tree, Hana made this multi-media piece of art. It was ‘for the Christmas tree’. Whether it should hang in the Christmas tree, stand before it, or be a Christmas tree in itself was not clear to me. (I banned it from the house out of fear that displaying it near the Christmas tree might lighten her enthusiasm and make her produce an entire line of this).

She spent a good tie hammering it together, adding bits and pieces of material; some glitter, a button, a ribbon, a sponge and a drawing of her and her mom with a big red hart (see inset).

A Valuable Brain

Hana says: “This picture is about his brain. His brain is valuable and he never brushes his teeth, you know that? His name is Earlin. That’s his hair (pointing the the top). These are his ears (on the side).”

Curly

'Gekruld van buiten, gekruld van binnen' is the Dutch proverb. Another one, similar, is 'gekrulde haren, gekrulde zinnen.' Both mean the same; If you are curly from the outside, you're curly from the inside. And curly Hana is. This is one of the first pictures where there is a distinct difference between girls and boys. Girls get dressed (green) and curls.

Letters

Hana is experimenting with letters, and numbers. She reverses them, but she is much interested in writing. She writes and illustrates books all the time. She is starting to recognize rhyming words and similar word beginnings. I know in Holland you learn to read between the age of 5 and 6, so she should be reading by this summer, logically speaking. We will see. I don't think they teach it in KGI.

This is a Christmas letter (the star).

Green Cucumber & Blue Beads

Every week or so, a parent comes to my daughters class, to talk about his/her job. It is part of their social studies curriculum. ‘The World and I’, or something along those lines. And she’s been talking for weeks now about the mom of a certain girl who was doing things with creams and lotions and I don’t know what. Today, while we were having dinner at Zaatar & Zeit (place on Bliss Street in Beirut) she showed me this. “And this is what her mom does.” It finally dawned on me; The mom is a beautician!

A couple of days later we visited a glass blower between Sidon and Tyre, on the coast of Lebanon. And what you can do with cucumber, you can do with glass beads too.

Mr. Ramsey

“This is Mr. Ramsey, Andrew’s Dad. His job is to buy all kinds of stuff for the school, like chairs and paper.”

Hana’s impression of the father of one of her classmates who came in to talk about his job.

The Meanies

Hana has been quite impressed by The Meanies, a story read to her by her teachers. They only do mean things.

These are "a bleu and a purple Meanie. They play splashy splashy with the paint and the paint splashed on the window, and the ceiling, and the wall and on the wooden door.”