I'm going to fess up to being an art kit junkie. I love any project that comes in a kit with instructions and patterns to follow. It's the best, and quite frankly the easiest, way to experiment with different art forms without investing a significant amount of time and money. My house is small. I don't get the luxury of having a spare room to call my studio. My wallet is even smaller. I don't have a lot of money to toss this way and that. So when I run across a kit, something I can take a stab at that has all the materials included in the box, I'm gung ho and ready to go.

Now granted, most art kits don't produce finished products of Rembrandt stature that you can sell on eBay or Etsy...or even feel okay about giving as a Mother's Day gift. And unless you're under the age of 10, don't look to be challenged. But when I pick up a kit, I'm not looking for perfection or glory or enlightenment. I'm looking to play, to try something new, to step outside my routine, to not worry about end results, and maybe even to strengthen my hand-eye coordination a bit. 

The picture above is from my most recent art kit adventure: a window mosaic. I liked doing this project for many reasons:

My fingerprint is on every square. How cool is that? Unlike painting with a brush, taking a picture, composing on a computer, or just about any other creative expression, this project involved me taking tiny pieces of soft rubber-like stuff and placing it onto a plastic background...resulting in each one of those pieces having my fingerprint on it. Now that's what I call "making an impression."

I got the kit at the Getty Villa. I'm not the biggest fan of Greek art, but I do like all things Getty. The folks at both museums (the Villa and the Center) seem to have it going on and make every visit so special. It's free, it's about the outside as well as the inside settings, it's accessible, and it's educational.

It's a dolphin! Most people who know me know how much I love marine life. Dolphins are special. What more is there to say?

It's a dolphin flying! Not a drop of water in sight and yet there it is, hanging out on my window. I like that.

I'm digging mosaics lately. My interest started when I was in Italy a couple years ago and met a woman who creates big-ass mosaics on floors and walls of buildings. Then the Getty Villa had a special exhibit on Greek mosaics. Then I met another mosaic artist. Then I started seeing mosaics everywhere. They were probably there the whole time but I just never noticed before. Now I do. And I love 'em.