Childs Play by Jamie
Inspired by the melancholy of Puff the Magic Dragon, each piece invites viewers to reconnect with the joy of childhood.
The centrepiece of each work is an over-sized glass crayon – scaled to mimic a real life crayon laying on an 8 x10 paper - assembled from 11 individual pieces of art glass, colour-matched to classic Crayola hues. The smooth, flat, black wrapper is created using a solder technique I developed to force traditional molten metal to take on the finish of a real crayon.
These crayons are mounted atop real crayon drawings on canvas—created not by children, but by me. What may look carefree and spontaneous is, in fact, surprisingly difficult to achieve. As we grow, we’re taught to colour inside the lines, to aim for symmetry, balance, and control. Drawing like a child requires a complete unlearning of those habits. A child’s drawing is guided by feeling and their unique view of the world. Stepping back into that mindset, as an adult artist, demands humility and vulnerability. The canvas itself makes things harder as crayon only adheres to the high points of the textured surface, so each mark is permanent. There are no second chances - just one honest attempt at childhood joy.
