The Weissmans by Rama Hughes, 2007.

During family get-togethers when my younger cousins were much smaller, they would always want to draw together or for me to draw pictures for them. Oh, man, they set the bar high! Princesses in gowns, cars and trucks, monsters—my little cousin Austin once asked for a galloping horse that took an hour of work before it passed muster.

The most fun that we had was drawing silly pictures together. We’d draw googly-eyed puppies and people making funny faces or wearing outrageous costumes. Those are great memories. I wish I had saved the pictures, but at the time I didn’t think how a quick sketch done on a napkin or on the back of a sheet of paper could mean so much years later. In the same way, I would love to have a sketch of my grandpa—who has since passed away—sitting on his stool in the kitchen making the fruitcake that no one ever ate, or a drawing of my whole family gathered around the kitchen table teasing one another and playing cards.

	Drawing for "Evening" by Mary Cassatt, 1879-80, conte crayon on paper. Courtesy Hood Museum of Art.

That’s why this year I’m going to try to dedicate time to sketching my family. I don’t know if I would have thought of this idea if I weren’t a reader of American Artist; the magazine always features so many artists who create moving artwork from their everyday experiences. This has really opened my eyes. The people and places around us can be powerful subjects, and that can be especially true during this time of the year, when families tend to come together. A quick sketch of two family members embracing, a newborn baby being cuddled by its mother, or even the drama and kookiness that families all have—I think it all has the potential for being translated into moving artwork.

Painting and drawing skills can be used to create mementos that act like windows into our lives. We can employ our artistic skills to mark occasions we don’t want to forget. And because we make them ourselves, these kinds of objects carry way more power than a mere snapshot. So if you have someone in your life who loves art, or if there are little ones in the family who you’d love to start teaching about the art that inspires you, or if you are like me and want that inspiration again and again in your own life, think about giving an American Artist gift subscription. It is a great way to make art part of our daily life and inspire great artworks that are made just for us, by us!

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