No Candy Attached

I thought the valentines my granddaughter wanted to make would be easy at first, because the initial idea was a messenger owl, with the valentine attached to its leg (great idea with a Harry Potter theme, thanks to my daughter), but---then somehow the owl got changed to a cupid. I made an experimental cupid based on my granddaughter's drawing. Things got complicated from there--she wanted the cupid to hold the heart--to stand!--and wanted it to be made out of heavy cardboard. We compromised all along--used lighter weight cardboard--made the cupid smaller--I was trying to reach a simple design that would be do-able for making twenty or more. I ended up making all the cupids!! A whole army of them!

I enjoyed making them, but here I was taking over my granddaughter's project, the whole thing was bordering on obsessive creativity--which made me think about how art can be obsessive. I thought about Do Ho Suh and his creations that involved billions of dog tags or a whole room full of little figures--made me also think about factories--how large quantities of things are made--how the machines that make those things had to be made, programed and timed by someone--which led me to think of my mother who worked in a factory doing piece work and how I remember hearing her say that she enjoyed her work, she liked to work with her hands--she was good at it...


After awhile, I just kept going--cutting--coloring--making the stands--gluing...

I helped with the Hearts, but they were my granddaughter's creations...

These have no candy attached, will they be swept aside? Thrown away or recycled the same day? Ripped, bent or crumpled in backpacks? Why, again was I making these?

Maybe we need an army of cupids...

to carry my granddaughter's poem.
Do notice, though, the cupids are from me. After all that work, Mrs. B, the art teacher (me) will be giving the cupids. The hearts are from my granddaughter.
Happy Valentines Day!