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Hello! My name is Nadene Esterhuizen and I live on a remote mountain farm in South Africa. I am a farmer’s wife, a homesteader, and a homeschooling mom, and I love to inspire and encourage other homeschooling parents on my blog, which you can visit by clicking here! I love being creative and regularly participate in sketch and doodle challenges, but don’t consider myself an artist, and I am truly humbled to be asked to be a guest artist on Doodlewash today.
When I was quite young, my parents bought me an oil-paint-by-numbers kit and my love for art was birthed there and then. Later I studied teaching, specializing in art and taught art to middle schoolers for 10 years. I painted all the school plays’ backdrops and designed pen and ink sketches for school brochures and church magazines.
Once I had my first child, I became a stay-at-home-mom and began homeschooling, following a rich, Fine Arts approach created by Charlotte Mason. Art appreciation lessons became a regular feature in our week and over the years we have studied most of the famous, Impressionist and contemporary artists. I share our art appreciation activities and lessons on my blog.
We also joined Sketch Tuesday years ago, and this enabled me to set aside time for regular sketching and painting with my children. Sitting quietly sketching and painting is so enjoyable. Over the years, I have tried different methods and approaches, but find that I have developed a pen and wash style that I enjoy most.
Because we paint often, I have found that my children (now young adults and teens) have become confident and very creative artists and there is scarcely a day that goes by where someone isn’t doodling, sketching or painting in our home. (They helped select their favourite sketches from my sketchbooks for this guest post!)
We love stationery and art materials! My favourite gift to myself was a little LUKAS Aquarell Studio watercolour set and quality brushes I bought for my birthday this year. I love my Kuretake water brushes and Rotring pencil. We all make our own little travel notebooks and watercolour sets, and we share our collection of quality watercolour pencils, chalk and oil pastels.
We are all born with a gift of creativity in some form, and it is a joy and privilege to paint, draw, sew, craft, sing, make music, build, garden, or create, whether we ever become professional artists or not! So don’t compare yourself with others. Simply be inspired by others, but create and find your own artistic “voice” and grow in creativity.
Nadene Esterhuizen
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Nadene, I really enjoyed your post today. I homeschooled my son from Kindegarten thru Highschool and used a Charlotte Mason approach as well, so your post brought back many precious memories for me. My son just graduated college and is now employed in his chosen field. I will check out your blog for some ideas to use with my granddaughter who is a little artist! Thanks for posting and thank you Charlie for having Nadene be a Guest Doodler!
@Annie Glacken, it is wonderful to read how you homeschooled your son all the way from preschool to gradualtion, and how fulfilling to see him live out his vision in his work! What a blessing! I am also a granny looking for ideas for my toddler granddaughter … and I’m so grateful for all the marvelous ideas on the Internet. Wishing you every blessing!
Nadene your work is just awesome!
@Rowena, thank you for such kind words!
I enjoyed reading your story Nadene and seeing your lovely art. I have followed you on Instagram. Thank you Charlie for sharing Nadene’s art.
Thank you @Susan Feniak! I enjoyed browsing your art blog!
Thank you Nadene
What beautiful art and what a beautiful story. I think it’s wonderful that you found your love of art at a young age and have instilled the same in your children.
Thank you, @Creatingincolors. I think that art and creativity has been the most wonderful way of being part of my children’s lives and I am thrilled to see them grow in their artistic skills ans expression.
Nadene, I do agree with you that we are all born with a gift for creativity. You must have been a wonderful and inspiring teacher. Your art is whimsical and a delight to see.
Thank you for such encouraging comments, @Sharon Bonin-Pratt! May your creative expression keep flowing through your books!
I really enjoyed your guest post, Nadene. As a creative mother to four young boys, I often do arts and crafts activities with my kids. I even taught them History of Art last summer which involved arting as well as studying. So I’m inspired and encouraged by your post and I hope that my children continue to be enthusiastic creators and appreciators of art as your children have become.
@Laura (PA Pict), thank you for sharing your experiences as a creative mom! We are privileged and blessed to be able to inspire and equip our children with a love for art! May you and your boys continue to grow in creativity1
Sounds amazing! What talent you have!
Thank you, @Anita!
How wonderful that your family makes art together! Lovely. (K)
@memadtwo, thanks! I am so grateful for the joy and pleasure art has given us as shared time together!
I’m an absolute beginner with doodle sketching and find your post inspiring with your beautiful works. I specially like your water image, brava!
robert
@robert quiet photographer, thank you! I’m also inspired to grow and develop my art by others I see on the Internet! Keep sketching and doodlewashing!
Thanks you for sharing how you raised your children with a deep appreciation for art.