What is process art?  Exactly what it sounds like — it’s all about the PROCESS of making the art, rather than the final product.  This is perfect for toddlers, since it allows them to experience the sensorial element of art without the expectation of creating something recognizable.

We’ve been experimenting with painting using instruments other than paintbrushes (see Nature Painting), so one rainy day we decided to give kitchen utensils a try.  I put together a tray with three colors (I always ask L to choose a color, and then I add a couple more that will not combine with her chosen color to make brown!) and added a whisk, a potato masher, a fruit scrubber, and a cookie cutter.  I showed her how to press each kitchen utensil into the paint and then stamp it on the paper.

L absolutely LOVED this activity.  It gave us the opportunity to talk about the textures of each kitchen utensil and the shapes they made when we stamped with them in the paint.

This was all about the process of painting, but I think the final product turned out pretty great!