Picnic paints

There are a number of items your kids can use to create a food-painting masterpiece.

Hot summer art fun with ketchup, mustard and fruit pops

By Liza Blair

Summer is a great time to pack a picnic, take the kids outside and find a place where everyone can play and relax together. So why not use this time to do a little bit of painting? Using some items from your picnic, kids will love the chance to paint with ketchup, mustard and other foods.
A few months ago we offered a painting lesson at Creative Discovery Museum using ketchup, mustard and berries. Using paintbrushes, kids applied ketchup and mustard onto a sheet of watercolor paper, which is thicker than construction paper and made to absorb excess moisture. The kids were amazed, and they quickly responded with some amazing food-art creations.
For centuries artists have relied on food as inspiration for creating work and as a way to comment about society and man’s relationship with nature’s bounty. So why not take it a step further, and make food both the message and the medium?
There are a number of items you and your kids can use to create your own food-painting masterpiece. Condiments like ketchup and mustard provide great color and work best as a paint substitute. Other items worth trying include frozen berries—blueberries, blackberries and raspberries work best. And for staining fabric, try beets and any variety of black tea. Or take your kids on a tour of your nearest grocery store, and come up with some ideas of your own!

Liza Blair is arts manager for the Creative Discovery Museum.