A record in color
Reflections on art, motherhood, and the things we remember.
Pablo Picasso said that painting is just another way of keeping a diary. I’ve always loved that quote, but it hit differently when I found a clip of my daughter, Josie, who was three years old, narrating her own paintings to me.
I had found this video this week as I’ve been deep in my feelings. Josie turns eight soon, and as the mother of an only child, everything feels doubled. Every “first” is also a “last.” The first steps, the last time I’ll ever watch my baby take her first steps. It’s more sweet than bitter, but the ache can still catch me off guard.
In the clip, she’s choosing colors and explaining her choices—tiny, confident, full of magic. She points to a green wave overtaking a purple splotch and says it reminds her of the “new beach” where “Daddy got wet” and “the waves went SPLASH” and “the sand was hot!” She laughs, then adds, “Blue like my brella!”
And just like that, I’m back on that beach. Her voice, her laughter, the waves, and the umbrella by the door. I see her dad carrying her into deeper water so she could feel the thrill while staying safe in his arms. I remember what it felt like to escape somewhere new during the heaviness of the pandemic. To make space for joy, even in the midst of so much uncertainty. Every time I look at that painting now, I feel it all over again. I hear her voice. I see her brushstrokes. I remember the beach.
That’s the thing about art. It folds time. It connects what seems unrelated. Whether you’re three or thirty, when you make something or really see something, it becomes a kind of diary entry in a life that’s otherwise scrolling by too fast.
Maybe that’s why it feels so good to pause and make something. Or to bring home a piece of art that speaks to you in a way you can’t quite explain. Something in the color, the shape, the energy—it lingers. And in a life that’s always moving forward, these small, quiet anchors matter more than we realize.
© 2025 Hannah Katherine. All rights reserved. This blog post and its contents are the original work of the author. Please do not reproduce without permission.
