4-Year-Old Goes Viral After Creating Her First Original Artwork on Canvas and Gifting It to Her Artist Mom.
An artist mom has gone viral for sharing her 4-year-old daughter’s first original creation, and it’s a masterpiece! Caroline Wendelin, a full-time artist, shared the moment her daughter presented her first canvas painting, which quickly captured the hearts of thousands on social media.
Caroline, who has been an artist for over five years, attributes her artistic passion to her childhood, where her mother was also an artist. "I've been an artist full-time for about five years, but I started painting as a child myself. My mother was also an artist when I was a kid, so I watched [her] painting since I was born and then I started painting too,". "I tried a few other jobs in my early 20s and then I realized art was still what I wanted to do. So I'm really happy I can do it today."
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Growing up surrounded by art, Wendelin naturally introduced her own children to creativity from an early age. She has three kids, including a toddler daughter, a nearly 3-year-old son, and her 4-year-old daughter, who was the star of the viral painting.
"Everyone in my family has always been on the creative side. We do a lot of music. Everyone likes painting and talking about music and art and film. It's very natural in our home. My husband is an architect, so he loves art also," Wendelin shares. "My three children have been with me in the studio since they were born, which has been so beautiful and also very chaotic at the same time."
Though painting with her children has posed challenges, Wendelin reflects on the learning process. "Having my three children with me while I paint has sometimes been a struggle but it also has made me learn a lot, especially about finding balance between my love for creating and my love for my children," she adds.
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In December, her 4-year-old daughter decided it was time to take her own turn with a large canvas. "She's always been with me in the studio. We're there many hours, every week. She started on small canvases and normal paper but after seeing me paint some bigger canvases, she asked, 'Mom can I try painting on a big one?'" Wendelin recalls. "I did have a few spare canvases and by the end of December, I decided to let her have one."
Her daughter was thrilled, grabbing her little chair and diving into the creative process. Wendelin set up a camera to capture the special moment, typically sharing such videos privately with family. "Once the painting was done and I showed my husband the video of her, we were both very emotional and excited," Wendelin shares.
Her daughter’s art was more than just a random splatter of color. Wendelin guides her daughter to think of a story behind her work. "What we love to do when we paint together is that I ask her about the story because I think that boosts their creativity. She always has this whole story going on," Wendelin explains. "I listen to her and try to guide her because she does ask me about what I think. I try to just give suggestions unless she really insists."
As any young child would, her daughter occasionally took breaks from painting, but always returned to her project. Wendelin explains, "Like any kid, at some point she'll lose interest. She'll go run to the kitchen to grab a cookie or tell me, 'Mom, I don't want to paint anymore today.' So we'll take a break and I go back to painting. Sometimes she'll watch me or she'll just sit around the studio. If she feels creative again while she's there, she'll pick up a brush."
Wendelin’s approach to parenting and art has evolved with her children’s presence. "What has changed the most in my art since getting my children into the studio is I've had to learn to let go of many things. I used to be a perfectionist with everything in art and life, and after becoming a mother, I've just had to learn to find that certain beauty in not being perfect and not doing everything perfectly," she shares.
Her daughter’s painting took only a day to complete. Though Wendelin typically shares art privately, she couldn’t help but share this moment on Instagram. "I decided to share it on Instagram, but I don't show her face in this or any videos. I've chosen to protect her privacy in that way. I just thought the painting was very beautiful and I wanted to share it and I see it resonated with a lot of people," she shares proudly.
The post was viewed over 8 million times, a testament to how her daughter’s joyful creativity touched many. "I'm so amazed at the responses I've had. It's been viewed over 8 million times, I think it's because so many people resonate with her genuine joy while she's painting. It brings a lot of people back to childhood memories, myself included," Wendelin says.
Her daughter, who doesn’t yet know much about social media, was delighted by the feedback. "I've told her that there are many people saying how beautiful her painting was and she got very, very happy about that," Wendelin adds with a smile.
The painting isn’t for sale, though. "I’ve even gotten messages about people wanting to buy this particular painting, but it's not for sale. She wanted it to be for me," Wendelin says.
Caroline's daughter's nearly complete painting. Caroline Wendelin/Instagram
When not creating art, Wendelin’s daughter enjoys spending time in nature with her family. "We live in the south of Spain so we're very lucky with the weather here. We go out into nature and do picnics. She'll take toys and tell them stories while we're out. She's a very creative little girl," Wendelin shares. "Of course, she also loves playing with her siblings."
Since posting the video, Wendelin has received numerous messages from other parents eager to introduce their children to art. Her advice? "What I tell most of them is to make sure you use washable paint because it's going to get messy," Wendelin says with a chuckle. "And join them when they're painting! Many kids will lose interest after a while, but we're their role models when they're this young. I love staying with my daughter while she paints and I think that boosts her creativity too."
Lastly, Wendelin emphasizes the importance of celebrating every creative effort. "Also, make sure you display everything they make. Hanging it all around shows them that we're very proud of them. It boosts their confidence and they get some recognition," she concludes.
