From Childhood to Motherhood

Crayons are a subject I have returned to countless times over the years. However, this is my very first time painting them
as a new mom.

All images from Jenn Blackburn

Instead of a distant, nostalgic object stuck in the past, they have become something to look forward to experiencing all over again through the life of my daughter. From childhood to motherhood, they have made themselves full circle.

I began this collection how I usually do—with small, individual crayons serving as warmups for getting back into “crayon shape”. Moving on to groups of crayons, I arrange all sorts of scattered compositions on my studio table. A container full of crayons has been stowed away in my studio cabinet for years, and only until recently have the crayons been showing up in my home, in my shoes, in my life—not just in my art practice or in my memories. It makes sense, then, that as this collection has grown, elements from my actual life have began to make their way into my paintings.

This shift became apparent in the larger paper pieces: I envisioned sunlight shining through window panes onto a table scattered with crayons. I’ve had this idea in my head for years and I expected it to come really easily. However, as I got going on it, I went around and around in circles—something wasn’t right.

As I was texting my friend Catherine (she’s your friend, too…she sends the emails!) about this painting that had me stumped, I realized it wasn’t so much that anything was wrong with it—it was just missing something. I incorporated the familiar sticky notes into the composition and it immediately felt grounded in reality versus floating in an unknown space, which has been the case for most of my crayon pieces. Thus became the creation of Morning To Do Lists.

Morning To Do Lists, Acrylic on Paper, 22.25×30”, 2025

I have been truly impressed (overwhelmed?!) by the clutter a 16-month-old can accumulate in a matter of seconds. Through Crayons on Paper, I hope to encourage you to embrace the mess of your life and home; to see the beauty of letting them play and loving the trail of books, blocks, and crayons they leave in their path. As I tidy, putting this and that back in its place for the 100th time, I’ll appreciate the little life that I know is growing way too fast already.

A few weeks ago I was sitting in the window of a coffee shop processing my thoughts and feelings about this crayon collection. A cute, elderly man shuffled past and I was immediately struck with a vision of an old, wrinkly hand grasping a crayon. This visual contrast of young and old wrecked me in that moment and I just really wanted to cry—I felt the weight and sting of the brevity of life. Day after day, the sun rises on the scattered crayons and sets on the dirty high chair. The days are long and the years are fast; the clutter is chaotic and the toys are vast. Here today and gone tomorrow, I know someday I will long for the clutter that trips me up.

Crayons on Paper invites viewers into a world where nostalgia meets the present, and the innocence of childhood transforms into the experience of motherhood. This collection explores the crayon not just as a tool for creativity, but as a symbol of growth, learning, and the bond between parent and child. What began as a reflection on my own childhood memories—where crayons were a gateway to imagination—has evolved into a vision for the future, as I teach my toddler not just how to hold a crayon, but to appreciate its power. The crayon clusters, constellations, and clutter in these works are not confined to the past; they are alive with the life that surrounds them. Through vibrant colors and playful compositions, this collection is a celebration of both the magic of crayons and the evolution of their meaning as I pass them into the hands of the next generation.