July 19 – Arts and Artists Day

On this day in 1883, Max Fleischer was born in Krakow, Poland, in what was then part of the Austrian/Hungarian empire. He grew up to be a famous animator in America.

There are undoubtedly many more artists born on this particular date—and every day of the year!—representing many other art forms, including literature, music, performing arts, arts that were once known as “decorative arts” or “crafts,” architecture, and so forth. The human need to express ourselves through creating beautiful or meaningful or emotion-provoking works is very widespread and runs very deep.

Edgar Degas is particularly known for his paintings of dancers. Like other impressionists, he used little dabs of color and visible brush strokes to create paintings with feeling and movement, rather than attempting to create entirely realistic paintings.

Max Fleischer was not only an animator but also a filmmaker. He achieved his greatest success by bringing to the “silver screen” such characters as Betty Boop, Popeye, and Superman.

Han Sai Por is best known for her stone sculptures with organic forms. She carves stone such as marble, granite, and sandstone, but she also carves wooden sculptures.

Create art!

When we say “make art,” most people think of drawing or painting, but there are many, many art forms.

Experiment with stuff you have never tried before—drawing with pastels, for example, spatter painting, sculpting polymer clay, embroidery, scratchboard art – or anything else that strikes your fantasy!