Paste: It’s up to you to combine your media in ways--with each other and with your ideas--that make them stand out in a crowd. In my view, transforming your media and making it do what you want it to do is the primary thing that distinguishes art from crafts. We can change our materials by changing their CONTEXT. 1. START ALREADY. Got a white canvas that’s intimidating you? Paint over the whole thing with a 10-second wash of paint, and then blot it out in a few places, and go over it again in a few more. You could use sepia tone, or a color that is complementary to what will be the main color of your subject. Now that you’re not afraid of that canvas getting messed up, you can move ahead with your painting without fear. 2. BREAK UP THE PROCESS. You want to cut out shapes to make a collage? Explore one of more of the following: watercolor, pen and ink, xerox transfers, felt-tipped pen, and printmaking (stamping, for example) on a piece of paper first. Then cut your shapes out of that. Explore how different techniques can add widely varied layers of textural interest to your overall design. Eric Carle is a great illustrator to study. 3. USE NONTRADITIONAL MATERIALS. Collage and assemblage are great ways to experience art with young preschoolers. Go on a treasure hunt in your backyard and discuss line, shape and pattern found in nature. Cover a huge piece of newspaper with spray adhesive and let your child use natural materials as collage elements. 4. GIVE EVERYDAY OBJECTS NEW MEANING. Collect found objects and combine them. You might deconstruct, reconstruct, or employ one of the principles of design. If you want to take this up a notch in your own art, think about conventional meaning of these objects and how you are affecting that through thoughtful combining or modifying--what new meaning can you communicate? Some of the abstract expressionists, and pop artists that followed--Oldenberg, Rauschenberg, and Warhol come to mind--were known for combining everyday objects with art media to make a statement on culture and society. Link in profile for a video by Tate Modern on the concepts behind pop art. // Image: Church on a Snowy Day by Farris and Charlotte.