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She may simply be conforming her work to the "artistic canon" she sees in her first grade environment.

My dd4 goes back and forth between more wild creative/abstracted images like masks, geometric compositions and that sort of thing and then things like you describe: butterflies, houses with a girl and the sun overhead, etc. They are still interesting to me, her mother, but not like the more abstract drawings, which I would venture to say are just plain interesting. Since it corresponds with her being more in a regular classroom setting, I think it has to be a way for her to fit in. I am glad she still works in both realms but if I had to pick....

They happen to have a great art teacher at her school now, I do not think that will be the case next year, however. I think she is encouraged by this teacher to continue with the more abstract things.

Re your daughter, I think art students do go through a period of interest in more realistic methods and honing their rendering skills, which might lead to less creative subject matter or compositions, so it might just be a trade off for now.
I have read that this more realistic phase is essential for "real art" to be made as an adult; students who don't learn the 'rules' will not be able to break them in a way that could be considered sophisticated or novel. (supposedly one of the hallmarks of real art).

Mine is about age appropriate on actually skills but is very insightful about technique and methods . Once when he was 5 he mentioned to the artest how he liked that the use of rectangle shapes made you look all over the picture. This blew the artest away considering the rectangles were incorporated into buildings and other elements and not just literal shapes. They then started to discuss this at length. A 5 yr. old and 35 yr. old man. That was an a-hah moment.

I'm an artist (when I'm working).

Creativity comes from craft, not the other way around. One of my best pieces (that was actually for work) was made in a period when I made over 70 full-page illustrations per day for a week. Creativity there came mainly from caffine.

Anyway, visual cognition doesn't really even slow up developing until you're in your 20s, at least if you keep pushing it to develop. I can very clearly remember real leaps in being able to see until I was about 26ish, and though I'm not THAT much past 26 (ok, I'm 30 even ;)), I'm still learning a huge amount all the time despite loosing that expanding capacity thing.

Upshot: It don't matter how gifted an artist she is, she's got a looooooooonnnnnnnngggg way to go, and it's a tough field to work in. If it were me, and I though there could just be a Kahlo on my hands, I'd throw her in the deep end medium-wise. Make encaustics out of crayons, do fancy sculptural cakes, make fairies out of genuine found materials (go on a one-hour walk, and use only what you can find free), maybe even spend the money on a good art class and/or the materials for acrylic painting. Make stuff that won't last, it's freeing, when you're in a rut.

Find ways to extend the fun, not the learning -- if she's really talented, she'll be teaching you anyway

-Mich

Michaela,

Are you an artist when you are not working?

Michaela wrote:

"Creativity there came mainly from caffeine."

I like that.

Not sure whether you are serious or joking.

Michaela gives some great advice. I suspect a lot of your DD's subject matter is influenced by peers. Really nothing to worry about but broadening her environment and offering up new ways to work might get her past this slump. As an artist, we all deal with the challenge of staying challenged. My best work always comes from added pressure or pure exploration. Since added pressure isn't exactly age appropriate, I suspect exploration would be the most valid.

Just because the book Cinderella Ate my daughter is on my mind lately, I have to say that sounds like a little girl trying to fit into the classroom and wanting to draw what the other girls are drawing (which is what is being marketed to them). I liked Michaela's advice too and am sure my dd9 would love to hang out with her!

Interesting thread. DS who will be 4 in June does some cool art, cut and paste and playdoh rather than drawing or painting. Part of it is he can spend an hour or more on one picture, so it becomes filled and complex. His pictures always tell a story. He extends over the edges of his piece of paper when necessary, adding pieces. Overall it looks really neat but some of it's essence is going to go away I'm sure as he learns what size drawing will fit comfortably on a page, etc. One thing he did recently had eyes both on the front and back of the paper (because animals have more than one side). But that will vanish probably the more he doesn't see anyone else put features on the back of the paper. I was kind of disappointed to see the sun make an appearance recently.

I wish he wouldn't have to be exposed to kindergarteners and first graders ever, so that he doesn't realize about the sun-house-person subject matter. Even not seeing it there he probably will get it from books etc, the cultural norms of composition.

My hope was perhaps he gets comfortable enough with his own style by doing it a lot at this young age, that down the road he won't feel so influenced by external stuff. I don't know though, it sounds like ultramarina your dd has "converted" even though she was pretty individualistic at a younger age?

Polly

Nina: Now THERE'S the rub. I have nightmares over that particular question. I hope so. DH can't quite comprehend why I get annoyed when there's an envlope on the dinner table, between the carefully chosen serving bowls. So that's a good sign, right? Sometimes I wish I were one of those people who puts out an incredible stream of work under the most trying of circumstances. I'm not quite that. The comment was really just an appeal-to-authority anyway, so it's not much worth listening to

Chenchuan: No joke there. I hear belladonna works too, but I'm not really planning to try it


-Mich

It is not unusual, but actually normal for a gifted artist to go through periods when little or no work in completed. Usually either the artist will work on the same type of material over and over or sometimes not create anything at all. I do this a lot myself. But the difference is that while it may look like I am someone who does not care about art anymore or who has lost interest, every time I go back to painting and drawing I am "better" technically and more intense. Usually during my down time as an artist I go through a cycle of trying to forget what I know, observation, watching fashion and what is going on around me, and eventually I start getting into it all again.

Some of my daughter work is on a school website. When I looked at it I noticed that while her fellow Kindergarten classmates seem highly creative and expressive...by 4th grade just about every drawing looks like the same person could have made it. It is very hard for a creative "artsy" person to maintain their unique views as an adult, much less a child. The only way I stayed creative through school and into adulthood was by being around other young gifted artist, going to art museums and shows, and reading about and looking at art. I was also given a great amount of freedom with the materials I used. I do the same with my daughter during her "down" times with art. I let her look at books about famous artist, look at my sketchbooks, and give her anything from cardboard to conte to create what she wants. Most importantly, if she doesn't want to draw or wants to draw the same crying fairy princess over and over I don't say a word....eventually she goes back to drawing her way and each time I can see how she has evolved.

If she's an artist and has something to say then the art will out!

Interesting question. I think that at her age, it is too early to tell which it is unless her drawing ability is already high compared to the average adult. I do recall drawing extremely well as a three-year-old. However, by age 4, when I started first grade, much of the energy/focus had shifted away from drawing even though that "advanced drawing ability" remained obvious for a number of years. I think that passion is a better measure. When I look at DD7, I see her advanced skills as more a function of artistic ability rather than general high intelligence mainly because art appears to be her default outlet. For example, when she is angry at me, she will draw elaborate pictures demonstrating why she is angry even though it would be quicker for her to write a note as she is articulate.