I let my son draw on all the walls in our house when he was a baby – now he’s a budding artist at 4-years-old and imitates Van Gogh
A mother who let her son draw on walls as a baby now believes it turned him into an aspiring artist.
Santiago Daniel Peña Garcia, from Peru, started drawing on walls when he was just 10 months old – and is now a natural with a brush and an easel, claims his mother Adianée.
From the moment he could walk, Santiago Daniel drew on the walls in every room of the house, and his mother allowed him to let his creative juices flow.
Now he paints every day – including a version of Van Gogh’s Starry Night in his paintings.
Adianée said, “I had just bought some crayons and I didn’t want him to ruin them, so I bought him crayons.
Santiago Daniel Pena Garcia, from Peru, is an aspiring artist after learning his craft by painting on walls as a toddler
“He started drawing all over the walls, but he seemed so happy I couldn’t stop him.”
Santiago Daniel’s drawings were such that the family even had to repaint the apartment before moving.
But Adianée thinks it’s worth it because she raised an artist.
Santiago Daniel’s doodles were not to everyone’s taste and Alianée’s brother, who lived with the couple at the time, did not like it.
Little Santiago Daniel, who is now four years old, sits with paintbrushes and a canvas every day
The aspiring artist’s mother let him draw on all the walls in the house as a baby
Adianée said the landlord of their home was shocked when he saw what Santiago Daniel had done in the house, but added that she ended up painting over the drawings
Adianée said: ‘At first my brother didn’t like it because it wasn’t our house, but then he saw how much Santiago Daniel enjoyed it.
“He basically painted every wall in the house. Our bedroom, hallway, kitchen and living room were covered.
“The landlord saw it too when we left and he looked so shocked, but we were already painting over it so it was fine.”
Adianée believes that quitting the toddler would have stifled his passion for art and says other parents should follow her example.
She said: ‘I think if he had done it and I had taken away his crayons it would have killed his passion for creativity.
Santiago’s mother believes that all parents should “leave their children alone” when it comes to their creative outlet
“I’ve seen parents do that and their kids just don’t like painting the way Santiago Daniel does.
‘I would advise other parents to leave their children alone.
“They probably won’t all be artists because they scribbled on the walls, but they shouldn’t limit something that could promote their growth, their creativity.
‘They shouldn’t see it as naughty. Walls can be repainted and kids are kids.”
The little boy now spends at least 40 minutes a day painting.
His inspiration comes from cartoons.
His favorite things to paint are The PJ Masks, Disney’s Luca or Mickey Mouse.
Adianée said, “He’ll sit and watch TV and say, ‘Mommy, I want to paint that!’
‘It depends on the painting, but varies from 40 minutes to an hour or so.
“I don’t let him do anything, so he gets distracted and goes off to play with something else and comes back later. He’s only four.’
Adianée says scribbling on walls was an important factor in her son’s journey, but she thinks she inspired him too.
Adianée is a passionate artist herself and often made toys for her son.
Adianée moved to Peru from Venezuela without money in 2017, forcing her to make the toys herself.
The single mother said she saw him learning from her while she worked.
She said: ‘I made him books, teddy bears, I made us a chimney at Christmas so we could have a classic Christmas.
‘Santiago Daniel lay down next to me and watched me paint them, he also grabbed my brushes.
“He’s been so smart since he was a baby that when he held my brushes, I could tell he was using the same grip I was using.
“Of course, sometimes he held them in his fist, just like a normal baby, but he tried to do it correctly.”