Imagination Celebration

Some scenes from Main Street Art Fair.

We had a lively art fair on Main Street.  I walked around from booth to booth, then met up with grandson Kyle and we did the same.  Later my daughter Elissa and granddaughter Julia and Philip joined us.  It was an imagination celebration that lasted all day long. 

Kyle (age 9) had $5.00 to spend and wanted to buy something special for his mom, my daughter Michelle.  So we viewed paintings, photography, jewelry, collage, ceramics, and garden art with that in mind. He liked the art made by students at the two Sylvania high schools, Northview and Southview. He liked the variety. We talked about the art, the widely different mediums and styles, the use of color, design, shapes, and perspective, about imagination.  Kyle instinctively understands.  "You can imagine anything and make art," he said. "This one has lots of paint, and this one is pencil and crayon," he would point out, as we looked carefully at each piece.  He liked the photography too, which made me think I will buy him a camera for his upcoming 10th birthday. Do we have a budding artist in the family?  

Kyle decided he wanted to buy some garden art, accessible and lovely wrought iron symbols and animals welded in different shapes and sizes, some made of forks and spoons, which he loved. Imagination! The artist showed him a nice dragonfly on a post for $5, and also a turtle made of spoons.  Kyle liked them both.  He couldn't make up his mind. "Hmm," the artist said.  "Hard decision." He  was kind, understanding, and finally said Kyle could have them both...for $5.  What a deal! Kyle felt like a king.  I followed his lead and added a lovely hummingbird with a dangling green stone.  Michelle loved them, and we promptly placed them in her emerging garden, Kyle choosing the spots. They look lovely.  Simple pleasures.  

Kyle and Philip carrying a blow-up bed from
GranE's to my place, up the street.

After the art show, Kyle and Philip came to my place and we had a fantastic overnight together.  We ended the day with an imaginative story that began with having different kinds of birds, all colors, and making a huge cage to take care of them. Could they fly in and out? Yes, because they like to be free. Somehow we added other animals, dogs and cats, a zebra, a cow, a horse and a pony, and so we needed a big barn, and we built a special barn.  Oh, and ducks, too, Philip said. Ducks? Then we'll need a pond, Kyle said brightly.  So we built a pond, pure blue water surrounded by green trees and shrubs and wild flowers, down a path from the barn and bird cage, and added fish, a whale, and a shark.  It was a Noah's ark story. The boys riffed on every idea, seamlessly, joyfully, without screening, without restraint.  They nodded off with smiles on their faces, dreaming of kind animals and their lovely surroundings, made special by people who care for them.  Imagination. Simple pleasures.