I walk past this brightly and exuberantly painted board–it appears to be used as a sledding jump–on a steep hill I walk down on my morning walk with the dogs, and it has caught my eye (and my camera lens) on several occasions. I’ve never posted it as my photo of the day because I’ve never found the shot very artful…it’s just a two dimensional photograph of someone else’s artwork, after all.
Yet I’ve often thought about who might have painted it, and I’ve spun a theory that it was a family project, perhaps a father and his children bonding on a winter Saturday morning in the chilly garage. In my mind’s eye I see pots of paints and thick brushes arranged on carefully spread newspapers, Dad painting the faces, Caroline responsible for the smiling sun and flower, Ant. Jr. (Anthony, I presume) adding the peace and yin-yang embellishments, Gian, the middle child, simply clamoring for attention. For me, it exudes a wholesome, family vibe.
This morning my daughter Katie, just home from college for her spring break, joined me on my morning walk, and I stopped to photograph the painted board–again–just in case I didn’t have time to shoot anything else today. Once I had my shot, she took a look at the board and said to me, “I know those kids from high school! One of them was very artistic.”
Pause.
“They were a bunch of stoners.”
Pause.
“One of them was my first kiss.”
Pause.
And there, in one fell swoop, went my theory 🙂
