Our kids spend a lot of time at art shows. Being 'kids of the artist' is a tough job. They are good for a while but soon the novelty wears off and it is ice cream time. Before the breakdown comes, we like to walk around and talk about what we like about the art. Last year at the Carmel Show, this led to a tantrum by our four-year-old son who fell if love with Brian Blood's prize winning lighthouse piece. I had asked hypothetically "which piece would you like if we were getting a painting?" (In retrospect, this was not the best choice of wording for a preschooler...) After seeing Brian Blood's painting our son absolutely HAD to have the piece and was devastated when his parents would not enter the bidding war to purchase it. (I know...what kind of parents are we...obviously inexperienced ones....we ask our child what painting he wants to get and then won't get it for him.)
This year at the show I was a bit more careful with my wording. We focused on what we liked IN each painting instead of which painting we wanted. Additionally, the kids were thrilled to be able to vote on their favorite painting with a People's Choice ballot. We walked around and my son had almost settled on Randy Sexton's farm painting (because it had a tractor in it) for his choice. (Incidentally, there were no lighthouses painted this year) However, my daughter noticed a painting by Hiu Lai Chong of the Pacific Grove Natural History Museum. The building has a huge whale sculpture out in front of it and that whale was the selling point for my daughter. Then my son decided he liked the whale too. (During the Maui Plein Air Festival in February we went on a whale watching excursion and have been fascinated by them ever since.) So Hiu Lai Chong received two votes from the Taylor family. (I was too busy keeping the crew together, I didn't get to vote myself.) Sorry Dad.
This year at the show I was a bit more careful with my wording. We focused on what we liked IN each painting instead of which painting we wanted. Additionally, the kids were thrilled to be able to vote on their favorite painting with a People's Choice ballot. We walked around and my son had almost settled on Randy Sexton's farm painting (because it had a tractor in it) for his choice. (Incidentally, there were no lighthouses painted this year) However, my daughter noticed a painting by Hiu Lai Chong of the Pacific Grove Natural History Museum. The building has a huge whale sculpture out in front of it and that whale was the selling point for my daughter. Then my son decided he liked the whale too. (During the Maui Plein Air Festival in February we went on a whale watching excursion and have been fascinated by them ever since.) So Hiu Lai Chong received two votes from the Taylor family. (I was too busy keeping the crew together, I didn't get to vote myself.) Sorry Dad.
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