The Budding Artist

I know it's probably too early for me to speculate on my son's future, but I like doing it anyway. There are so many things my son could be. He could become President, or the head of a Fortune 500 company, or a successful movie and television star. Heck, if he just wanted to simply be a professional athlete, I'd have no problem with that. I will support Kyle in whatever he wants to do, as long as he makes enough money to support Jennifer and me and our future addiction to spaceflight. Right now, I think he's going to become a wildly successful artist. An artist with a wicked fastball, but an artist nevertheless.

Kyle's been practicing his artwork for quite some time, using whatever materials he has at his disposal. It's often easy to trip over one of his masterpieces, since Kyle, being the postmodernist he is, will sculpt at any location he feels inspired. It's as if the art forms itself, and Kyle is merely guiding it. Sometimes inspiration strikes a shelf or the dining room table, but most of Kyle's creations find a home on the floor. Several times I have accidentally kicked a piece of his Classic or Colored Bowl Series, and more than once I've tripped over his Tribute to the Ancient Druid Masters, crafted with DVD cases. He has created some magnificent Rorschach-like images using his magnetic drawing board, and I'm still trying to interpret the meaning behind the sculpture made with Mr. Potato Head parts. I'd be remiss if I failed to also mention the beautiful impressionist works spread across our dining room floor each night, made with pieces of Kyle's dinner.

Yet, one may argue that Kyle's magnum opus does not lie on the floor with so many of his other works. In fact, those familiar with the artist's works and method would say his greatest creation is this:



I call it "Scribble on a Window Sill," an abstract expressionist painting depicting the modern strife of a two-year-old boy. Kyle has spent months working on this creation, and, as far as I could tell, it still remains unfinished. Inspiration can strike him at any point in the day, and that's when he comes to me and says "cray" (Kylese for "crayon"). He then sorts through his bag of crayons, runs to his bedroom, and draws on this one particular window sill. He goes back and forth from the window sill to the bag, grabbing a new color or two until he is no longer in the moment. Then, having completed his work for the day, he'll move on to his other hobby, which is throwing his two blankets on the ground and smashing his face into them.

The beauty of "Scribble on a Window Sill" is in the artist's ability to mix various colors together on one platform, much like the struggles and tribulations of a two-year-old boy are often intertwined. For instance, the blue and green scribbles may represent his prized possessions: the aforementioned blue and green blankets. Kyle yearns for them to be together, as the colors are in parts of this painting. Yet, the fierce strokes made with these colors show how the blankets cause much anger and frustration, as Kyle's cruel parents won't let him sleep with both of them, especially on hot summer nights, and he is forced to choose one. Kyle also shows similar frustrations with his use of orange. I believe it is meant to represent an early sunrise, as in "HEY! THE SUN IS UP! WAKE UP, YOU PEOPLE, AND GET ME OUT OF THIS CRIB! QUIT STALLING!!!"

The brown probably stands for the chocolate chips that cover the cookies he loves so much. The red represents the color his face gets when his parents deny him such cookies and try to get him to eat new foods. The purple must represent the girl he longs for, while the black is there because he mistakenly thought he was using the purple crayon (they look very much alike). The yellow, of course, represents his wet diaper. However, these are simply my interpretations. I'm sure other scholars will uncover more.

Kyle obviously is very proud of this work, and this past weekend, during a trip to Wave Hill in Riverdale, he tried to recreate it through a family shirt-making event. As other kids haphazardly put splotches of fabric marker on their blank shirts, Kyle was asking those around him for specific colors and carefully applied them to his shirt. While the other kids laughed and messed around, Kyle was serious throughout the exercise, for a master artist must remain focused. At least until lunch.

The shirt, now complete, may lack some of the sheer emotion contained in "Scribble on a Window Sill," but it is still a quality minor work. We just might have to convince Kyle to do more of these. After all, what good is an artist's talent if he can't share it with others? These originals will go on sale sometime soon, for $295.95. Place your orders now.