I have FINALLY finished a three piece series that I started last spring.  I simply could not decide how I wanted to handle the third piece.  I had always envisioned it having to do with family, travel and exploration.

The first piece, It’s No Cakewalk, was about marriage.  I wrote about it on a previous blog post, so I won’t explain it further here.

The second piece, Dig In, was about jumping into life fully.  It was also the subject of a previous blog post (even though I have given it a much-needed facelift since that posting).  Both of these mixed media pieces have couples collaged within, suggesting life partnership.

The final piece in the series, however, adds a child to the partnership.  I did this purposely.  Children are often, but not always, the fruit of a partnership, so it seemed to be a natural progression.

In the piece, the family sits on top of a camera that the father is driving through a collage of monuments.  The child has an excited look on his face (and, of course, I love that he is looking at the St. Louis Gateway Arch!).   The entire collage is grounded with a home.  Why this final piece?  I think it is our responsibility as parents to expose children to their world, no matter where you live.  Whether visiting the neighborhood farmer’s market or traveling beyond borders, or simply traveling to books at the library, exposure to life and culture is a great thing for a child’s imagination.  I honestly believe that imagination creates dreams.  Dreams create goals.  Goals offer direction and determination.  This entire chain leads to good things.

My parents stuffed their five kids in our station wagon for long, and often painful, road trips to national parks.  I am certain I complained at the time, but those experiences are forever and positively burned into my memory. Now, I am the one “dragging” my family to museums and markets, national parks and monuments, sporting events and weird restaurants.  I am positive that they are rolling their eyes and complaining, but I happily ignore that nonsense.  At the end of the day, their imagination is inspired and their dreams can grow…not such a bad idea in an often closed-minded world.  Bring It On.