Passion for art and outdoor spaces
Painted fire hydrant walking tour
Daydream
What can we do that we’ll look back on fondly and say, “We did that during the summer of 2020! Remember the pandemic summer when we all stayed home?”
Gosh, that green fire hydrant is kind of boring. What if we gave it some life and color?
The first one I discovered- Evel Knieval!
Research and plan
What would be fun and bring a smile to someone’s face when they discover our design?
Research fire hydrant design ideas with daughter. She chooses the design. I ask her to sketch it on paper.
Decide and start
What is the minimum number of paint quarts we can buy to create the maximum number of gumball color options?
Constraints: cost; color needs to represent a true, potential gumball flavor i.e. look palatable; the design needs to read at a distance.
Needs no introduction.
Iterative process
Maybe we drew those gumballs too small? There sure are a lot to paint! What if we stand back. What would a car see speeding by or someone down the sidewalk?
Paint when it isn’t raining and when air quality allows. Constraints: weather, forest fire smoke
Share and grow
We need more street art and art in public spaces, especially now.
Make a Google map and share our mini-tour online. Let’s hope the idea catches on, and people start painting fire hydrants in their neighborhood!
Success
One day, I overhear a young boy say to his mom, “Today I’m going to get the red one!” He runs up and pretends to put a coin in the hydrant to get a gumball. Seeing the joy in his face as he plays this game feels like success. Bonus is - he keeps coming back.
Ideation and inspiration
Empty, of course….