And sometimes adults do as well. That said, it was the kids who drew my attention last weekend, when I spied an online blurb from Nick Roes at the Barryville Area Arts Association (BAAA).

“With many of Pablo Picasso’s creations,” Roes shared, “we’d all agree a child could have done just as well.  But Picasso would have taken that as a high compliment. Picasso was so successful because he knew the best and most precious art is childlike. It’s simple and yet it’s deep; it’s fragile, but resilient; innocent and misbehaved all at the same time.” 

What did Picasso himself say about his connection to his child-like approach to art?

 “It took me a lifetime to learn to paint like a child.”

And that, according to Roes, “is the inspiration for a series of events that have encouraged young artists and given them the experience of an opening night.”

Little wonder, then, that the celebration held last Saturday in the Krause Recital Hall, housed upstairs at the Delaware Valley Arts Alliance (DVAA) in Narrowsburg, NY, attracted a group of art enthusiasts, well-wishers, family members and several of the artists themselves. The exhibit, titled “Picasso Was Right!,” featured dozens of “aspiring Picassos” aged two to 16.

Roes described the exhibit as “a truly collaborative effort, the result of the combined efforts of the BAAA, the Western Sullivan Public Library, the Ethelbert B. Crawford Public Library, Sullivan 180, the Delaware Valley Arts Alliance, the Sullivan County Legislature and many others.” He promised that some of the young artists would be on hand to explain their process—or share some candy.

After admonishing Roes for providing less-than-healthy snacks for the budding Picassos, I made my way around the room admiring the paintings, chatting with the artists and snapping pics with That Dog Named Gidget at my side. She managed to help break the ice with some of the shy ones who were far more interested in her than the scary man with the camera.

Unfortunately, the exhibit has already left the building, but I have the opportunity to share a smattering of it here, along with some pithy commentary from the boys and girls who created some of the masterpieces that would make Pablo Picasso proud. 

If I had my druthers, I would have mounted the paintings lower to the floor level and closer to the artists’ height, which would have made photographing the tykes alongside their paintings a tad easier—so take note, Nick Roes, for the next exhibit. Unless you think I’m mistaken, which seems highly unlikely. In my humble opinion.

Fun Fact: The television and radio host Art Linkletter originated the phrase “Kids say the darndest things.” It featured in a popular segment of the same name on his long-running show, “House Party,” wherein he interviewed children to elicit their innocent and humorous comments.