$20
Item#: 2011SYR04
11x17-inches, printed on heavy weight (100-pound) Hammermill cover paper. We package each print with a piece of chipboard in a clear plastic sleeve.
You also receive…
An information page with photos of the artist and poet, and hand-written comments from each.
Medium- and large-format posters are available by custom order. Contact us for details.
When the Great Fair comes
school cannot be far behind.
Summer ends too soon.
I enjoy writing. I am not a professional writer. I write for fun. I've written a short story based upon one of my daughters. I have also started a novel. I believe there's an author inside of each of us; it's a matter of having the courage and discipline to write.
I wrote this haiku at the end of August, when the Fair was coming to town. Also at that time, I was reviewing my daughter's school supply list. So both the Fair and school were on my mind. When I was a child, the Fair was a huge treat, and I loved it! But that time of year is a time of mixed feelings. I'm excited about the Fair coming, but I'm also melancholy because summer is ending. I felt that way as a child, and today as a mother with two children, the arrival of the Fair holds the same significance for me.
I selected this haiku because I love the “The Great New York State Fair.” I'm from Syracuse, and I try to go to the fair every year. I didn't go last year, because both the fair and the fall semester started the same week. I felt a loss at missing the last great event of the summer in this area. I make the effort to go every year, and it is always a lot of fun. I've been going since I was six or seven.
I approached the illustration as if documenting things that kids like to do at the fair. I think, mostly, the fair is for kids, and they enjoy it the most. There are rides, games and a great variety of food for them to enjoy. It is an occasion to reconnect with family and friends.
I like that I was able to get everything on one page, and used colors that invoke the energy of the fair.