.png)
Crayola brightens Bastrop County for young creator
SMITHVILLE — A downtown Smithville block burst into color Thursday evening as Crayola pulled off a surprise celebration for a local 9-yearold artist whose drawing sparked a nationwide creative movement.
Caydence, a fourth grader at Mina Elementary School in Bastrop, was greeted July 10 with a marching band, rainbow pyrotechnics and a runway of color after stepping into what she believed would be a small event about her art. Instead, she walked into a commercial film set packed with original artwork inspired by her drawing, “Colors of Emotion.”
Caydence is blindfolded and led behind a curtain Thursday evening. Organizers said she had no idea how large the event and commercial shoot would be.
“Caydence’s Razzmatazz,” by Tesni Phillips, stands alongside bright canvases, rugs, skateboards and other designs inspired by the young local artist.
Austin-based artist Mike Johnston said Caydence’s use of blue reminded him of a roller coaster and the fluid motion of a bird in flight.
“I love, love, love it. I had no idea,” she said, her face turning a shade of red reminiscent of her drawing. “I can’t believe this — it’s so cool — so many colors and everyone is so good.”
The surprise was part of Crayola’s new Creative Acts of Color campaign, representatives said. It featured more than 30 artists from across the country, each of whom selected a single color from Caydence’s piece — which used all of the crayons in Crayola’s classic 64count box — to create a new work inspired by her design.
Displays ranged from massive murals and sculpted cakes to painted shoes and custom rugs.
Smithville and its residents proved to be exactly what the coloring giant was looking for, representatives said.
“This is just the prettiest, most perfect town for this — everyone is here for local talent,” said Holly Gilbert, Crayola director. “She knew something was going on but had no idea of this scale. Everyone and the whole town have been just perfect. The shop owners have all been amazing and so accommodating.”
According to Gilbert, the audience of proud Bastrop County residents was cooperative and excited to support one of their own. Their cheers met the sound of the Smithville Tigers marching band and color guard as cameras rolled for a commercial Crayola plans to release later this year, according to representatives.
Caydence stepped onto a long pink runway that mirrored the ribbon of color in her original drawing, pointing with a crayon in later shoots toward pyrotechnics that exploded with colored smoke more than 100 feet into the sky.
She stopped at each piece, speaking with artists — many from Austin — and reacting with wide-eyed joy and repeated exclamations of “Oh my God, I love it.”
Among the standout creations was a towering sculpted cake titled “Caydence’s Shocking Pink,” crafted by April Saldana of Pflour Bakery in Austin. The 3-foot cake was entirely edible, decorated in rosy shades using fondant tiles, rice paper and wafer accents.
“They gave me her artwork, and pink is my whole life,” Saldana said. “I built a whole world around it, so it kind of just chooses you at that point.”
Austin muralist Mike Johnston painted a large-scale turquoise mural featuring a bird in flight.
“Her blue reminded me of a roller coaster line. It has a lot of sweet movement,” Johnston said. “The piece needed a hero, and that led me to a bird — flying, dipping and diving like the lines.”
The celebration remained an active film set after the big reveal, and though Caydence had to reenact the scene several times, she embraced the experience.
The Creative Acts of Color campaign is part of Crayola’s broader Campaign for Creativity, now in its second year, representatives said.
Crayola spokesperson Julie Ward described the campaign as a celebration of creativity in all forms and a reminder that color can fuel imagination and connection. She said Caydence’s artwork is the “spark” of the campaign — a reminder that creativity doesn’t have an age limit and that everyone can be a part of something beautiful.
Muralist Mike Johnston (left) is one of over 30 artists who gathered July 10 to share with Caydence how her artwork inspired them. Photos by Niko Demetriou
The Crayola team prepares a block-long surprise celebration in Smithville for Bastrop County fourth grader Caydence, whose artwork “Colors of Emotion” helped launch a national campaign celebrating creativity.
April Saldana of Austin’s Pflour Bakery with her cake, “Caydence’s Shocking Pink.” Guest artists each selected a single color from Caydence’s piece, which used every crayon in Crayola’s classic 64-count set.
