As you know, one of the aspirations we feel strongly about at smartdept. inc. is being good corporate citizens and giving back to our communities. And one of the programs nearest to our hearts is the “Art on Fire” hydrant design program, sponsored by the city of Geneva, Illinois.

“Art on Fire,” now in its second year, seeks to spread Geneva’s creative spirit throughout the community by inviting artists to “adopt” and paint one of the city’s 1,800+ fire hydrants. My longtime friends Sarah and Jeff Golden, who live in the historic downtown area of Geneva, asked Eric and me to participate by painting the hydrant in front of their house. We were excited to submit our application and drawing for the city’s approval (and maybe just a tad worried they might not like it?!?)

Eric and I are diehard fine arts fans—he’s a graduate of the Ringling College of Art and Design, and I have a bachelor’s in Fine Art from Northern Illinois University—so you can imagine we were happy to support this worthy cause and help Geneva bring art deeper into the community. In May, after our design was vetted by Geneva’s Public Arts Advisory Committee and Cultural Arts Commission, we got out the paint and got creative with this unusually shaped “canvas.”

You can see the results in the photos [below]. Enjoy!