The Story Behind Search For 10

THE STORY BEHIND SEARCH FOR 10

Hidden Object Art for Waiting Rooms

Like many parents, I spent countless hours sitting beside my children in doctors' offices and waiting rooms. Those waiting rooms were often small, quiet, and filled with very little to capture a child's imagination (in other words, boring). To help pass the time, my daughter and I played a simple game of "I Spy." Looking back, I realize those moments planted the seed for what would eventually become Search For 10.

Years later, our family dentist, Dr. Brent, asked if I would paint a mural for the wall children would see while sitting in the dental chair. I knew that was where many of the biggest procedures took place, and I wanted to give children something positive to focus on instead of what was happening around them.

I decided to paint a freshwater aquarium that looked as though it were built right into the wall. Remembering those games of "I Spy" with my daughter, I hid 10 toothbrushes throughout the mural. Some were tucked into plants, others blended into fish fins and tails. The trickiest one of all was hidden in the thermometer—because almost no one ever thought to look there!

Next to the mural, I created a simple sign that asked:

Can you find the 10 hidden toothbrushes?

Dr. Brent later told me how much his young patients enjoyed searching for them. Hearing that was incredibly rewarding because it meant I had accomplished exactly what I had hoped to do—I had helped make a dental visit just a little easier for a child.

WHEN THE ARTWORK CAME TO LIFE

As the years passed, Dr. Brent asked me to paint two more murals for his growing practice. The last one became my biggest mural project—more than 550 square feet of Northwoods lakes, forests, and wildlife.

After it was finished, I asked if I could quietly sit in the treatment area for a while. I didn't tell anyone I was the artist. I simply wanted to see how children and their families interacted with the mural.

What I witnessed was more rewarding than I ever imagined.

Children excitedly pointed out animals they recognized to their parents, who then joined in the search, asking, "Do you see that one?”  Brothers and sisters waiting nearby walked over to the mural and began discovering animals of their own.

For those moments, they weren't thinking about being in a dental office.

Together, they were discovering something new every time they looked at the mural.

Watching those families confirmed something I had hoped all along—that artwork could do more than decorate a wall. It could spark curiosity, encourage conversation, and help children forget they were waiting. 

That experience stayed with me long after I left the office, and it eventually inspired the vision for Search For 10.

Continuing to learn and grow as an artist at a workshop in Italy.