Hundreds of crayons, markers, colored pencils and paints lay before them.

If sculpture was their thing, there was clay. If collage was more their style, they had brightly colored paper and felt pieces to work with.

But, despite the array of choices, there was no belaboring over how to express themselves. With kids, their imaginations are always on high, and inspiration is found pretty much everywhere they look.

“(Children) are the most inspirational and non-tainted people,” said Bayard Black, director of the gallery at Raydiance Salon, which he co-owns with his wife, Shannon. “They’re more real than anyone I know.”

Black, 26, has been showing art in the gallery space of Raydiance for about a year with exhibits ranging from watercolor to abstract sculptures.

While he was visiting his friend Sara Winkelman, he noticed pictures drawn by children Winkelman worked with during an after-school program at Monroe Elementary School in North Mankato. Looking over the art, which both described as pure and inspired, they decided to put together a children’s exhibit at Raydiance.

The result is “Tottom to Bop,” a compilation of dozens of creations of a variety of mediums by children ranging in age from about 4 years old to 12. The exhibit opened with a reception for the kids that lasted until bedtime Monday with plenty of treats and sidewalk chalk to decorate the outside of the store, too.

The art will be on display through Sept. 2.

Black doesn’t have any favorite pieces — all of them have something special to offer, he says. But he was in awe over “Fairies in a Garden,” a watercolor by 9-year-old Randi Abbe depicting ethereal fairies flying near flowers. He also liked a crayon drawing of a dragonfly on a flower by 8-year-old Emmalee Matter.

Winkelman’s favorites came from the Kids’ Connection summer class she worked with at the YWCA in Mankato. Black opened up the exhibit to any children in the area who wanted to submit work. But Winkelman also had her class of about 30 children ranging in age from 6 to 11 create artwork for the exhibit using the themes “love” and “dreams.”

The themes were vague so the kids could sculpt or put down on paper whatever inspired them. She especially liked the drawings children made about dreams for their future.

“I just think it’s so sweet when they draw pictures of what they want to be when they grow up,” Winkelman said. “I had a little boy who wants to be a crocodile hunter, and he drew a great picture of a crocodile.”

Black was so excited about the class project that he went to an art-supply store and filled up his cart with all kinds of markers, crayons, pencils, clay and various other supplies for the kids to use. When he saw what the class produced, he said it was all worth it.

He just hopes everyone who views the exhibit walks away feeling as inspired as he does.

“I mean, how cool is that?” Black said holding up a finger-painting by a 3-year-old and a 19-month-old. “Every one that I see, I get all amped up. I just get this smile on my face, and I get this energy. I hope people have that when they come and see it.”