I can not go forward without filling you in on one of my adventures. I recently went to the great place of Atlanta, Georgia. I showed five of my encaustic paintings at the Jack Art Gallery. This was a great experience for me on every avenue of my life and continued development as an artist. I meet new people and artists, everything thing I looked at just seemed so magical, I heard new sounds and felt that HOTlanta heat on my Monterey Bay skin. I had my first experience on the MARTA. I was soaking up a new color palette every moment. My adventure to Atlanta has had an effect on my current work as well as my current state of mind. Here are a few images from my adventure.
I stayed with an amazing women and artist,
Melody Trivisone. She is such a delight, her family is so welcoming and they all have an amazing sense of humor. I believe there was giggling and laughing most every moment that we didn't have Mrs. T's delicious food in our mouth.
Melody took me to this very rad gallery,
White Space. Cool work, that you could touch!
Onward to the graffiti of Atlanta. I had such a great time looking at all of the work. Melody took me to Little Five Points which has some well done graffiti and mural work.
Here are we are at the famous, Krog Tunnel. This is part of Cabbagetown, a very cool little spot. One of the cool things about the Krog Tunnel I hear, is that it is always changing.
O this was my first introduction to kudzu. Very interesting story. You should check it out, love it, or hate it, it grows on you. ha.
Ok, lets go, to the show, the reason for this very trip. Time to go to the
Jack Art Gallery.
Here is Rae, who connected me with Melody. Very awesome woman, her sister is great as well. I met a lot of different people that night, heck I even saw an old grammar school friend who lives near Atlanta. Him and his wife came out to see my work. That was very cool to see him after about ten years. THANKS
David and Priscilla! You TWO ROCK!
Well, I had a great time at the opening and talked talked talked about my work, the process of encaustic painting, and of course inspirational Monterey Bay.
On my last day with Melody she took me to a very cool little hang out. I really enjoyed Cabbagetown. It is a cool little place with a lot of action. There are a lot of murals all around which is so great to see. Murals always tell a story and it is great to be able to walk around a new place and feel the history, youth, struggles, and creativity that murals bring to the landscape. Go Cabbagetown!
Now that I am all comfy cozy, it is time to move on to unseen territory. To Virgina Highlands!
This portion of the adventure is slightly different and is all about self exploration where ever my two legs would take me. I hooked up with a mutual friend who just so happens to live in one of the most energetic homes I have been to in a while. There is never a break, never a dull moment, and whats seems to be an endless BBQ chicken wings extravaganza.
So, what else, lets adventure! I was on my own, I got some directions, took my camera, and enjoyed the muggy air and sun pushing on my skin. My walk was a good time for me to reflect and gather colorful inspiration. I tried not to get so over zealous about all the little things, but it is these little things that bring such delight into my life.
I found myself at the
High Museum of Art and the
Atlanta Botanical Garden. Both very awesome. I finally got to see my first LARGE scale Monets. I felt so consumed by his work.
After my poking around and checking out, Ralyn and I went for a much needed hike.
This area is so beautiful. Ralyn and I had a great time full of conversation, giggles, and water. It is always an amazing experience when you are able to know people where you travel to show you the inside scoop.
Well, it was time to pack my two tiny little carry-ons and travel back to California. I rode the MARTA in to the airport. It was a bitter sweet moment. The MARTA is where my adventure began in Atlanta and where it would end. I did have an interesting interaction with a young person on the MARTA and learned that smiling and giggling isn't always so helpful. Jez. But away I went. I soaked up my last bit of graffiti and walked into the airport.
