Last night I attended the Huntington's Member's Premier Spring event, Brushstrokes: Beyond the Gallery and featured lectures on the preservation project for Gainsborough's Blue Boy and portraiture. On the North Vista lawn, they invited several artists to work on portraits as guests milled around enjoying complementary Blue Boy inspired gin cocktails and bubbling glasses of Prosecco with soothing background music--Chamber music on the patio and smooth jazz on the lawn. Food trucks provided dinner.
At work, I have been running around trying to keep all the plates spinning. On Monday, I didn't get home until after 7:00 as I had to pick up fabric for Saturday's
program and robot kits for the next day which made for a 10 hour day. After another long day, with green slime adding accents my white shirt, I headed to the Huntington. As soon as I stepped into the garden, I felt the stress fall off my shoulders.
I wandered around drinking in the details. Wooden cable spools and large round zabuton cushions provided seating. Ladders and planks were used to create the bar on the lawn. Frames were decorated with fresh flowers added to the elegantly rustic theme. I ran into several acquaintances from Descanso Jazz evenings. We caught up with each other just long enough for me to miss the lectures. Which was OK, as I had decided that my brain was too jumbled to try to take anything else. I wandered around the lawn taking photos. The bulk of my photos were disappointing, most likely because my headspace was off and I didn't take the time to get it right. But a few photos did come out.
Jeremy Lipking, was one of the artists working their craft on the lawn. I enjoyed his work the most. I can appreciate modern portraiture but gravitate toward more traditional styles like Lipkings.
The other photo that I like from the evening is from Lipking's set up. He had postcard size photos strewn in a box with several paint tubes.
Sometimes, I wonder if I will ever improve enough with photography to be able to call it art. But, in the end, my friends tell me that they appreciate my photos and I enjoy what I do. Only by experimenting and learning through tutorials will I improve. I also know that I need to be more patient with both myself and with setting up the photo.
Patience, ah, the ever elusive patience.