(Apologies for the delay in posting today. I woke up with a migraine that found me on my knees before God, asking for forgiveness for whatever heinous sin I had committed to deserve such painful punishment.)

I had the opportunity to go to the opening of a photography exhibit last night. My friend Linda had eight photos in the show, so Jason and I went to show our support and to hobnob among the artistically inclined.
As soon as we got there, I realized my mistake. The people there were all dressed in fancy clothes from Chico’s and Coldwater Creek, while I was in my St. John’s Bay cords (on sale at Penney’s!) I own one dress from Chico’s, which I found at a consignment shop. I suppose if I’d worn it I’d be worried
all night that someone would recognize it and say “Hey! I used to own the same dress, until I donated it to the poor.”
 
One of the wonderful qualities that Linda possesses is that she is not at all pretentious. When I apologized for wearing Penney’s, she waved me off and admitted that she too had forgotten her ascot at home (though she was dressed much nicer than I was.) She pointed out her photography, which included crisp, clear photos of lighthouses, monuments, and a beautiful shot of sunrise over the Atlantic, the wake of a boat glistening on the water. 
These photos made sense to me. I could recognize what they were of and could appreciate their beauty. She has a great shot of the gate at Fort Griswold, which looked like a cemetery.  
Personally, I love a good cemetery, and this particular photograph evoked a warm, fuzzy feeling inside.

Some of the other photography displayed had me stumped.  One guy had a whole series of close-ups of what appeared to be rust. I squinted. I turned my head sideways. Finally, I had to admit my ignorance and ask Linda what, exactly, the pictures were meant to convey.

“Rust,” Linda confirmed.

Color me silly, but when I see an old water heater on the side of the road, I don’t stop to take pictures.  I knock on the owner’s door and give them directions to the town dump. Clearly, I don’t have an artist’s eye.

One artist had won honorable mention at an art show in Greenwich. His photograph still displayed the ribbon he'd earned, even though this exhibit was taking place in New London, which is about as opposite from Greenwich as you can get. Maybe the thing to do among photographers is to collect ribbons at different galleries and display them at every subsequent show, like people who collect pins at Disney World (a hobby I also don’t understand.) "Is that normal?" I asked Linda. She shook her head. 
I have to assume this guy was trying to brag about being recognized at a show that took place in the richest town in the country, but really, what he was telling everyone was that nobody in Greenwich bought his photograph. Artists are funny that way, I guess.

The ascots were getting thick in the room.  It was time for Jason and I to go.  We congratulated Linda on her gallery opening and headed for the door.

“Love those pants,” one woman said, stopping me.
“Thanks,” I said nervously. She was dressed in Vera Wang.
“My housekeeper owns the same pair,” she smiled.

Yup. This crowd was definitely outside of my comfort zone.

Looking for something to do this weekend?  Go visit the Gallery at Firehouse Square and buy Linda’s photographs!  Or come to the Southcoast Toy and Comic Convention on Sunday, where I’ll be with the New England Horror Writers!
Picture
Linda in front of two of her photos - Marshall Point up top, sunrise over the Atlantic on the bottom.
 


Comments

Claire link
11/05/2011 1:39pm

Wandering over from Linda's facebook :)

Loved the write up and I think you described Linda and her photography style perfectly!

Glad you managed to hobnob before being overwhelmed by Ascot's :)

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Linda link
11/05/2011 4:54pm

First off, as promised - "Hi to Stacey's Mom! Hope you're well!"

Second, this was my second attempt at going to an art exhibit opening with the first one being when I had the unmitigated gall to submit a photo of the Brooklyn Bridge to the CT+5 Art Show in West Hartford, CT and they actually accepted it; you may have noticed that very same photo hanging on the wall last night sans any ribbons as it didn't earn any and even if it had, I wouldn't have left them on the picture while it hung in another gallery at another show regardless of where the ribbon came from!

Anyhow, but I digress ... Let me tell you, I felt as out of place at that show in West Hartford as a cat at the Westminster Dog Show! You could have sliced the pretentiousness in the room with a dull knife and the prices that some of the people were asking for their artwork had me wondering if they were aiming so high no one would buy the thing so they'd be guaranteed to be able to take it home at the end of the show or they really had no problem with self-esteem at all!

At last night's show I didn't feel quite as out of my element as I did that time in West Hartford but I still felt like my own photographs - simple landscapes of easily recognizable things - were pretty underdeveloped and basic. Being my own worst critic I tend to look at my stuff with a very critical eye - especially when I'm looking at pictures of birds' heads and various ship parts that are priced way higher than my humble photos!

Because of that overwhelming feeling of "What am I doing here?" there is a mantra that one must chant at these kind of soirees ... "I am not less perfect than Lor ..." Oh no, wait, wrong mantra ... "Art is subjective." That's the one I want! And it truly is because no matter how good a piece is or isn't, if it's something that somebody wants then they'll pay good money for it - and I'm guessing that applies to even pictures of rust!

A big thank you to yourself and Jason for coming out and hobnobbing with me, I was very happy to have you there even had you been wearing something from the Salvation Army store down the street a few doors where Amanda, my friend Paula, and I did some shopping before the show started! After all, the art of snark is meant to be shared and you, my dear, are a true master!

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Mom
11/06/2011 5:05pm

Hi to you, too, Linda! I am very well, thank you, and happy to hear I'll be back in school tomorrow (racking up 5 'snow days' before being knee deep in the stuff is discouraging).
Congratulations on your show. Stacey raved about your photographs and I can see from the picture that she was right. She IS the articistic one in the family (really...she does have an eye for artistic expression. It was one of her possible career ideas early in high school.). I. on the other hand, just received the pictures I took from our vacation this summer and, as my husband looked through them, heard "Well, this would be nice but you cut off my head...now you cut off my feet...now my sister is barely in the picture at all...). Sigh. And, he's worse than I am! So truly, it's a gift, and I hope you enjoy much success!

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Patti link
11/07/2011 5:31am

Stacey,
I love reverse chic. My fashion style is early frump.

Your post was such fun to read. And like Claire said, you captured our friend Linda!

My husband Ralph and I saw the pretentiousness of the West Hartford gang first-hand when we met Linda there. Yikes.

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Barb @iPhoneographi link
11/08/2011 3:43am

'but really, what he was telling everyone was that nobody in Greenwich bought his photograph'... hehehe.

While I do love Chicos clothes, I've never bought any... I hate shipping, Nearly all of my clothes come from Walmart and on rare BOGO sales around the holidays I will force myself to go to the mall to go to Kohls. They have great tops and sweaters and I got my winter jacket there.

Lnda was my cabin mate on that cruise! The photo was either taken from Lido or her favorite spot, deck 4!! And yes, I came over from Linda's blog, too!

:)

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Linda link
11/09/2011 6:33pm

Hokey smoke, Bullwinkle! Five comments on one post? Is this a record? If not, it should be!

Just goes to show how many comments you can get when you have a quality topic like moi!

Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go laugh myself silly someplace as that's just what that last sentence was!!

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Stacey
11/09/2011 6:59pm

I KNOW! I'm going to work you in to the blog every week! "I had a weird alien growth on my foot, but FAMOUS PHOTOGRAPHER LINDA O. thinks it's just a corn." Comments galore!
Thank you to Claire, Barb, and Patti for wandering over!

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