Sometimes Surprised

I admit it: I'm jaded. When you've been in this business for your entire life, tromping around antique shows and flea markets since childhood, it takes a lot to make me look twice. However, that's the fun of shopping, visiting museums, and keeping your eyes open. When I was in Las Vegas, I went to The Bellagio to visit their Gallery and see the Atrium. In a place filled with and abudance of the superficial and aesthetic overload, I commend The Bellagio for frequently offering creativity and substance.

Hockney was on exhibit in the Gallery, and so the Atrium entertained and surprised with a floral display to match the intensity of the vivid Hockney pieces on view. I always love the Atrium: it is a refuge where water spills gently in fountains and flowers and sculpture take the place of too much fashion and jewelry in surrounding shop windows. While I generally don't think much of "crafty" hobbies, I was taken with this artist's ability to imitate a Hockney painting by creating a collage of dried flowers onto a canvas. Given the size, it was an undertaking and successful both as a copy of the Hockney painting as well as a piece on it's own. All of which leads me to continue to subscribe to the mantra of keep your eyes open; you never know what's around the corner, and it just might surprise you!