When I was asked to do a solo show, I spent a good deal of time culling over my best work looking for some theme that I could turn into a show appropriate for the venue, The Stage Miami. It was really a great exercise as it reacquainted me with some photos I had not seen in a while. I had several themes lined up including shots of Wynwood, Coney Island, and, my personal favorite, New York. Given my impending trip to London and Paris, I also thought of doing a selection from Barcelona, New York, Chicago, London and Paris and calling it "Great Cities". I may still do that someday.
I then set everything aside, shut down my computer and boarded the Iberia flight to London. Three days there, then the Chunnel to Paris for four days. I'd heard London was exciting and Paris was magical. Well, there's truth in the former, but as to the latter, that's a certainty. Paris is truly magical.
London is a young lover, one who is exciting and to a great extent unpredictable, but Paris, well, that's on a whole other level. Paris is the mature lover, the one who has seen life, who has seen the world, who might be a bit jaded for it, but you can chalk that up to character and experience. The young lover may appeal for a while, but the mature lover gets under your skin and pulls you back time and again. This is Paris. London is the city you visit, but Paris is the one you love.
After four days in Paris, I had my theme: Paris, Je T'Aime.
My very first day back in Miami, still blurry-eyed and jet-lagged, I reviewed the photos of Paris and fell in love all over again. There was the Seine, the Métropolitain, the Louvre, the Champs-Élysées, and the residents of this marvelous city.
The opening reception is November 10, 2012 at 8PM at The Stage Miami, coinciding with the Second Saturday Wynwood Art Walk. Click here for directions.
