Returned from Art Exhibit in Rome
My solo exhibit “una prospettiva eclettica,” curated by Alfio Borghese, toured to Area Contesa Arte this past January. The gallery is on Via Margutta, a street famous for art and galleries in Rome, between the Spanish steps and Piazza del Popolo. Only giant smiles could express the pride I felt to experience sharing art in such a magical setting.
I laughed a lot too.
When I arrived at the opening reception, Extra TV was there to interview me in Italian. My normally calm state at a reception bubbled a bit with nervous energy in response to the surprise, yet the former theater performer in me took joy in figuring this out. With a lot of laughter and patience from Iolanda Russo, the reporter from Extra TV, we finally captured several sentences in Italian. I shared about the significance of painting Los Angeles while in Italy and how those experiences live within the story of each painting.
(curator Alfio Borghese getting interviewed by Iolanda Russo of Extra TV)
(above: Alfio Borghese presenting at the reception. I’m standing next to the owners of the gallery, the Zurlo sisters. I also made an impromptu speech in front of the crowd in Italian, another accomplishment since two years ago when asked to speak at my opening, I mainly said “grazie mille” and laughed:)
To see more photos from the exhibition on my website click here.
or to see more pics in the facebook album click here.
If you are going to Rome and would like to visit the gallery:
Area Contesa Arte
Via Margutta 90
00187 Roma
Bucket List Item Checked Off :
Do you remember my recent painting of Ghent, Belgium?
I’d never been to Belgium when I fell in love with the neighborhood of Huidvettershoek through a photo by @lammerting on Instagram. I wrote to the photographer, Steve Lammertyn, in 2013 with a request to paint his photo. He kindly and happily agreed. In 2016, I finally finished “Reflections of Ghent.”
Then I put visiting this location in Belgium on my bucket list.
I did it! I did it! I did it!
With the help of my friend Erika who now lives in Belgium, I made a 24 hour visit to Belgium after my Rome exhibit. Erika picked me up at an airport in France and drove me to Ghent. Then we walked the streets and messaged @lammerting to give us better directions…
We arrived:) 3.5 years after I first saw the photo.
Steve warned us it would look different since he hadn’t taken his photo in the winter.
It was absolutely magical to stand in front of a place I had spent hours getting to know through a photo. I felt a deep kinship to the place. It was a true accomplishment to arrive.
THEN…we went and met the photographer @lammerting for hot chocolate!!! Technically he and Erika drank coffee.
Take note that we are standing in front of a display of Barbies at the coffee shop owned by one of his friends.
What a fun game…how one little photo became an adventure.
To be part of this adventure, the original painting is available at Lu Martin Galleries in Laguna Beach, CA. Use the PROMO code HotChocolate to get a special rate….If Lu doesn’t know what you are talking about because I am making this up as I type…tell her to call me:) I think it would be even cooler if the person who buys this painting then puts going to Ghent on their bucket list..and then goes…and drinks hot chocolate.
“Reflections of Ghent” ink, oil and acrylic on canvas 30″ x 30″ x 2.75″ by Brooke Harker
Ready for paintings of Paris?
If you are one of the many people who has asked for paintings of Paris…I now have lots of photos for inspiration and I’m so excited to paint Paris!!!
Be sure to let me know if you have a request for a specific Paris location that you want to commission. I will choose the locations and sizes that I feel like painting unless you speak up and say “Hey!” followed by a description of what dimensions fit your wall and budget.
I also suggest adding “Drink hot chocolate in Paris” to your bucket list…amazing beyond words in certain cafes…
Specifically go to this one!
Thursday March 2nd: Laguna Beach Art Walk 6-9pm!
Meet up with some of my favorite artists at Lu Martin Galleries during the Laguna Beach Artwalk. It’s the first Thursday of March!…It’s also my birthday!! Come have fun and see art:)
with artists Dasha Guilliam, Tesa Michaels & Jennifer Verge–all represented by Lu Martin Galleries.
Lu Martin Galleries
372 N. Coast Highway
Laguna Beach, CA 92651
Brooke Harker
