Collecting reference material for my paintings is always in the back of my mind. Here’s a small example.
I managed upon a great rate at the Biltmore Hotel for my quick trip to L.A. I needed to stay one night downtown, and this seemed much more interesting than a Mariott or Hilton (and those cost more) So I booked the room at this great rate. Then I read reviews…. beautiful, historic lobby with rooms in serious need of updating and repair. Lots of bad reviews. 🙁
Ooops! I should have read the reviews first. We were prepaid and unrefundably committed. We arrived and the lobby was spectacular!!! Turns out I also wasted energy worrying about our room – it was almost as splendid as this lobby. Yay!
Anyway…. in addition to a beautiful lobby, the Biltmore has a famous ballroom – The Diamond Ballroom. It was used to host the academy awards back in the 20’s and 30’s. Well I am always looking for reference material for backgrounds in my paintings – landscapes, parking garages, ballrooms, etc. Unfortunately it was all locked up. I poked around until I found a security guard, and despite my pink hair, convinced him to let me in. He unlocked the door and turned up all the lights in this spacious hall. OMG! Versailles aside, this was the most beautiful ballroom I have ever been in. Painted ceilings, gold trim, balconies circling the room.
I took a lot of pictures that morning. The reason I’m sharing this… watch for these rooms to start appearing in my paintings. I don’t know when, but you’ll see them again.