Growing in the Gardens

Arriving at the Pinecrest Gardens Artist Gala

It was a mild, sunny Miami afternoon, and the breezes came from secret places to whisper words of relaxation and enjoyment. We rode into the parking lot of Pinecrest Gardens.

Gary was in business attire and had his camera fully charged and ready to work. I enjoyed being his companion at the event. It was to be a reception for some of our favorite local artists at the beautiful Pinecrest Gardens. I heard the calming sounds of people talking, glasses tinkling and music playing in the background as we entered. After checking in with reception and getting our badges, we went inside. It was there that I would learn a truth about myself and another wider truth that would help me get some sorely needed hope.

Meeting the Artists

After meeting briefly with his contact at the garden, Gary and I left the natural wonders of the garden to meet with the artists. It was at the pavilion across the lake that we would meet our first artist. Her name is Bonnier, a photographer. Her photography featured there was imaginative and surprising. There were many pictures, and all featured an illusion.

She explained how she created layers within her photos. She was so open and friendly that I felt comfortable asking her about her photos. She liked using pictures of different views of the same location and putting them together in one photo to create another new photo with a different meaning. Ghostly images lingered in corners of the pictures, adding a surreal quality to them.

Next, we moved back to the main hall where Ferrer and Mendoza were showing their works. While Gary interviewed the artist whom he came to see, I went to talk to Mendoza. He greeted me with a smile, laughing when I talked to him about Little Havana. I asked him about his painting with the palm trees, eager to know all about it. The painting features colorful palm trees, slightly bulging at the trunk with fun and waving fronds reaching upwards into a bright blue sky. The palm images call to mind curvaceous women wearing large hats, allowing their hair to flow in the breeze. It is as happy as the artist always seems to be himself.

He said that it was based on another work of Wilfredo Lam called “La Jungla” that is housed in New York’s MOMA. I looked up that other painting and did not like it as much as I liked Mendoza’s. Lam’s painting had a sinister abandon to it, a hedonism, while Mendoza’s suggested the smile on a mourner’s face to pacify the children in the room.

Finally, I met Ferrer and saw her textiles. I was so swept up by them because it made me remember my mother and how she spent hours with her crochet hook and piles of yarn that she would turn into lovely creations. Ferrer explained that her piece was about a painful sacrifice. I examined the yarn work. It was complex and featured many stitches, seemingly uncountable, that looked bloody. She said that was exactly what she had intended. I was awestruck at her ability to create such an intricate piece. All the artists were open and friendly, but I felt out of sorts.

Exploring the Natural Beauty of Pinecrest Gardens

However, the surroundings made me think that everyone there should be at ease. We wandered about looking at the natural beauty of the gardens. There were honking swans that peacefully floated on the still man-made lake.

Its waters were a dark blue which made the white plumage of the swans stand out more. As we watched, stately peacocks danced by, flaunting their beautiful tailfeathers. The males spread their tails wide showing off iridescent green and purple feathers. Alongside the pink coral hued walk, there were all kinds of trees and shrubs that let out a fragrance reminiscent of wild nights in the country in the Caribbean. The sound of small frogs and birds filled the air, and it was easy to relax. As the night’s sounds caressed us with their small chirps, croaks and whistles, we had fun in the garden and enjoyed ourselves.

Growth in the Gardens, Growth in the Spirit

There were other people enjoying themselves too. Everyone was milling about the area where the peacocks walked. As I walked, I thought about how much time it took for those things to grow. The trees grew and seemed to be developing just as I walked. The peacocks had once been tiny chicks newly hatched and helpless. The paintings that we saw, and the yarn work had taken time to develop. Even the master artists we had met needed time to grow and mature in their art. They learned what worked and what did not work in painting, photography and weaving. I reasoned that all had progressed while on this earth.

After a few days had passed, I had started to feel like a fool for creating a blog about art when I knew so little about it. But then, after some reflection, I learned about how the experience was an important lesson in resilience. I had missed the point. In the garden, I saw how everything needed time to grow. The trees and animals, art and artists needed nurturing and sustenance to develop. I admitted that I needed to learn about art because I liked it, but that I was only a failure when I ceased to try.

“An expert is just a novice who never stopped trying.”

My truth at the time was that I knew little about art history, but the wider truth gave me hope. It was by reflecting on the works of the artists as well as the natural beauty of the garden as it all developed that I learned how important having a “growth mindset” is for staying positive and participating in the realization of personal dreams. After being introduced to this mindset by the company Tutor.com, it makes me hopeful to be participating in a process. Carol Dweck at Stanford originated this theory that a person can develop talents with perseverance and devotion. My dream is to see the beauty around me with my friends and family, enjoying each day as if it were my last.

I have only seen a minuscule portion of the world and am continually surprised by its beauty. It was because of the experience at Pinecrest Gardens that I have become reenergized about writing about art and our wonderful Miami artists.