Ha is a local artist, originally from Viet Nam. When she first came to the U.S., her family moved to Michigan in a September. She was surprised at how cool the weather was. In a few months, Ha learned what cold really means. Sarasota is nice. Her father is now a Snowbird, spending his winters in Florida.
I first saw her drinking coffee with Justin, stranger #436. See him HERE. I approached Justin and reminded him about the encounter. He smiled, and immediately remembered, pointing to the table at which he was sitting. I asked him, would you introduce me to your friend? So I met Ha. I showed her Justin's image on my phone and she was immediately very interested. I remarked that she had no accent. Justin smiled and said, “Well, sometimes...”, “Like when she's mad?” I said. More smiling, “Maybe...”
She pulled out her phone and showed me some very nice B&Ws. One was a sunset with a thin line of clouds immediately above the horizon. I liked the hi contrast effect to emphasize structure. Most people would keep it color and pump up saturation, being mesmerized by the pinks. But most impressive (to me) was that she takes, and processes, the images with the phone. No computer needed! She does multiple kinds of art, including pencil drawing and painting. Her goal is to photograph her art and showcase on social media platforms to promote sales. Ha does not have her own website yet, but some of her work can be seen on Tumblr, HERE. There's a lot of talent in this world, you just never know where you'll find it.
I asked if she worked with Justin. “Oh no, we're just friends. We used to do a little music together. Justin plays the guitar and I dabble with a violin.” I admit that in 66 years, I have not heard the words 'violin' and 'dabble' in the same sentence.
