My story begins as many love stories do – however this love story, dear reader, is a tad different…
Once upon a time there was a country girl, who met a city boy in the nape of the hills of Vermont, and taken by his urban swagger, she followed him back to the city, and yes, that city is Cleveland. She had visited Cleve-burg one summer before to apprentice for an artist in his studio, but now she was making the big move, leaving the pasture – maybe forever. The girl and the boy lived with an Asian goddess in a Tudor apartment close to the lake and not even the Mayflies could bother them! Now, you might be thinking to yourself “Well that sounds like a typical love story to me!”, but just you wait (finger wag)!
Ahh, summer in Cleveland – the girl was enchanted (or maybe it was dizziness from the stifling humidity!). She spent her days nursing Mojitos at the Prosperity Social Club patio, wading at the waters of Edgewater (dodging syringes, blissfully ignoring toxicity alerts), and adventuring by the vining rivers that stretch the Emerald Necklace. She became ever more enamored. No longer a frightening grid of streets and highway spreading out to the horizon, Cleveland instead became the grounds for a treasure hunt, and so the girl found herself looking for the gems hidden in pockets throughout her new playground. Now she found herself unable to resist the sweet taste of the “Plumb.”
But lacking a fairy godmother, Lila had to be the heroine of her own fairy tale. She returned to the artist in his studio, drawn once again to his kindred spirit, encouragement to be daring, and impeccable eye. She stretched canvases in the back garden, pulling threads taught, dreaming of when she’d paint her own masterpieces –and falling, weak-kneed, for Cleveland.
And the boy, you ask? Well, that’s another story!
Lila Rose Kole’s first solo show, “Against the Dying of the Light”, showcasing selected abstract pieces from her new collection will be opening during the Tremont Artwalk on March 14th at Hartshorn Studios in Tremont, Cleveland, OH.
“Against the Dying of the Light” Event Page || LILA ROSE KOLE’s Page || Hartshorn Studios
More to come next week: Part two of three, The Working Artist.