)(( hannah mello ))(

streetside <>

Santana Row. San Jose. An otherworldly place. Architecture meets greenery meets shopping. I stopped by there Friday-- finding smiles in "chess park". Tables for two line the perimeter underneath green arbors with hanging lights. Chess games sit on every tabletop with furrowed brows overhead. :) ... One giant chess board sits in the center of this little park. A father & son were pacing it ... eyes to the ground ... & hands strategically plunking down the giant game pieces with every move.

I felt like I was watching a three-dimensional illustration of the game-like strategy that often comes in between relationships. Eyes that should be looking into the other's become strategy-focused. Winning replaces giving. Such strategy begets tradgedy-- the demolition of intimacy and vulnerability of true communication.



What thoughts I ruminated over in "chess park" contrasted greatly with those that ensued from a sidewalk-side encounter with the elderly Italian artist C.J. I was walking by his temporary studio outside a posh restaurant, when his eyes met my curious gaze his way. He offered to draw my picture for free! So, I ducked under the tape, & sat accross from him & his red wine. For a half hour, he shared stories of his 25 years of teaching art in an all-boys Catholic school in Sacramento... of his Jesuit studies & Europe travels... of his Los Gatos residence & his Bay Area spots where he does his art. He was humble & quiet-- allowing me to take a few steps into his life & experience.


As people walked by & peered over his shoulder, smiling at me, I realized how unique this experience was. It wasn't unique just because I scored on a cool art piece :) ... but because I had the opportunity to share a half hour with an interesting person who had a unique story. After the portrait was completed, he let me look through a green photo albulm of a lot of his work on display. He had paintings from his travels through Italy, Spain, Greece, England, & all over North America. A few shots captured some temporary studios he had set up on streets near & far.

What a contrasting illustration of what communication can be between people! It can be a chess-like game of strategy & silence or an appreciated exchange of story & life.

What a special afternoon on Santana Row... :)

posted by )(( hannah mello ))( @ 7:43 PM