A few weeks ago I wrote about sitting for Bryce Hudson’s photo series, Holding Pattern. He’s in China for a month completing the work, and I got a message yesterday afternoon — his middle of the night — to let me know I’m finished.

And here I am:

Holding Pattern (Dana)

This was fun.

Photo by Bryce Hudson

A friend from work, Bryce Hudson, who is a contemporary artist here in Louisville asked me to model for his latest series, Holding Pattern. He has described the series like this:

My latest series of photo-based prints is entitled Holding Pattern. My subjects are attractive women in their mid 20s to late 30s, and superimposed upon their faces are monochromatic decorative patterns, the combination of which brings to the surface ideas of symmetry, objects of decoration and femininity. This is the start of a much larger body of work that will soon appear in my paintings and ultimately installation work.

Bryce has also talked with me about a common factor with many of the models — they are of the age to marry and/or have children, but most of them have not. I’m at the age when many women are thinking about whether or not to take these steps — a holding pattern of sorts perhaps. For me the decision is made — while I’m married, I’m decidedly child-free and will hold in that pattern forever (or as long as modern pharmaceuticals work).

Bryce will work on this series next month in Beijing while he enjoys a month as an artist-in-residence through NY Arts’s Magazine contemporary art project space, NY Arts Beijing. He’ll finish and exhibit the series while there.

"Move the top of your head a hair this way"

Shooting this photo was interesting — ultimately over my face in the photo will be superimposed a decorative pattern. To sit for the photo shoot I had to remain perfectly aligned and couldn’t move, though the crazy bright (and hot!) lights made me twitchy.

I wondered as Bryce counted back from three (I kept my eyes closed against the light until ‘1′) if I would be symmetrical enough for the piece. I’ve read studies that found people’s perception of beauty has an awful lot to do with symmetry. And while I am more concerned that people find me intelligent, compassionate and interesting, I may never outgrow the little girl inside who just wants to be pretty. I can’t particularly tell if my face is symmetrical, but at least with the magic of Photoshop and the touch of an artist that little girl can be satisfied.

Finished!

Gift from the Marriott Grand Flora Rome

It seems the bazillion nights I’ve spent in hotels across this country and many others is paying off. I’ve added to my blogging gigs with a contributing editor role at HotelChatter.com. It’s a fun site with multiple-times-a-day scoops on hotel news, loyalty program updates, and openings (plus the occasional snarky review). I’m writing three times a week, in addition to my two to three weekly posts at FoodConnect.com.

I tried out some other blogs but have settled on these two — between them, my day job, this blog and a new puppy, I think I’ll leave it at that. Stop by and say hello on one of these sites.

I have a freelance assignment for a new publication in Cincinnati and one of my first two assignments is to profile someone in sports. Sports! I still call Brian’s basketball card collection baseball cards because what’s the difference anyway?

I am only interested in one sport and that’s horse racing. I was the only 5th grader I knew who subscribed to Bloodhorse magazine (thanks to cousin Patsy who worked there and slipped me a subscription). Kentucky Derby was better than Christmas — I got to watch the horses all day. I read Walter Farley’s Black Stallion series and dreamed of riding a race horse myself. I wish I still had the picture I drew when I was 9 for the “I have a dream contest” in my school system. The picture showed a smiling Dana perched on a horse that had just crossed the finish line at Churchill Downs to win the Kentucky Derby. (I won a savings bond for that entry by the way, a bond I promptly cashed in as soon as I could to buy a bicycle.) That was right around the time Patricia Cooksey became the second woman to ever ride in the Derby.

While I sat in my room and wrote imaginary race cards then pretended to be aboard one or other of my made-up mount, Patricia was riding for real and fighting for every mount in the (understatement ahead) male-dominated world.

How cool, then, to have a chance to talk with her! She kindly agreed to let me interview her when I persisted by email and phone. As a nobody beginning freelancer, I consider myself super lucky to talk to an honet to goodness legend. I was nervous beginning the interview, I mean have a look at some of her accomplishments:

Cooksey became the second woman to ride in the Kentucky Derby. … was the first woman to ride in the Preakness Stakes, the second leg of the Triple Crown … She was the first woman to win a $100,000.00 stakes race in California … . She was also the first female jockey to win a stakes race at Churchill Downs … and currently holds the record for most wins by a female jockey at Churchill.

But she was so easy to talk to and had such fantastic stories that I halfway forgot I was even interviewing her (other than the fact that I hustled to write down some of her gems of quotes — “The horse flipped over the gate and all I was hooves flying everywhere”)

Listening to her stories, and hearing the about the exhilaration of riding these beautiful, powerful horses to victory took me right back to my ten-year old self that wanted nothing more than to be a jockey.

On the other hand, also hearing how tough you have to be, especially as a woman in the sport, reminds me that working with a pen (ok, a mouse and keyboard) is a lot less painful. She broke both her legs in a race, fought the male jockeys (and I actually mean fistfights), and had to fight for every mount. Mental and physical pain are part of the package. So I don’t guess I’ll actually consider a career change at this junction, but I did like her suggestion that I work early mornings at the track “walking the hots.” If I could actually get out of bed in time to be at the track by 4:30 that is … and I’m not even that tough.

Want to know more about Patricia Cooksey and the other women who fought their way to the top of racing? Watch Jock, a documentary about female jockeys when it comes out next year.

We thought we were clever.

Our cable company has a free month of HBO on offer right now. I’ve heard a lot about the John Adams series and Brian saw one episode in a hotel room that he raved over.

So we called up and ordered our free month and settled in to watch John Adams on OnDemand. And guess what? Yesterday was the last day it was available and we only watched Part 1.

So now we’ve got a month of HBO — anyone have suggestions what else to watch?