San Francisco in "Full Bloom"

 I had the most wonderful request a few months ago.

My daughter, (soon to be college graduate daughter, I might add!) called and asked me if I might like to spend spring break with her "someplace really cool, and just look at tons of art in galleries and museums?" 

You can imagine how flattered and excited I was by this request, and of course I got right on the planning of our trip!

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 I chose San Francisco for several reasons, not the least of which had to do with airline miles and hotel points, making the trip affordable.

I also wanted to visit some place my daughter had not been, a city where we could walk a lot and use public transportation and not have to have a rental car.

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Of course, great architecture, design and lots of art were a given requirement!!

 The first afternoon, both of us bleary eyed from getting up at 4:00a.m. and long flights, we began to wander around the city.

Wander and stumble along we did, having no real plan for that afternoon. 

We were not sure how long we would last before heading back to the hotel for an early dinner and sleep.

As luck would have it, we came across Gump's and of course, wandered inside to poke around.

We were thrilled with what we found.

  An installation called "Full Bloom",  mixing the wonderfully colorful paintings of David LeBatard, also known as Lebo, with all of the gorgeous home furnishings of Gump's, was taking place in the store.


 We were enthralled with the show, and had the pleasure of meeting a most helpful and friendly Gump's associate, Mark Murphy, who was happy to answer our questions and show us around the exhibit.

"David "LEBO" Le Batard is a Cuban-American Postmodern Cartoon Expressionist celebrated for both his fine art & civic works projects. Lebo is recognized for his murals, sculptures and paintings, but has gained notoriety through his live painting performances alongside music industry veterans such as Willie Nelson and The Indigo Girls."
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Clearly super talented in a totally new realm for me, I absolutely appreciate his work.
However, on a personal level, the paintings at Gump's appeal to me a lot more than his cartoon style.

Gump's, Painting by Lebo

 Gorgeous glassware , linens, pottery and flowers just popped in front of this large canvas. 

 

  

 

Window displays were whimsical and art filled. Love the large green pepper and giant blue egg, and am so sorry I didn't learn more about them!

                      

                            

                                                                                   

 Brilliant colors and large bold strokes make for strong, happy paintings. I still am not sure which one is my favorite.

I love the dark background and the full, vibrant flowers with the title "After the Rain".
                                                                               
                                                                                

Check out this video to see the Full Bloom opening night.

Wish we had been there!

                                                                                    
                                                                                

We also had the serendipitous pleasure of seeing some of Lebo's work on the side of a hotel - appropriately name Hotel des Artes, a charming boutique hotel in the city.

                                                                                  

       To see how this mural came about, check out this video~

So, to say we had a fabulous trip is an understatement. We saw great art, great fashion and of course, ate great food!

Hope you have enjoyed this little fragment of our adventure! 

Happy Spring!