a day at the getty

as most of you know one of the best experiences i've ever had in my life was the opportunity to stay for a few days at a russian orthadox monastery and convent outside of albuquerque, new mexico. the monks and nuns were some of the most spiritual, kind, amazing people i have ever encountered in my life time. i spent the mornings walking the gardens with father simeon, who taught me so much about myself, people and the world. i spent the evenings after dinner in the convent with the nuns, who were amazing women and surprisingly funny. the monastery did incredible community outreach but one of the most interesting things were the icons they had collected and even painted. it really got me into icons and the whole thinking behind them.

right now the getty has on loan from st. catherine's monastery, located on mt. sinai, some of the most incredible icons in the world, many of them dating before the iconoclasm period. the exhibit was breathtaking, the lighting was dim, and they played a cd of monks chanting, it was a truly moving experience. if you are in the LA area i highly recommend seeing them, as they do not generally travel and its not so easy to get to mt. sinai. they are on exhibit until march 4th. this was my favorite of the day:

Saint Theodosia

now the getty is a great museum and all but its not one of my favorites so imagine my surprise when there was another INCREDIBLE exhibit there today, the exhibit was called "where we live photographs of america" this exhibit runs until february 25th. if you like photography it's worth checking out. some of my favorite photographers featured were, Mitch Epstein, Joel Sternfeld, Jim Dow, and William Eggleston. there were so many great things about this exibit, joel sternfeld was showing photographs where tragic events had taken place, it was a great idea. one of my other favorites was the photos of churchs in rural areas. of course i love all things mitch epstein and this was my favorite photo of the day "untitled New York":

so you should all go to the getty, on days like today it is incredible, it was warm and clear, you could see for miles. the gardens are beautiful, you can even have a picnic on the lawn, or sit by a fountain and read a book, or you can be like me and people watch, you may even see this woman and her butt crack:

or if you're really lucky you'll see this stone cold fox walking around ;)