The Getty Center

Six years ago on August 30, I choose to go to the Getty Center to find out if my future included Reuben. After 6 years of infertility, major surgery for fibroid tumours, IUI and at the time 3 rounds of IVF, it was definitely the time and the call to the IVF Dr was utterly joyous. What a perfect way and place for us to celebrate today...

I'm not going to pretend Reuben was anything but a rascal today though, throwing his lovely straw hat over the cliff and laughing away. He is indeed a 5 year old all boy!

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Felt emotional in a good way today. Herb Ritts exhibition at the Getty Center. It flooded me with memories of the 80s when I started to collect Vogue magazines, not for the fashion, but for the art of photography. And Herb Ritts's work became utterly inspirational for me, often crossing over into that realm of Edward Weston (whose work was exhibited too at the Getty just after Reuben was born) with the exploration of the human physique. What they each achieved I don't need to repeat here beyond the influence which the harsh SoCal sun had on his work which favored stark contrasts and save for the emotions his work left behind on me. That juxtaposition of light and shadow and Ritts's dive into cinematography without any former experience at the request of Madonna, creating ads (Guess, Eternity) and music videos (Cherish, Wicked Game) you would know and respect, but without the knowledge of Ritts's extraordinary talent being behind them. It felt like I was flung back in the 80s, the intense feelings I had for the images at the time coming back to me. They later spurned my 90s uni walls to be adorned with his black and white headshots, Tatjana, Linda, Christy, Naomi, Cindy peering down at the you. It'll be interesting now to revisit my collection of 80s and 90s Vogues and happen upon the same images used commercially. It also felt so very refreshing on a hot and sultry LA day to escape into the cool galleries, before again embracing the majestic marbled architecture and breathing in the beauty from the maze and exquisite gardens, whilst looking out to the distant mountains at Big Bear upon which sat an angry anvil ready to explode to the East or to the tranquil Catalina Island to the West. Enough said. It's always been my favourite place in LA.

Edit - the "anvil" was actually from fresh wildfires, not storm clouds.

PP: Gossamer