3053/Gotham Art--Misnomer

Gotham Art--Misnomer
Date of Scene:	22 August 2020
Location:	Gotham University
Synopsis:	Brian and Mori meet at a Gotham City University Art Show
Cast of Characters:	Brian Braddock, Mori Merritt

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Brian Braddock has posed:
Gotham University Art Building

Students from all over the Eastern seaboard have been invited to this year's Gotham Art exhibit. Sprawling over the entire campus, there are all sorts of pieces for all kinds--modern art that makes you question the idea of the medium, abstract art that leaves you questioning what you might be looking at, and classical art that has been flown in from all sorts of different places.

There's something for everyone here, it seems. Out on the courtyards there are small stands where local artists can sell their wares, as well as food trucks to cater to hungry observers. It's quite the festival all in all.

Mori Merritt has posed:
Mori had thought about a booth. It would have been nice to at least showcase what she'd worked on lately, but the cost and the fact that she had no actual copies of her work now left her with little to offer. Still, the sketchbook is carried with her, tucked carefully into the messenger bag slung over one shoulder. So instead of selling her own art, she's wandered over to enjoy some of the art that exists.

Moving between exhibits, Mori seems to at least know what she likes. She doesn't really return to pieces she looked at previously, instead following a pattern where she covers the maximum amount of exhibits possible, only really stopping to linger at a few... mostly the really detailed pieces, which she creeps closer to take a gander at.

Brian Braddock has posed:
"What do you think?"

An impossibly tall blonde haired young man looks down at the young artist as he, too, is inspecting. He speaks with a British accent, most likely from England. It just so happens that the piece in question is an abstract sunset on a cityscape that has a gothic feel to it. Or is it a sunrise? It's not quite clear.

The young man digs his hands into his pockets and continues looking at the painting, biting at his lip as if he's unsure himself. Perhaps he's asking for advice.

Mori Merritt has posed:
Mori doesn't look over immediately. Mostly, because she's looking at the art herself and he did ask. Instead, she's observing, her eyes focusing as if to take it in. "All endings have a new beginning. Night's not always bad." There's a pause, then she clears her throat. "It's well-done, though. Quality. Kind of makes you think about what else is in there." Once she feels she's assessed the piece to an acceptable degree, she turns her head to look his direction.

Rather, she turns her head and tilts it upward as he's got a good foot and change on her. If it's at all intimidating, it doesn't seem to show, and she offers a cheerful smile. "It's a good piece. You'll go home and think about it later. It's the kind of thing that sticks with you."

Brian Braddock has posed:
"I can't tell whether I like it, to be honest. I go back and forth." When she looks up at him, Brian is back to looking at the painting and his face seems to be troubled as if he's going back and forth on it.

He looks back over eventually and notices the sketchbook under her arm. His eyebrow raises, "Are you an artist as well?" He motions towards the book that sticks slightly out of the bag.

Mori Merritt has posed:
"I like it, if only because it gives you the sense of unknowing. Is it the ending? Or the beginning? Does it matter?" Mori's attention is drawn to her bag, and she pats it lightly with one hand. "Yeah, I'm studying at NYU, but I recently..." There's a pause, then she smiles again. "This book is all I've got." It doesn't seem to really pull her down, whatever emotion is tied to it.

"I tend to go more photorealistic most of the time. Processing the things around me and getting them out the way I see them. Charcoal is fun, I do a lot of that. A lot of pieces don't get finished, but I don't consider it a waste if it's good practice."

Brian Braddock has posed:
Brian tilts his head as if he considers what she is saying, and he seems to take the painting in anew. Hands in his pockets eventually come out to wave at a man who has been standing nearby. The man in the black business suit approaches the artwork and another man comes to assist. They pull the piece off it's moorings and begin to package it.

"Photorealism," Brian replies. "Perhaps I could take a look, if you wouldn't mind."

Mori Merritt has posed:
Mori takes a moment to look at the painting, then back to Brian before she blinks a few times. "My stuff? Yeah, of course. I don't mind sharing. Just remember that a lot of it is not finished and..." She trails off, deciding the excuse attempts aren't important. Instead, she pulls out the sketchbook. It's well worn, clearly been through a lot, some pieces that are a little too big shoved between pages to not get lost.

The contents are varied. Detailed faces, a lot of landscapes from scenic places and around New York, some beautiful views of the night sky with even recognizable star patterns. There's a few in there that are blacked out entirely with charcoal, as if something had been there and then covered over. Mixed in with that are some more unique designs. Landscapes, but while still done in the photorealistic style, have different colors and shapes than seem to be typical for plants native to most regions on earth. Vibrant colors, red earth, skies that seem surreal.

Brian Braddock has posed:
"These are very interesting," Brian replies as he begins thumbing through them. Of great interest to him seems to be the cityscapes of New York and it's clear that the gears in his mind have begun to turn. He seems to like Mori's art far more than the one he was debating on purchasing.

"I'm wondering if you might be available for commission. You see, I have just moved to the United States for the foreseeable future and I need to furnish my home. I am looking for something that reminds me of both of my homes--Thames University in West London, and my hometown in rural Essex."

Mori Merritt has posed:
"I hope for the 'forseeable future' is the good kind of future and not the bad kind. It's not so bad here," Mori grins. "At least, I don't mind it so much." She does seem to contemplate the suggestion. "Yeah, I can do something like that. I've never been abroad, so you'd have to give me some photos for reference. Never quite the same as seeing somewhere, though. It's why art's tricky. Even photographs don't always capture what you see."

She glances at some of her sketches. "You can't always show someone what you feel when you see something. People try it, that's why we have art... but it's never exactly the same. You show me an artist entirely happy with their work and I'll show you someone who's not trying." She nods. "I'd be more than happy to."

Brian Braddock has posed:
"Oh, of course. I can send along many photographs and that sort of thing. How you do it is, of course, totally up to you. You're the artist after all." Brian lets out a little bit of a chuckle. "The truth is that I know very little about art, but my friends will give me a great deal of stick if they come and find the house empty."

"I've read that writers feel the same way--that a book is never truly finished, only ripped from the author's hands by panicking editors. I suppose those high standards are what sets artists of all sorts of mediums apart.

Mori Merritt has posed:
Mori's smile widens. "Let me tell you a secret about art." She leans in closer, as if she were actually trying to be a little more secretive. "There are ways to study and improve your skill at expressing what you want to, things you can learn about composition and what's visually appealing to an eye, the history of how and what was popular... but in the end that doesn't matter. You don't have to know how to write a novel to know if you like the ending or not. Same with art... if there's something in there that says something to you, that teaches you something, that sticks? That's what you go for."

She flips through a few sketches. "I remember everything. All the details. So when I can't get it just the way it is that I see it in my head? It's frustrating. I can't get out what I want to express because I'm still learning the technique. It doesn't mean that what I want to get out still doesn't mean something to someone else."

Brian Braddock has posed:
"When did you start?" Brian says as he watches her flip through the sketches. The idea is so foreign to him--his interests lie in science--logic, evidence, facts, and the like. Art seems to be almost it's exact opposite.

"I know I like the piece that I'm buying--but I truly enjoy these sketches."

Mori Merritt has posed:
"I think I was seven? I didn't really get into it until high school, but when I was young there was this forest not far from where I lived and I'd sneak off to it and spend hours just staring up at the sky through the leaves. I wanted to draw it. Express how I felt." Mori glances towards the sketchbook again, then fishes for a pencil.

"My teachers thought I was pretty good and encouraged it, so I decided to go study it. I figured that I could understand how to get what was in my head out... if I could get it down where I wasn't the only one that saw it." She nods towards the sketchpad. "I can make you something, if you like. A sketch. It takes a while to get perfect, but if you don't mind imperfection, I can offer you something."

Brian Braddock has posed:
"I'd like that," Brian replies and smiles. "I'm afraid that the only courses of action I took as a seven year old were video games and football."

"How much would you charge me for something large, say 6 feet by 10 feet?"

Mori Merritt has posed:
Mori grins. "Nothing wrong with video games or football, I just played with what I had easy access to. We each have our own." She flips to a blank page in the sketchbook, then props it up on one arm so she can hold it while working with the right. She's already got an idea. She does glance up before she begins, blinking a bit.

"That's a..." She pauses. "That's definitely really big. I've never tried anything that big, and I can honestly say I wouldn't know what to charge. I don't know how long it would take either." She doesn't really look deterred from the idea, though, just like she's looking at a mountain and trying to determine the best side to climb up. "It would be fun, though."

Brian Braddock has posed:
Brain considers, "Well, you certainly would not need to complete it right away. Art cannot be rushed, after all. Give it thought and let me know. I can send someone by to pick it up. I assume from the pictures that you are probably from New York City?"

"I'm going to guess you're a student here at Gotham?" Brian adds, mistaking the situation slightly.

Mori Merritt has posed:
"Well, originally from Washington. The state, not the land of politics. I'm a bit far from home too. New York's just my home for now. I got a scholarship to New York University so I'm there now. I just came to Gotham for the event," Mori nods in his direction. "I'll try to come up with an idea of price or something."

She doesn't look up, really, as her attention's on the sketch she's working on. It's hard to tell what she's making at first, but the more she adds to it, the easier it is to tell that she's actually sketching the piece of art the way it was displayed before when they were discussing it. It's rather detailed as well. "I'll have to find some supplies too. All I've got in supplies is pretty much what I've got on me. The rest of my stuff met with an early demise."

Brian Braddock has posed:
"Oh," Brian replies with just a twinge of sadness. He thought he had made a new friend, or at least, a new acquaintance. Okay, maybe just a new subcontractor, but Brian has always had trouble making friends. Here a week before school begins, he is looking to do his best to adjust to moving halfway across the world.

"That's certainly no problem. Perhaps I can email you and you can just let me know what to purchase and I can send it to you. Or, however you think is best."

Mori Merritt has posed:
There's another bright smile offered his direction. "Sure, if that's what you want," Mori glances up at him this time, adjusting her positioning of the sketch to get at it with a bit of a different angle. "Gotham's got a good art scene, though. I wouldn't have expected it. Gotham always seems so... intimidating?"

She looks down at her sketch. "But it's still nice here. Maybe I'll visit more often." She lifts up the sketchpad to make the sketch more obvious. It's hard to remember exactly what the original painting looked like before, but she's done a good recreating what it looked like, albeit how it looked on the stand. "Now you've got a piece of art that you bought... and a moment. For free." She carefully tears the page out of the sketchbook and offers it towards him.

Brian Braddock has posed:
"Thank you," Brain replies. He takes the piece of paper into his hands and inspects it with a smile upon his face. "This is very kind of you."

"As to Gotham's art scene, I'm afraid I am not quite that familiar. Indeed, I've only moved here yesterday. But, if you ever do find yourself in town again, please do let me know." He reaches into his pocket, but is without a pen. "Can I borrow your pencil for my email address?"

Mori Merritt has posed:
"It's the least I can do," Mori offers, then she does offer her pencil forward towards him and a corner of the sketchbook so he can write. "Besides, it's nice to leave new friends with something and art's something I at least know most people appreciate. It's a safe bet." She does, however, look a bit surprised. "Yesterday? I can imagine missing home still feels very fresh then."

She goes to offer him a handshake but remembers that both her hands are full, he's about to write down his email, and that he's from abroad so they probably don't really shake. "... anyway, I'm Mori. It's nice to meet you."

Brian Braddock has posed:
Brian writes down his email address, clearly a school address from Gotham. "Yes, I've moved here to study. I had been to Gotham a handful of times, so I am familiar. At the same time, it will definitely take some getting used to."

"Brian," he says with a chuckle at the awkwardness of the non-handshake. "It is nice to meet you as well." He hands over his email address, or at least tries to given her lack of hands at the moment.

Mori Merritt has posed:
Somehow, Mori manages to get her mess of objects contained, scribbling down her own email address on a bit of paper and offering it towards him. It's a pretty standard run-of-the-mill email with first initial and last name. Nothing fancy. "Well, looks like we both know about the same amount of Gotham. If you ever want to explore it and need an extra pair of hands or eyes or something, let me know."

The cheerful smile is offered again as she tucks away the objects back into their proper locations in her bag.

Brian Braddock has posed:
Brian takes the email address and looks at it before nodding to her, "Thanks. I'll definitely do that." He puts the slip of paper into his pocket and smiles. "It was nice to meet you Mori. I'll be in touch."