meeting of the minds!? alexei

[haven elizabeth raines]

I 'V E. B E E N. C O L L E C T I N G. Y O U R. W O R D S.

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Even though Haven worked as professor, she still worked as a photographer. And people wanted to buy her photos but she had the issue of no place to display them so people could pick. Like many photographers, she only did a limited number of prints for the public to buy. It was like an artist as well. Others could reproduce her work though she wasn’t that famous and no one had approached her about it. The past month, she had been trying to look around to find a gallery that would allow her to display some of her work. Haven had no business skills so the idea of opening her own gallery was one that seemed unattainable. And she really didn’t know anyone who could help run the business end that she could trust now or grow to trust.

Another reason why haven hadn’t looked for a place to display her work until now was the fact she wasn’t sure if Paris was going to be a permanent move for her. Yes, she had been offered a good teacher’s contract, but she hadn’t been so positive on how it would work out. Now that things were going smoothly and she had bought a house, plus taken up the forms to try for dual citizenship, this would probably be her home. So she might as well do what she could to make it really be like home and get her career further out there. After all, she could shoot for magazines all she wanted but that didn’t take care of everything she needed. It was never all about the money for Haven but if she could make a living off what she loved then that was always a good things. Plus, teaching wouldn’t always be there. She had to have a backup career as well.

After she put on a more suitable outfit, Haven ventured out to the gallery she was approaching today. As far as she had scoped out before, there were no photography pieces in there. That could be a good or a bad thing. The place had a nice ring to it with the translation meaning ‘Joy to Life’; but Joie de Vivre did sound much more romantic. French was always a romantic language but when you coupled it with something relating to art it sounded all the more better. Her wedge clad feet entered after opening the doorway. A few people milled around, gazing at pieces. She had called ahead and spoken to a man named Alexei. They had spoken briefly but he was busy at the moment so agreed to meet up later. That left some time for Haven to get ready and gather up her portfolio. Not much changed from other meetings but she always liked to go over them and refresh her own memory. There were times she got nervous meeting with gallery owners or clients. It was calming for her to just reassure herself that she knew even her own material. With the filled portfolio hanging in front of her, Haven gazed at what appeared to be a modern piece while waiting for their meeting time to approach.

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tagged;; alexei
word count;; erm no idea
outfit;; here
notes;; nada
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[alexei leon fournier]

It was a busy day at the gallery, one of the busiest days he had in quite a while and he was glad about that. He was pretty glad that he had Adrienne too, she was somehow managing to do a good job with helping him out, he was slightly surprised because when he had first chosen her she wasn’t all too good at anything but now she was on fire, she didn’t need his help that much with anything anymore which left Alex more time to converse with customers. His gallery was his pride, everything that he had worked for all rolled into one, everything that he had worked for had finally paid off, his art work was up on the walls and he had done it all by himself. Of course, most of the art work on the walls weren’t his, they were other artists involved too, some from the Academy, some not from the Academy, this gallery of his showcased people that hadn’t become famous in the artists world yet.

Artists were always degraded in the professional industry, it was something that was never really seen as a job by most people, but most of those people were the types who never had at least one creative bone in their body, they were always pushing down the arts because they thought that scientific subjects were more or so better than the arts; which was never really true because art was always just as important. People needed a balance in their lives. Alex was always more so about the arts, he lived on art that he produced and the art that other’s produced because it was always so beautiful, nothing could compare to picking up a paint brush and running lines down a canvas as your piece began to come to life.

That day he had received a phone call from some women named Haven, he didn’t know who she was but she had phoned him and Alex was too busy that he didn’t hear half the things that she had told him but he knew she wanted to meet him so he had suggested meeting at his gallery so that everything was much more simpler. Getting details off of her was much easier than listening to whatever else she had said and so he was waiting for her to come. He had an eye out on the people that were fawning over paintings, it wasn’t always necessary but sometimes kids came in trying to steal things, which was always difficult to do because the gallery was wide open space; it was just easy to catch someone out. Looking at the door, waiting for the woman, he looked around the gallery once more before he felt the breeze of air coming through, looking at the woman he smiled, knowing that this was definitely the woman’; she seemed to have a sense of determination clouding around her. Walking towards her, he extended a hand. “Miss Haven right? Bonjour, welcome to Joie de Vivre, I am Alexei, the man on the phone and the owner of this gallery; a pleasure to meet you.” Smiling, he waited for her to shake his hand.

tagged// haven!
word count// 533!
thoughts// bloop!

[haven elizabeth raines]

I 'V E. B E E N. C O L L E C T I N G. Y O U R. W O R D S.

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Haven smiled when Alexei introduced himself. He seemed friendly enough as well as professional. She liked that. His style was relaxed yet professional as well, another plus. With a nod, she extended her own hand to meet his in a shake. ”Yes I remember. I hope this isn’t too much of an imposition. I know it was rather short notice.” As she walked beside him she felt her nerves go up slightly. This gallery was full of art-and not the art she had. They had sketches and paintings not still shot behind a lens. She knew photography was still widely debated on if it should be considered art or not but hoped in Paris people would be more ahead of the game. Lately she hadn’t had that much luck with finding a suitable place. Maybe Alexei would be willing to widen his horizons and add some to his collection here. If not then she wasn’t sure where else to turn. She had exhausted most of the reputable galleries and had no skills to have one of her own.

As she stood beside him, she moved her portfolio to hang along her side. ”You have many wonderful pieces here. Are they all locals?” There had been a name or two that seemed familiar from the school. Haven knew some places displayed students work so when they made it big they could say they housed some of their first works. But, that was how the business was anywhere. You could go to Julliard and local nightclubs would let the singers perform for the same reasoning. Sometimes it made one sick for the people who were in for the love of their work and art and just wanted to have it seen. Even if money wasn’t involved yet, owners saw it as they money that could be made down the line. Even if it was a month down the line. If only people saw Haven’s work as worthy of such displays since she already knew some people would buy her works. Not everyone or even people who may be important but people who loved photography. People like her who saw some one’s work they loved and wanted to appreciate on a daily basis. Even though some people were her rivals, Haven still bought their works because she respected them and the work they did. Respect is what got someone everywhere.

A good friend had told her that once. A friend which had broken her heart then written about her life. For a moment, despite being beside Anoul and surrounded by people in the gallery, she wondered where he was right now. Was he writing another book, using more stories from Haven’s life? How could he preach about respect for other individuals when he had disrespected her and written about her and them without her permission? After reading that some of her works had become more dark and somber. Haven spent time in rougher areas, capturing the pain of the locals. From the shunned widows in India to children caring for siblings in African orphanages. Her best friend had spotted this after realizing Haven had read the book. But that had been some of her best work and was even in portfolio. She showed how versatile she was with how she can captured the brightest of times along with the darkest. Hopefully that was enough for Haven to finally have a gallery for her work.

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tagged;; alexei
word count;; erm no idea
outfit;; here
notes;; nada
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[alexei leon fournier]

One thing he had learned was to always be friendly to a person, even if they weren’t, but the woman in front of him didn’t seem too bad, she seemed nice in fact and Alexei had to force himself to not make a judgement against her because that wasn’t how he was supposed to be. Ever since he had created his own gallery he had learned to appreciate people instead of closing them up all too much because he realised that he would need some help in life and that he wouldn’t be able to do much on his own. His life had changed dramatically ever since people had started telling him to pace himself down instead of living it fast edged; Alex was a new person compared to how he was before. Though people hardly did know him before because the only thing that remained common between his previous self and himself now was his anti social-ness. “No, no, not an imposition at all, I’m glad to have made some time for you.” Smiling, he kept himself cool and composed; he was still getting the hang of trying to stay friendly towards people instead of turning them away like he usually did.

He eyed her portfolio which would be full of art work, he never, anymore, had the urge to tell people that they were horrible at art because that would just make him seem so cruel, so he tried to give them constructive criticism instead as it was something better than just tearing an artist down. He knew that enough times when his work had been shot down. "Yeah they are locals, most pieces are done by the kids in the Academy, my sister especially." He smiled, trying to tone it down a little at the thought of Anouk; he didn't need anyone to know why he was smiling. Yes he was smiling because his sister's works were on his walls, but he was also smiling because he loved her a lot and he couldn't wait to be at home with her; how the girl had changed him so much in just a few short months. But he didn't just place her works because he loved her, in fact he placed her works even before he knew the depth of his love for her, and he also housed some other students works too; only because it meant quite a bit to them and he didn't want to push their happiness or hopes down when he pushed them to the side and said 'no' to them. It was only if their work was truly horrible or something that didn't suit the style of his gallery, it was only then he would reject them.

Smiling at the woman nicely, he put his hand out. "Mind if I see your work? I've always been a big fan of art and like seeing differences between the works people do." walking towards the backroom and extending a hand so that she could go into the back room first instead of him, he bowed a little; his gentlemen behaviour’s wasn't only used on Anouk, it was used on everyone that deserved his kindness. Once they were in the backroom, he kept the door slightly open so that the woman wouldn't think he would try and do something; the amount of times something like that happened was unimaginable. "Would you like a cup of coffee before we start? I don't know about you, but coffee always makes me relax." Small talk was something that Alex never did but for once he was being nice and talking much more, after all, Anouk had changed him and those changes were finally shining through.

tagged// haven!
word count// 616!
thoughts// =)

[haven elizabeth raines]

I 'V E. B E E N. C O L L E C T I N G. Y O U R. W O R D S.

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Haven noticed he seemed nervous, kind of like her. Hers got handled by being extremely clutzy and stammering. As long as she didn’t end up in a tangled heap on the floor then that was a win in her book. Haven chuckled as she glanced sideways at Alexei. ”isn’t that considered nepotism if you have her work in your gallery.” She had meant it to be a bit of an ice breaker and not rude. Hopefully he didn’t take it that way. Sometimes she could really muddle up a good thing by trying to just ease up the tension. Kyle had always teased her about it growing up. Even before the two had been a couple she had always been goofing up like that around him. Perhaps it was her heart telling her something long before she herself had figured it out. But that time had been spent with a lot of sorrow in her heart. After losing her mother Haven had been a mess and that’s when she started to really see through a camera. It gave her some comfort having the glass between her and the rest of the world. She could capture the pain and the joys of life without being right in it all the time. Kyle was the one who got her to realize she had to be in the moment as well to be able to have amazing pieces. That was advice Haven had kept close, even after he had broken her heart. The one man she thought would never do that to her....

Those were thoughts she shouldn’t have in her mind at this meeting. Sure her inspiration was always a good thing but Kyle wasn’t a part of it anymore. He was no longer here to be giving her the strength she needed and haven had to accept that. Instead she needed to rely on her own strength to get through this meeting. ”Oh yes. Not like you can really judge it until it’s out in the open.” When they entered the backroom, she set it down on the table to begin to take out her pieces. Trying to be thoughtful of the best way to present everything, she began to pull out a few pieces. ”Um I actually don’t like coffee. But water is fine for me.” Haven pushed her bangs behind her ear. Him gathering up the drinks gave her a perfect opportunity to spread out her work. None of these were her large prints because she was very careful that they weren’t carried around everywhere. Some pieces only had a limited number of large prints and if even one got ruined it would upset her. Right now she was having a bit of a break from her traveling so she could stay here for her job. Vacations were all she had to travel about like she wanted.

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tagged;; alexei
word count;; erm no idea
outfit;; here
notes;; nada
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[alexei leon fournier]

Alexei was always the type of guy to get nervous in a social gathering, even if it was just with another person; he always seemed to have problems getting his words out. But ever since opening his gallery, having to interact with more people on a daily basis and talking to them about art, he had to get over the nerves. Even though he was much better than before, he was horrible with one on one conversations, which was weird because a lot of people would prefer one on one conversations with one another instead of speaking to a whole group. But as always, Alexei was a weird one. He frowned as Haven called it nepotism for hanging up Anouk’s work in his gallery. It was but…so what? He only did it because she had good work, her work was actually quite popular amongst the other works set in his gallery, and so it wasn’t a crime hanging up her work was it? He shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly at Haven but nodded his head though. “It probably is but her work is one of the best sellers in this gallery, so it’s good to have her work here.” Smiling at Haven, he just nodded his head once more, dropping the subject about Anouk all together because he knew if she was on his mind then he probably wouldn’t be able to concentrate on his work properly.

Concentrating on his work was difficult now, he spent most of his time texting her, or speaking to her online than he did on his work and that was horrible so that was why most days of the week when he was at the gallery he would keep his phone off and keep his internet turned off; only turning it on when he needed some information about a piece of work a person wanted or anything like that. Smiling, he watched her for a second as she looked down at her pieces of work in her hand; everyone was always nervous whenever they met a gallery owner because it was as if their life was on the line, he felt like that whenever he had to give his work into gallery owners; it was just a horrible experience especially if you got rejected…which Alexei did. Nodding his head at her request, he turned the tap on near him and filled a glass up for her before handing it to her. Turning around, he listened as she got her work ready for him and began to make his own cup of coffee. Making sure the scent was strong enough for him, he mixed the solution up for a few more seconds before dropping the spoon into the sink and taking a sip of it with a content sigh. Looking at the work, he eyed it without any expression on his face. Her work was photography…he didn’t do photography. Alex felt horrible about this now. “Oh…you do photographs.”

tagged// haven!
word count// 492!
thoughts// =)

[haven elizabeth raines]

I 'V E. B E E N. C O L L E C T I N G. Y O U R. W O R D S.

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When it came to nerves, Haven often mixed up what she meant to say with what she did say on top of being clumsy. Good thing she was sitting because the foot in her mouth had already taken over. She really hadn’t meant to offend him with that comment. her hope was to lighten the mood but that hadn’t seemed to work at all. ”Well then it’s a good form of favoritism. Then again, we all have that one person who we admire. Mine is personally is Ansel Adams and Pierre-Auguste Renoir.” For a painter Renoir was one of her favorites. When Kyle had first dragged her off to the Louvre, his work was what caught her eye the most. He would tease her about it all the time but she didn’t care. His work was the most ethereal and yet life like works she had ever seen. One day she hoped to take some photos as a homage to his work. Ones that were set up exactly like his paintings were.

As Haven sipped at her water, ready to show him her best pieces, she heard him speak up over his coffee. Her face dropped suddenly. His tone wasn’t a good one or a bad one. Trying to recover from that she bit down on her lip in thought. She had to recover fast. ”I know there’s no photography in here. just thought maybe it’d broaden your horizons as well as my own. Be one that is mutually beneficial but that was just a thought.” Haven’s voice wavered a little. She knew photography wasn’t the most popular form of art for galleries but it was rising up. More people wanted captures from around the world as much as they wanted painted captures. In all her travels amongst the galleries she had met ones that didn’t like photography as well as but really she wasn’t sure what else to do. her face turned up in a slightly sour and hurt look before she sighed. After running a hand through her hair, she murmured under her breath, ”Well young lady you should really open your own place. Well miss we just can’t do anything. I should’ve listened to them,” assuming only she could hear it. Alexei was across the table so it didn’t seem plausible he could hear her hushed tones.

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tagged;; alexei
word count;; erm no idea
outfit;; here
notes;; a crappy post. no muse but thought I’d put something up -.-
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[alexei leon fournier]

Adrenaline always shot through him when he was nervous or scared about something. At times it could be good, adrenaline was exactly what you needed when you needed a kick up the backside, but sometimes it was just scary. He wasn’t all too nervous in meeting with Haven because he was the owner of his own gallery, he didn’t need to be nervous, it was Haven who should have been nervous and if she wasn’t then he would have to praise her because she must have believed her work was great. Smiling at her knowledge of artists he let out a small laugh. “I love Renoir too, but personally, apart from my step sister, my favourite artist has always been Monet. A great guy and painter.” The idea of Monet made him really happy because he had just remembered that Anouk had bought him an original painting of his favourite artist and he loved that.

He tried to sound neutral; he knew she wanted her work in an art gallery, what aspiring artist didn’t? But he just didn’t do photographs, he didn’t dislike them, they were nice and they were growing in the art world, but he was an artist, he wasn’t a photographer lover otherwise he would have had Scarlett’s work up by then. Nodding his head, a small frown appeared on his lips and forehead as her voice wavered a little, now he felt horrible about turning her down. He raised an eyebrow when she muttered to herself, even though she was muttering, Alex did have quite good hearing so he heard quite bit of what she said. Sighing, he took another sip of his coffee, before moving towards the table and sitting down. Picking up a picture, he eyed it for a second. “Look, I won’t put up your hopes by saying that your work will get a place in this gallery because it won’t. I’m sorry, I really am but I don’t do photographs…But…you’re work is really good and I’m sure all aspiring photographers want their work somewhere…so maybe I can help you with making a gallery of your own?” He didn’t look up at her, taking another thoughtful sip of his drink, he just looked at her photographs. This was the best he could do.