Everyone Loves Maria`
In her early twenties, Maria swings into the lobby of the White House Hotel and instantly the space is jolted with energy. It’s 1pm on an otherwise routine day– christmas carols blaring from the radio, stories being passed along about this place or that place in Chicago where the wind was– But Maria, enters, and everyone stops. She has recently risen, and is coming down to greet the day. Last night, I heard she was walking to the Brooklyn Bridge with two friends and didn’t get back until 6 in the morning.
I’ve never seen anything like it. A room full of older men, all of whom are in love with the same 20 something young woman. And everyone knows what she did the day before. She’s the hot topic of conversation all the time. During the past two weeks at the White House, there are only two things people have discussed every day– the weather and Maria.
Maria is a painter. She lives in Germany but considers the world her home. As one in NY gets on the subway to go from the East Side of town to the West Side of town, Maria gets on planes to go from one side of the world to the other. She is a gypsy of sorts. Her pants are stained with different color paints and she is always a bit dissheveled. She is striking, with energetic eyes set in a face that is both innocent and happy. Slender yet strong, Maria is quick to flirt with any and every resident of the hotel.
One night we were shooting as Tom went to play bingo. Maria joined. There was no bingo because there were too few people at the bar so they spent a good deal of the time talking about life and the priorities different people have. She kept referring to herself as a bird, free from constraints, independent and without pressure. Maria considers the White House Hotel her home in NYC. She stays free of rent in exchange for work done for Meyer. She has become very very good friends with Shadow, the one line artist who was featured in the last post. Since they are both artists, they often draw together in the lobby, each creating tens of paintings a day.
Anyways, so Maria bursts into the lobby and everyone stops. She greets everyone, knows everyone by name and has a personal conversation with everyone. She’s like a politician almost, shaking hands, hugging, so intimately familiar with everyone, so pleased to see everyone. But after only a couple of minutes Maria’s gone, out for breakfast. And the lobby is now noticeably dead.
Yesterday, Matt interviewed Maria on the roof of the White House. She sat on the ledge, looking down to the street and looking out at the city. She’s at the White House until Sunday.