Sketches of me during company class, by Jan Gendron.

I have fallen in love with Providence for a long list of reasons.  The world renowned restaurants, historic buildings, and gloriously suburban east side all make that list of course, but my absolute favorite thing about this lively little city is its incredibly expansive artistic culture.  I mean, I can’t be the only one who finds it impressive that such a teeny capital city can breed enough artistic freedom to become one of the most exciting creative hubs in the country.  With small cinemas like the Avon and Cable Car showcasing the latest indie movies, the students of RISD continuing to amaze the community with their impossible talent, and Etsy and DIY-inspired stores like Queen of Hearts and Modern Love thriving on Westminster, it’s undeniable that Providence’s fondu pot of artistic imagination and skill is constantly thickening.  This is made even more obvious at FBP by the presence of such local artists as photographer Cemal Ekin and Jan Gendron, who has been sketching dancers during company class, perched with his easel like a quiet, pastel-wielding little bird at the edge of the studio, since I can remember.  He recently posted the above photos of his sketches of me onto Facebook, so I thought I’d share them with you all today, along with a little love for Providence.  To see more of Jan’s work, grab some tickets to the final performance of Up Close On Hope this weekend, where you can enjoy a gallery of both Jan and Cemal’s art while you sip wine and munch on hors d’oeuvres during intermission.  How’s that for a culture-packed evening?!