I had a very interesting experience today. I was turned down by a possible buyer, and his reason was something I had not considered.

d’Arry’s is a cook house and wine shop in Cambridge, and I had asked permission to paint there, but I was already thinking about painting a certain view. From the owner’s perspective, I chose the wrong one. He was thinking of the central area of bar, stools, wine-glasses, rows and rows of bottles, looking down into the kitchen. It is a fantastic view, but I was looking at a different one. That was the front area, which has more of a restaurant feel, and is more open but has less visual excitement. So my chosen view disappointed a prospective client. This is valuable information to me, and something to learn; find out what people are hoping for. Easy enough in retrospect, but it had not occurred to me that there was more than one way of looking. I had found a nice view; I painted it. It was a good experience, but it handicapped me from the start, because my idea about the restaurant was not the owner’s.

I should mention that I like d’Arry’s very much, have eaten there several times, and find it to be an exceedingly nice place with friendly staff and very good wine. It was my fortune only to have eaten in the front and never in the back.