Anaya: Venice Beach, CA

I am always a little suspicious of cheery people before 8am in the morning.  When I met Anaya on the beach near the wreckage of a boat, one morning, my coffee had not yet taken effect and her exuberance was at first unnerving.  Clad in pink jogging pants and tee shirt with "Virtuous Woman" emblazoned across the front Anaya, unprompted, explained to me that her name meant, "pathway to God".  Wary of a conversion attempt before I had armored myself with at least one cup of coffee, I gently moved the conversation to another topic.  I spent a couple of days trying to make the image work and having made many trips to this location at various times to the day, I was having a difficult time making it work until Anaya was so cheerfully willing to help me out.  Juxtaposed with a graffiti painted shipwreck, Anaya's presence fit perfectly in my mind with the opportunity that the boat provided as an impromptu art installation.  At first glance, both seemed unique in this environment, and after a few seconds, made sense in their respective ways.