Here is a little sketch I did of a young girl, being completely at ease in nature. She is surrounded by the things she loves…mainly birds and honey bees.
This composition got its composition from my prompt. It got its color by adding one of my Yupo hand drawn background papers as seen below. The background color paper was the basic palette and I included the blue bird with an additional prompt. What I really like was the way the colors blended so softly and the blue becomes a focal point. She looks like she loves her little friend.
Adding a surprise element like this colorful copic marker art on Yupo paper can add a dramatic effect. The drawing was quick and effective. The mysterious colors blended beautifully with the sketch. I like to combine things that you are not sure will work together. That’s one magic trick in AI.
One of many cats and lions Alebrijes sculpture paintings I’m doing. I love the lions and they are in the cat family. Wild and colorful, for sure. When you go to an art festival here in Mexico with hand made paper sculptures, you will see all kinds of wonderful and colorful artworks. The Alebrijes are part fantasy, part humor. They enjoy the respect of the spiritual world where we live alongside our animal brothers and sisters. If you are open, you can receive them.
This is a Mexican Alebrijes Cat thinking about which artichoke he will have for his dinner. I think he is very beautiful. In Mexico, sculptors and craftsmen make paper sculptures they assemble with paper and wheat paste. The form is shaped and modified. When it is completely dried it becomes pretty sturdy. Then the sculpture is intricately painted with exotic and intense colors. This is my image of what I would love to see as a complete Alebrijes sculpture.
I am offering a class in imaginary street scenes in different ink and wash media. Right now, it’s only in person here in San Antonio, Tlayacapan, Jalisco, Mx. If this interests you, let me know. I may do it online in the future. This particular ink is ellusive as it lifts with a wash. That’s a challenge but also intriguing.
Two years ago or so I gave away a precious collection I had worked hard to acquire. What is so hard about giving away a bunch of old smashed wires you say? When you live in Mexico and walk on cobblestones that are five hundred years old, you have to look down as you carefully put one foot in front of the other. If you don’t, you can fall down. For many of us retired folk, falling can be dangerous, dibilitating and down right dangerous. I used to do a lot more walking when I first arrived here five years ago. Times have changed. The point is in Mexico people are constantly building. There is construction going on everywhere. Building with concrete, steel, brick and mortar and adobe are a different animal than what I’ve been used to. There is constant pulvo or fine dust that accumulates heavily…everywhere. When did a lot of walking, the combination of looking down yielded a new sort of vocation. I began to collect pieces of wire that had been crushed, run over, rusted and every other transformation. They spoke to me with their weird shapes, sometimes very recognizeable as everyday icons. My little bag accumulated amazing things that became a gateway for my imagination. It made the walking more fun. Sometimes people would stare???? I figured I would do something with them one day. The one day never came. I was too busy to play. What was interesting was that friends would leave me treasures that they found on the streets and alleyways. Thank you. My front table was getting full of weird things people would leave me. I met an artist who was a pretty creative guy. He was struggling to make a buck, get seen and respected. As is my usual life path habit, I sacrificed my treasures to friends. I gave him my collection. He said thanks and I knew immediately it meant nothing to him. I could see it in the blank look on his face. I had imagined him being very appreciative and creating great additions with these bits of wire to embellish his works. It was my personal opinion and only in my head. I never said it to him directly. Somehow I thought he would jump for joy over this stuff….To me these treasures would give more texture and contrast to his pieces. Mistake. Apparently he didn’t see it. Now I am missing these silly things. To me they are a symbol of dreams lost. They represent my achievement in bringing myself here, leaving my past behind and trying to build another life. The area that I live in is changing so fast that sometimes I have to pinch myself to realize it really is happening. There is a huge new population of Americans and Canadians living here permanently now. Gentrification isn’t a word strong enough. Since I’ve come here, there is a whole new hospital, pharmacy and health clinics of many kinds. There are now quite a few beautiful modern homes in gated communities as well and beautiful upscale shops and stores. I can’t say if it’s right or wrong, good or bad. As long as it doesn’t destroy this wonderful friendly mixed community, I’m good with it and it’s a good thing. All I know is life is not the same. Some things are easier, some things are harder. I guess it depends on who you are, where you live and what you do. So I’m here now and moving on. All the letting go of my life in the U.S. is done. All the tears have been shed. The goodbyes have all been said. It’s time to ease on the throttle and coast a little in future days. Enjoy every day I tell myself.
Painting Mexico 
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