There are times when you see something you just fall in love with. Here is a red bike with of all things, training wheels propped against a red wall. I love the light in this still life and am wondering if I want to transform it as a watercolor painting. I think I will leave it as is because it’s pretty damned near perfect.
This wonderful happy man can be seen in the villlage of Chapala Mexico in the state of Jalisco. On weekends you can pretty much always find him pushing his tomato red cart. He sells ice cream, called helado in Spanish. He has lots of flavors to make you happy. The atmosphere is pleasant and the malecon (tiled walkway along the water’s edge) and the plaza are just lovely. The lake is beautiful and cools the air. Right now there has been so much rain that the lake is the highest its been in 50 years.
You can stroll and eat and take in all the sights and sounds. Very often you can find people dancing in the plaza to the music of local musicians. Some of the bands will be a collection of guitars, drums, and various brasses including tubas. Chapala is a great town. Some may call it a city. If it sounds like I am selling the place, I’m not really. I just enjoy it.
In Mexico they churn the ice cream by hand, in huge metal canisters called garrafas. The canisters are filled with the ice cream base and placed inside of wooden barrels full of ice and salt, and then it’s someone’s job to stir the ice cream with a large wooden paddle as it slowly freezes.
This technique gives the ice cream a unique texture. “Mexican ice cream is closer to gelato, as it has less fat and air than American style,”
When I saw this guy, I was immediately attracted to the cart and his infectious smile. I just had to paint him. happy happy happy.
If you are interested, click the picture to purchase a print or a textile of this watercolor.
Read more about making Ice Cream in Mexico here:
http://www.tastecooking.com/mexicanicecream
I saw this stunning flower growing out of a very small border garden. I snapped a quick pic with my phone and I found it interesting–mostly because I was amazed that such a beauty came from a meager space. It had just rained and there were some raindrops still on the petals.I was using a few different reds…from Sennellier Red (the main red) to Alizarin Crimson and a little glazing with Opera. I needed to change something, but I could not figure out what to do.
There was a point where I was very ready to gesso over the whole thing. Instead, I slept on it. Two days later, it came to me what I should do.
I glazed the background petals with scarlet red by winsor and newton. It was so intense and gave me the depth I needed. Problem solved.
The problems we face are only as difficult as those we are up to solving. If we can’t figure them out, it’s perfectly ok to continue and keep moving forward. don’t quit. Take a break. That’s a good reason to blog. I may be talking to myself, but I don’t mind. It’s better than watching t.v.
If you would like a print on paper, metal, canvas or textile, click the image.
Love this hanging chair, in the garden…or anywhere https://www.reformasthlm.se/sv/artiklar/hangfatolj-svart-vit.html
Painting Mexico 
You must be logged in to post a comment.