More Sketches and Photos from Mexico Trip

Two of the many reasons I love Mexico and Mexican culture are its diversity and duality of ancient and new- the traditions, many years of ritual and practice passed down from one generation to the next.

We sketched one morning in the desert botanical garden el Charco del Ingenio. The Four Winds Plaza, a ritual and scenic space, was inspired by Tolteca-Chichimeca indigenous beliefs. The outer circles indicate the four cardinal directions in their classic colors- Flora (agave) yellow East; Fauna (coyote) red West; Earth (hill) black North; Water (spring) blue South. The inner circle represents the Sun at the moment it is covered by the Moon. It's a testimony to the 1991 solar eclipse, the astronomical date of the founding of the garden. In 2005, the Dalai Lama proclaimed this place's energy a movement toward a new consciousness for peace.

We spent another afternoon at a newly opened toy museum called La Esquina. It's one woman's collection of over 1000 popular Mexican toys. I enjoyed the carnival toys and dolls.

We visited Atotonilco and the Sanctuary of Jesus Nazareno of Atotonilco. In 2008, this church was designated a Cultural World Heritage by UNESCO. It's on the 100 world monuments watch list. The state of Gaunajuato received funds to restore the interior frescoes. The paintings represent the syncretism of Catholic iconography mixed with native religious beliefs.
Visits to three artists' studios made for another highlight of our trip. Anando McLauchlin showed us his office, new studio, house of many colors, and garden - a work of nine years.
He creates assemblage pieces, jewelry and incredible interior and exterior designs. Anado referred us to two other local artists. Leigh Hyams paints and colorful floral acrylics. She's written a book entitled How Painting Holds Me on the Earth. Edward Swift creates wonderful paper mâché figures that look like stone. He showed us his process and said that Clyde Connell is one of his muses. He uses her paper mâché techniques. It's so inspiring to see how other artists work and what influences their art. Mexico has left its imprint on each of these artists' work.

Bill LeVasseur showed us his collection of 500 Mexican ceremonial and performance masks housed in his museum called The Other Face of Mexico. The masks represent 62 different indigenous groups in Mexico with their own language, culture, food, customs and rituals.
We watched a video that showed the dramas and dances with performers wearing the masks. All of these experiences reinforced my awe of Mexico with its diversity and traditions.

Mexico- A Feast for the Senses

Cynthia, Robin and I traveled to San Miguel de Allende to experience the culture, art and festivities of Mexico. We filled up each day with lots of different activities.

All across Mexico, everyone celebrates the Bicentennial of their Independence from Spain and their Revolution Centennial . The state of Guanajuato is where the Mexican Revolution started. September 16th is their Independence Day. In 2010, it's a year long fiesta. Merry Calderoni's artwork this year focuses on the soldiers of the Revolution. I took liberty with one of her paintings and sketched my own lines outside the the box.

During our stay, the city of San Miguel de Allende celebrated La Fiesta de San Miguel Arcángel- their patron saint and namesake- with parades, fireworks, and music.

The sounds of the city impressed me- bells ringing several times a day, traffic noises, water falling in fountains, birdsong, children playing and laughing, dogs barking, the drum beat, band music, mariachis singing, fireworks and loud booming bottle rockets.

The colors of the city- folk art, flowers, architecture, flags, sky, doors- plus the smells- of the bakeries, street food, restaurants, horses, plants blooming and flower bouquets

It's a rich culture full of history, tradition and wonderful people. The next few posts, I'll share more of the places that we visited.

Volunteering in Mexico for a Year

Check out Mari and Dick's new blog which describes their work to develop literacy projects and sketching workshops in a little village north of Puebla. Both share their many years of experience in Tlaxco's "escuilita" or elementary school. Their community involvement demonstrates their commitment to serving others at a grass roots level. I'm looking forward to following their journey and new adventures.

Mexican Field Notes for Nature Gathered

I'm getting caught up with my Nature Gathered posts. While in Mexico, the process of using natural materials for dyes really interested me. Both the weavers and the candle makers used
the same plant-based dyes for blue, green, yellow, brown or tan and cochineal for red. The colors are wonderful, rich and very earthy.

Más de México

Mexico holds many contrasts. This "dualidad" or duality makes the culture so rich. The country celebrates family yet has a high incidence of domestic violence. In Oaxaca, forty women die each month. Light and dark coexist. In the Panteon General or main cemetery in the city or Oaxaca, organizations that help women made altars and offerings to those who have died, to recognize their lives and to honor them.

In Xoxocatlán, we spent a quiet afternoon sketching in the cemetery. Families show their respect to their family members who have died. The offerings for Día de Muertos celebrate

life and welcome the loved ones' spirits to be remembered. It's a special tradition to stay connected to family through many generations.

We observed the faithful in the many of the churches and cathedrals that we visited. Hardship often makes one appreciate the little things in life we take so much for granted. ¡Gracias por la vida! Milagros- Mexicans believe in miracles.
Even in our hotel room, the sacred is remembered.
Las Flores- the flowers and gardens speak to the soul with tropical plants, peaceful inner courtyards.

Hola- Back from a wonderful trip to Mexico

Our trip to Oaxaca and Mexico City filled each day with many adventures and sites for all senses.

The first day, we explored the city, visited Casa de La Cultura Oaxaqueña for a Día de Muertos

presentation, checked out a couple of artisan markets and walked everywhere. It's been

eight years since I visited Oaxaca and I saw many outward changes- lots of cars & traffic, abandoned buildings, more graffiti, empty restaurants and fewer tourists. It's taken a

long time for the area to come back from the government and teacher wars of 2005-2006.

The people welcomed us everywhere we went and appreciated our interest in their work

and culture.

Businesses, restaurants, hotels and homes set-up altars or ofrendas to honor their loved ones
who have died.

Pablo took us on an artisan tour of the Central Valley. We visited the home and studio of painter

Román Andrade Llaguno and his wife, Marta. He paints with gouache on Mexican amate paper

made of tree bark. His whimsical paintings contain the colors and symbols of Oaxaca with a

strong emphasis on family life. At the home of Zapotec weavers in Teotitlán de Valle, the use

of natural dyes interested us: cochineal- for red the color of life, indigo for blue; marigolds or

cempazuchiles for yellow; moss for green and nuts for shades of brown.

Often around a corner, we heard a band and then saw a calendra or parade from a local church, women dressed in their traditional clothes, throwing out candy to everyone on the street and celebrating Día de Muertos.

Thanks to Leigh, we enjoyed filling in our inchies with sketches or other ephemera. I will post more photos and sketches. This trip reinforced my love of Mexico- the people, culture and traditions.

Día de Los Muertos en Mexico

Hola, This weekend, I made my sketchbook for our trip to Mexico for Día de Los Muertos. Three of us from our Tuesday sketch group plan to create for two weeks in Oaxaca and Mexico City.
Check out Día de Bloglandia for more fun with Día de Los Muertos celebrations. For wonderful photos and information, Fran is writing a "Tales from Oaxaca" series about her 2007 trip.

Here's my calendar page to fill up while there with ephemera and handwriten journal entries.
Today, we sketched at the Lone Pine Cemetery, one of Portland's oldest pioneer cemeteries. The vibrant autumn colors filled the skyline with their beauty. Fall is one of my favorite seasons representing change and preparation for new beginnings.
In Mexico, I want to experiment and try out different drawing and watercolor styles and techniques- in other words PLAY.

I probably will not post again until the second week in November. Hasta luego!