My Mexican Beach

This isolated beach is pristine except for a few bodies near the surf. It is nice to have such a getaway. You almost want no one to know about it. Obviously, some have found it and even live in this paradise. A couple of features to this painting include the wet reflections of the beach people. They are just hinted but create a wet sand. The other is the back lighting creating silhouettes of the tall palms bringing them close even without details.

Last Look at Dreams Resort, Huatulco

Got a taxi to a harbor promoted by our guide in the hotel. It took about 5 minutes to get there and then I trekked through a jungle with water and vines onto the beach. I then realized that I was only a mile or so from our beach. Needless to say, I walked back after the painting was done. It was very hot.

Santa Cruz Harbor

This cozy harbor with steep banks is where the large cruise ships stop. They use that long wharf. I arrived early to paint and down below me was a parade of sailors in white, marching to a drummer. They did this for about an hour. Probably good to get that over before it gets too hot. Reminded me of my basic training in Lubboc, Texas in August. We started at 5AM. Huatulco is misleading to those arriving on cruises as well as air. The harbor is not commercial. As you wind your way out to resorts, the roads are clean with white curbs and manicured green verges. It is in contrast to other areas found in Mexico. The apartments are tucked into the hills. There are several layers of mountains, including the the Sierra Madre. The trees have a rust color yet the foliage does not fall. The rains don't come until June. Anything green is being watered.

Morning in Huatulco Old Town

I brought my painting gear into town and there were 3 tour buses. This is not a large town, but a simple Mexican layout with a central park and a church. A cruise ship was in port and the buses were from there. They eventually left and everything quieted down. A local asked where I was from, we got to talking and he directed me to this upstairs coffee shop on the corner, as a good place to paint. No one was there but me. By noon it was full of regulars. You had to know where the stairs were to get there. I was pretty much finished by noon but got a lot of comments and was surprised by the many who spoke English. One fellow asked if I would be back next year because he wanted to buy a fishing reel from Walmart. It is wonderful to get lost in your painting and then wake up to a totally different exchange.

Climate Change

Returned from Mexico last night. Went on a charter with a group of golfers. I do not golf but brought along my paints and found some places for plein aire painting. Took my time (approx 2.5hr) because it was hot and humid. Everything dried quickly which was helpful at times. The location in Huatulco was sunny, warm and swarming with vacationers. Maybe a thousand at the resort which was all inclusive. I never experienced this before and had difficulty dealing with all of the food and drink. I saw an article which called this type of vacation, 'Fly and Flop'. It is really right on. There seemed to be a waiter for each client. This scene was viewed from above the hotel with a morning sun which shaded most rocks. As the morning wore on, the rocks became more white. There was little surf or waves.