Fauntleroy Ferry Dock - graphite on 8x5 98# paper.

“TRIPLASH” is a term I just coined, which is the feeling you get upon returning from an amazing trip, where the exotic, new and amazing is suddenly replaced with the same ole familiar miracle of your ordinary life.

I had TRIPLASH upon returning from Europe a year ago, and the antidote wound up being going out and painting again, which allowed me to reconnect to where I was.

And isn't that the the primary purpose of art, to awaken to the now?

So I did these drawings while waiting in the ferry line, and ya know….it really works. Just the process of methodically cataloging what you see in front of you has a very settling effect on my payche.

Whether the drawings are “good” or not is not important. It's the doing, the being with, the re-establishing a connection to place, that is important.

And for me, a functional necessity.

Vashon Ferry Line - graphite on 8x5 98# paper

I return to Seattle, and on cue it rains, which I hear it hasn’t done for weeks. I feel the cool from the Northern Pacific Ocean, which is different than the cool of the Andes. That cool comes from altitude. This cool seeps up from sea level and into your pores. Seattle Chill indeed.

Below is a poem/essay that I wrote on the journey home. Thank you so much for coming with me on this journey. It means a lot. Happy Travels!

To travel is to be like a child

Probably awash in a language you don't fully understand

Largely ignorant of the customs and culture

Yet trusting that somehow things will work out

You can simultaneously lose and find yourself while traveling

Be Alone, yet still feel held by the world around you

Travel is as profound as it is trivial

As mundane as it is exciting

And often the most amazing things are not the tourist attractions

But the incidental moments

When the traveler's Fresh eyes come into focus

To see beauty where the familiar ceases to see at all

And this is how the days are spent

grabbing fistfuls of new experience like a hungry toddler

Blundering along without pretense

Not reveling in one's ineptitude, but leaning into it

For that is the innocense needed to be truly present

Travel is temporary

but the memories last a lifetime

A 7 month trip to Europe 37 years ago seems almost as fresh as it was when it was happening

It is a mythic map that overlays my entire life

I can close my eyes and again hike the Cornwall Coast from Bude to Tintigel, or the walls of Old Jerusalem, or steal that cowbell off the neck of a cow while drunk in Interlocken with Darryl, or recover a thousand unremarkable moments that provide the texture of recalled experience.

And each subsequent trip is another map that overlays that one

Each one enmeshes and enriches the other

This trip to Mexico City and Colombia has opened a whole new dimension of experience, and made the once exotic more my own.

The cultural richness of Mexico City with it's treelined streets. The colonial tropical heat of Cartagena, with mango and arepa stands on every other corner. The jungle lushness of Guachaca, sleeping amidst the throb of insect drone. Swimming in a paradisical waterfall pool. The cosmopolitan bustle of El Poblado in Medellin. Clouds off the Andes. The Welcoming colors of Guatape', the kindness and pride of the people.

Open to the daily diet of wonder, the distance between souls feels less when one is traveling. The people you meet fleeting, but intense; fellow sojourners seeing their quest in the other, compressing a crucible of life experience into a few weeks.

But I also remember the faces of those wearied by the endless stream of tourists: who scrape jaded dollars from our relative opulence. I remember shocking poverty and litter; streets that one should not go down, a gun shot and the police chase. I remember dire warnings on offical websites, but mostly... I remember the warmth of the people. Tranquilo. Let life come to you. There is enough time, my friend. We are all in the same line.

My son Giacomo reminds me that whenever I use the word "adventure" what I really mean is that something is "inconvenient"; and I suppose inconvenience is an integral part of any travel adventure. Getting out of ones comfort zone, leaning into the world, like a child hanging hard on the arm of an adult, trusting they will be held.

And while I do feel held... by the world and the kindness of others, I also feel buoyed by the wings of my own appreciation

Which is the closest thing to magic that I know.

“Plaza Guatape’ “ Sepia pencil, watercolor and ink on 9x12 300# paper.

I am back in Medellin for two days before heading back to Seattle, and I haven’t even left the funky loft AirBnB that I am in because i wanted to finish this watercolor.

Guatape was fantastic. I can’t say enough about it. The mountains, the weather, the clouds, the art, the people, the community…..the food is…meh, but Colombian traditional food in general is kinda bland. (Mexico is a standout in terms of culinary zip.)

It’s odd being back in the city. Just not my vibe. I liked the European cities that I visited. But here in Medellin, it is a bit more edgy. People rave about it, but I never hit my stride here. I like a more relaxed atmosphere. I suppose that’s why I live on Vashon.

Zocolos

I wanted to show you more Zocolo designs, which adorn many of the buildings in Guatape. It is a very charming tradtion. The zocolos are not just paintings, but sculpted in relief first. This is an interesting point. You can see various levels of skill are employed, but the crucial point is just that it is done.

. Here I took a pic of the mural on the Arts School as I was leaving Guatape. I grew to love the walk from the center of town along this back street. More of a regular neighborhood, with an increidble view of the Penol rock and lake and lush plants.

Nando & Caroline

I met this charming Colombian couple who were staying right below me. They had traveled through Europe for three years, working as they went. They plan on traveling extensively again. Nando has a tattoo of a world map circumnavigating his right bicep. There’s a commitment to travel. If I were going to get a tattoo….that would be a good one.

It’s nice meeting young people that give you faith in the future. Well most young people give me faith in the future, but it is great to see a couple living their dream.

Now it is time for me to venture out before the day is done! (Sun sets at 6:30pm here)

Below is a drawing that I started in Guatape. Tomorrow is my day to finish it. There are so many more paintings that I want to do!

And going outside now….I’ll see more paintings that I want to do.

“The Afternoon Clouds Roll In” Outskirts of Guatape , Colombia. Graphite, watercolor and gouache on 9x12 300# paper.

“Painting Must Be So Relaxing”

No. It’s a struggle; and this one more than others on the trip. For some reason I find it easier to do watercolors with the figure than I do landscape. I think it has to do with the clarity of form and edges and me being fairly new to watercolor (the past 9 months?) and not totally sure of my ability to control it…which is part of the fun as well as the frustration.

That, and working small. For convient travel’s sake my largest “canvas” is 9x12. Remember, I started painting at the age of 17 on 16’x100’ canvas drops, with huge brushes on poles….it is has been a long journey to the small.

All that said, I am fairly happy with it. Reminds me of a Gauguin landscape. I have been called a “fauvist” before. If so, I lean more towards Gauguin than Matisse.

And here is last night’s cafe drawing.

As usual, I am the only one eating. The Guatapans sit, chat, drink coffee or beer, but mostly go home to eat. It’s kind of like all the restaurants are staying open just for me. Gracias muy mucho!

“View from a Cafe - Guatape - #3” Graphite on 6x8 98lb paper.

“DRAWING IS OF THE SPIRIT; COLOR IS OF THE SENSES”

Henri Matisse - French Fauvist Painter

“View from my Guatape’ Apartmento as the Afternoon Clouds Roll In” - Graphite on 9x12 300# paper

I grew up loving drawing. My father Robert Moody would go out drawing, and I would come with him when he was in town (either that, or fishing). He is a fantastic renderer, and I grew up seeing that and learned to appreciate it.

Also, the other scenic artists I worked with growing up, Dick Godwin, Paul Reising, Bill Christman, Tim Joswick, to name a few, all respected drawing above all else. It was the spine of an image. The foundation. If the drawing wasn’t good, then it was all downhill from there.

Maybe that is why I teach it today. I truly believe that if you don’t have good drawing skills, then you are working with half a deck as a visual artist.

“From the Cafe - Guatape’ “ Graphite on 8x5, 98# paper

I’ve shown drawings, and I’ve shown paintings, and I get so much more response from paintings. Maybe people see drawings as unfinished….less so with inks, but even then, color is what brings home the bacon.

So what I have been doing this trip is drawings, and then doing watercolor over them. I have shown the two-step process in other posts, and you can see that something is always lost and something always gained. It’s a lesson in non-attachment. But of course there is this digital record.

“From the Cafe - Guatape’ #2” Graphite on 8x5, 98# paper

Today I will soil my “View from my Guatape’ Apartmento as the Afternoon Clouds Roll In” drawing with watercolor. There is already so much drawing detail (almost too much) so I may not need to apply too much paint. But one never knows; I start a project and the adventure is seeing where it winds up. It is rarely what I fully anticipate.

Tomorrow I will show the result.

Guatape’ is known as “the most colorful town in Colombia” (Although Getsemani, which is just outside the wall of Centro Historico in Cartegena, comes in a close second).

Guatape’ is a tourist town

Know for it’s colorful Zocolo images that skirt the bottom of many homes, or the ornately patterned three-wheeled Motochivas that taxi tourists and locals alike all over the place, or the immense Penol Granite Rock that rises above the surrounding resevoir providing stunning views. All these things are awesome, but what stuck out to me is….

… the local kids seem happy.

Walking on the outskirts of town I pass a huge play area surrounded by a track with tiny kids whizzing around on rollerblades, a well tended soccer field abounding with families, and a Music/Arts school that has murals all over it….drumming, jazz band, dance, weight lifting, are all obserable as I pass by.

This stuff is not for the tourists.

Families walk together to school in the morning. The play yards are riffing. There is a local pride and social cohesion that has not been obliterated by the tourist dollar. Sure, money from tourism probably makes possible much of the infrastructure, but my feeling is that the local people have their priorities straight.

Guatape had a clear sense of cultural identity before their was tourism, and it seems to be still here. No one hassles you to come to their restuarant, or to take a taxi, or buy souvenirs. It’s relaxed.

They take their color seriously here

Even the church, Iglesia de Nuestra Señora del Carmen, Guatape, changes color at night.

The Zocolos

Augusto working on a Zocolo that he created. I talked with him a couple of times. He sculpts the image in relief, then makes a cast of it (a negative), then pours cement into the negative and when dry, appllies the cement positive to the wall. Then it is painted.

Zocolos serve a practical aspect, in that they are a concrete skirting, which protects the buildings from water damage, but in 1919, a family started decorating the panels, with images that had significance for the family ( or something like that) and the tradition took hold.

As you walk around the town, you can see that they are all unique, handmade and have significance for the owners of the home or business.

A communal artistic tradtion becomes world famous. The power of art to transform and to keep one grounded at the same time. Art is very practical.

MotoChivas!

They fit two adults max (plus driver) and they are colorful inside and out (except for the white ones…not sure what their deal is).

El Penol

A view of El Penol from right outside my place.

Known as one of the biggest rocks in the world, It takes about 750 steps to get to the top of this thing. It’s a good workout. It is a natural wonder, but it is a bit disappointing to get to the top of it, and have cafes and food stands and souvenir shops. That definitely drains the magic. There is plenty of that at the base.

Still….the view is pretty breathtaking…. (Video linked)

And lastly, the clouds here are amazing.

Every afternoon they put on a show, and my balcony is front row. I walked out one afternoon and almost fell over by the site of a looming thunderhead. Below is a video that displays my agape.

On the street in Medellin an Indigenous family was selling beaded jewelry. I bought two necklaces. The next day I saw them again and asked if I could take their picture, “40,000 pesos,” the mother said, which is about $10 US, and what I had paid for one of the necklaces. I offered, “30,000”, and she said fine.

The painting is fairly close to the photo in compostion. I like how it is more of a candid shot, rather than the typical “smile for the camera” pose that most of us are habituated to..

Below the 1st image is a GIF that shows the process.

“Madre Con Hijas” - Graphite, watercolor and gouache on 9x12 300# paper

Tomorrow I will post about Guatape’.

Despite it being a tourist town, I can relax here. It’s off season, and the tourists that do come mostly take the 2 hour very windy bus ride back to Medellin in the evening. Also, my AirBnB is on the outskirts in a non-tourist zone, which is my preference. Right now thunder rumbles the evening air, with my sliding door wide open. No mosquitos! And I better get to bed, as the roosters announce at 5am.

“Madre y Hijo” 7x10, Watercolor and graphite on 140# paper.

I just finished this and need to rush off, get a taxi and a bus and a few hours later I will be in Guatape, which is known for an enormous rock that you can take 700 steps to get to the top of; also, very colorfully painted buildings. Ciao for now!

“Server in Cartagena” Watercolor & Graphite pencil on. 7x10 - 140# paper.

Pencil preliminary sketch

It’s odd doing what I do: Traveling and painting. You can become so absorbed in what you are seeing, and you see so much, that you start not knowing how to handle it all. Even though I am in Medellin, I felt I had to do this watercolor of a server in Cartagena, while at the same time getting to know Medellin, and colating a mountain of accumlated photo reference, whilst creating more all the time.

I want to do at least a hundred paintings, but probably only have time for a dozen. My imagination and ambition outruns my reality. I start feeling stretched and a bit flusterd, but then….

PROBLEM TO THE RESCUE

Nothing squeezes the adrenals and brings you into the moment like an existential threat. In this case, my debit card was red-flagged and I had about $75 in cash. Also I have no cell service. My bank cannot be reached. I’m up shits creek.

After about an hour of trying to find some online solution, I decided to take to the streets in my running shorts and buttpack, asking around for sim cards and stores that sell them with my very limited Spanish.

I stuck out like a sore thumb, but oddly didn’t feel out of place at all. I think because I was no longer in voyuer mode, but in problem-that-needed-solving mode, and people were so willing to help:

Pointing and speaking while I nod and pretend to understand. They would use google translate, or draw directions on a napkin, that eventually led to the new mall, which was cell phone heaven. No, the sim card would not work in my Moto 5G phone. But another kiosk in the mall sold me a phone and 30 minutes US call time, but had no idea how to call the US, but another customer found out for me by calling the operator, who told her that you needed to dial 00444 then 1 then the phone number in order to dial to the US. Which I did, and got my card de-redflagged (it was my $4 bus ticket purchase that did it.)

I did the white guy high five thing with the cell phone salesman afterwards, and as I walked up the looong hill to El Poblado, getting drenched in the afternoon thunderstorm, I realized that I had had more genuine interaction today than I had had the two weeks prior.

I got this far drawing the Raphael Uribe Uribe Palace of Culture in Plaza Botero… WHEN ALL OF SUDDEN!. ….(click on Video Link below drawing.)

That Cabeza Grande getting rained on in the video was done by the same artist that the plaza it is in is named after: Fernando Botero, the most famous Colombian artist. You may recognize his painting style, in that all of his figures are very volumetric. I was never a fan of his paintings, but his sculptures are fantastic. (click link for 7 other images)

Going from the sweltering Caribbean Coast to a comparatively cool valley in the Andes is quite a shift. Medellin is temperate, and called the City of Eternal Spring for a reason….as in, thunderstorms are scheduled for the next week. To be fair, I did come during Colombia’s rainy season. And it rains for an hour and stops…mostly.

Also, there is way more funk and historical mojo in Cartegena. Medellin is a modern city with a great transportation system, that even has cable cars into the mountains as an integral part of the network.

The view outside my apartmento in the upscale El Poblado neighborhood. Not all of Medellin is like this, as I elucidate on further down.

IMAGES FROM EL POBLADO

Global Notoriety

30 years ago, the drug lord Pablo Escobar was still alive and living in Medellin, which had one of the highest murder rates in the world. Now it is being featured in New York Times as being one of the top 6 cities in the world when it comes to reimagining civic planning, specifically the Metro transportation system, has cable cars as an integral part, which connects the rural communities at higher elevations, giving them access to the city. The residents are very proud of their Metro system.

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/16/world/cities-urban-development-lisbon-paris-sydney-singapore-durban-medellin.html

That said, the taxi ride today to Plaza Botero today was eye opening:

A) All Medellin drivers seem to be very comfortable being very close to one another. Their safe braking distance is a few feet. {Stay relaxed and stop pressing your right foot down on the floor.)

B)The destiny of street commerce in some areas is more than I have ever seen in my life. As in, packed stores filling sidewalks with chairs, or appliances, or metal doors, or everyting…on a one lane street while pedestrians swarm between cars not moving.

C) Right in the middle of all that we passed a cross street that was literally filled with 6 foot piles of trash as far as I could see, that was swarming with the homeless. On another avenue, street vendors laying out every imaginable item on every square inch of free space. It sounds familiar, but the density and quantity is over the top.

D) The Taxi driver calls to a banana vendor, gets two , and offers me one. Very nice! Then he throws his banana peel outside into a pile of trash that a man is sitting in. Both see no irony in the occurance. My Taxi driver then hands me a flyer with bible verses and Jesus quotes. I see irony in that.

E) We arrive at the Plaza Botero, which is surrounded by police fencing, and has an entry tent with police on guard….I step inside the familiar tourist reality, which obviously needs poliing in order to exist.

The Raphael Uribe Uribe Palace of Culture. We’ll see if I get to finishing the drawing…..Maybe this evening, in the comfort of my upscale existence.