Hills of Chiapas
16" x 20" oil on canvas
Most of the paintings I've completed this year have been painted outdoors. But, it was raining today and the kids were away on a playdate so I decided to work from a photo.
The image is from a 2014 road trip through Mexico that started in Mexico City and ended in Tulum. We explored six different cities and drove well over 1200 miles. The photo that I referenced was taken somewhere between San Cristobal De Las Casas and Palenque in the State of Chiapas. The Sierra Madre reach over 13000 feet in this stretch, and I'd guess that we were close to that altitude.
I often wonder if I'd have the guts (or stupidity) to complete the trip again. It was the greatest adventure of my life, but that's because it was my first road trip outside of the US and I was naive and awestruck. I didn't even speak Spanish at the time. I made a list during the trip of all the crazy things we saw and experienced, but it's too long to include here.
One thing is for sure - if I did do the trip again, I'd add a stop between San Cristobal De Las Casas and Merida. That leg is 14 hours WITHOUT the pretty serious earthquake that knocked out power and caused mudslides, rock slides, and road and bridge collapses. Add to those setbacks a non-functioning cigarette lighter that was supposed to be charging our GPS, and a serious case of Montezuma's revenge and...you get the picture. It is a literal miracle that we found our hotel in Merida. The GPS had been dead for 400 miles. The paper map we had did not even show the street that our hotel was located on. Yet, we arrived. We arrived without even searching...I honestly can't explain how it happened.
I've been thinking about this painting ever since. I just didn't think I had the skill to make it turn out the way I wanted it to. I'm still not sure, but that's the reason I keep painting and documenting in this blog. Year fifteen starts in four days. I do have a lot of paint leftover after this one - maybe I'll squeeze in one more. Pretty sure I'd do the trip again.
