Wish you were here? Oaxaca Mexico 2024
Digital postcards from Mexico where we went to celebrate my big-0 birthday coinciding with the Day of the Dead festival.
My Catrina selfie drawing has since been developed into a screen print.
Created with Pocket Procreate on an Apple iPhone with a Meko stylus.
During El Dia De Los Muertos families welcome back the souls of their deceased relatives for a brief reunion that includes food, drink and celebration. It's a deep, family affair, incredibly moving and fabulously alive.
But first we arrive at high altitude in Mexico City and we are instantly struck by the art (Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera), the architecture (including baroque, deco and colonial) and the historical significance of the archaeological sites and amazing museums. There's so much to see and to draw.
Moving on to Puebla; whilst Lou is making an unplanned business call back to the UK I wander up to take in the view from the hotel rooftop to find a gloriously clear morning complete with smoking volcano (Popocatépetl). Well that's a drawing first!
Between Puebla to Oaxaca, whilst stopping and waiting for our ride to clear the numerous roadworks, I make a digital capriccio of various aspects of the road trip. We drive through wild marigolds and a forest of cacti with buzzards circling overhead.
In Oaxaca, our guide takes us to a vibrant local market in Zaachila to buy flowers, pan de muerto and other foodstuffs to share as offerings at a local family's home. We are warmly welcomed and I make a drawing of the family offrenda as my digital contribution. My endeavours draws a crowd.
We relax in the terracotta courtyard of the beautifully restored 16th century ex-convent of Santa Catalina, now a hotel. In the lobby we are transformed into Catrinas and eager to join in all the fun, we soon become part of the parade. We hardly recognise each other and Lou complains that my skeleton teeth are talking by themselves. 💀
The festival is exuberant and vibrant. The most perfect place to celebrate my birthday and dinner goes off like a firework. Or a volcano? It was a big one. It was a blast.
