The Art Garden

If you have been reading my blog over the last month, you know that I have been to a number of art exhibits here in Mexico City.  However my most enjoyable "art" experience was a visit yesterday to the "Jardín del Arte" (Art Garden).  Alejandro and I were trying to decide what to do on a Sunday afternoon.  Then I remembered reading many years ago about the outdoor art market held every Sunday in Parque Sullivan not far from the Paseo de la Reforma.  I asked Alejandro if they still have that market, he said yes, so that is where we went.

Since the 1950s artists have been gathering here displaying their work.  There are painters, sculptors, and photographers whose styles run the gamut from traditional folk themes to abstract.  (I am no great fan of modern art, but I have to admit that there were some abstract paintings here that even I liked!)

There was so much here that I would have loved to purchase were it not for the eternal question "Where will I put it?"  I have virtually no wall space left in my house!  I fell in love with a small canvas depicting a Mexican marketplace.  It was small enough to fit in my suitcase.  I went so far as to ask the price.  It was around $1500 U.S.  That quickly took care of that temptation!

I loved the landscape paintings of the Mexican volcanoes which are reminiscent of the works of  the 19th century artist José María Velasco.

As an amateur painter who has participated in outdoor shows, I like to support the artists.  I did buy a few small, inexpensive pieces that I will donate to the annual auction of my favorite charity.

From this lady I bought a cute, little floral miniature.

And from this gentleman I purchased a charming painting of Mexican dolls.

Toward the end of our visit, I got into a very interesting conversation with this fellow, an artist who goes by the name of Carlos del River.  He speaks excellent English, and while we chatted we bounced back and forth between English and Spanish.

Carlos has a distinctive style in which he combines water colors with ink.  The effect is somewhat like stained-glass windows.  I liked his work very much, and there were a couple of pieces that I would have liked to have purchased.  They were small enough to fit in my suitcase, and his prices are very reasonable.  But once again it was the question of "Where am I going to put it?", not to mention that by this time I did not have many pesos left in my wallet.

Carlos told me that he did not have any formal training.  Some time ago he had lost his job, and he used that unfortunate situation as an opportunity to pursue his artistic dreams.  He told me that the organization that runs the art market has very high standards in allowing artists to participate.  He was very happy to become a member of this selective artists' community.

Although I did not buy any of his works, I told him that I would give him a plug on my blog.  The link to his Facebook page is HERE.

For any visitor to Mexico City who enjoys art, I would highly recommend a trip to the Sunday Art Garden.  I intend to return in the future... and who knows, maybe the next time, if I see Carlos, I will buy one of his paintings!