Changes in Plans

Each year, between my winter and my spring trips to Mexico, one major project which I have to complete is to paint a picture to donate to the spring auction held by one of my favorite charities, Los Amigos de las Américas.  (I have written about Los Amigos before on this blog.  It is an organization which sends U.S. high school and college students to Latin America to do volunteer work in poor villages.)

I had begun work on this year's painting.  As you can see, I had completed almost half of it.  It is a view of the lakeside town of Valle de Bravo, a place which I had visited on my latest trip to Mexico.

The auction is held in early April, and usually by this time someone from the organization has contacted me to ask if I am once again going to donate artwork.  A few days ago I emailed my contact person.  This morning I received a reply, and was told that for a number of reasons (which she did not detail) there would be no auction this year.  On the one hand I am concerned that things might not be going well for the Ohio chapter of Los Amigos.  But on the other hand, I don't have the pressure of completing the painting and delivering it before the end of this month.  I also have a bag of little Mexican handicrafts purchased on my various trips south of the border that I was going to donate to their silent auction.  

I will continue to work on the painting, but at my leisure.  And I will save the bag of handicrafts.  Hopefully next year Los Amigos will once again have an auction, and I will be ahead of the game.

In other news, my planned trip to Europe this summer is in the air.  I have written frequently about my third cousin Gail who shares Swiss ancestors with me.  She and her husband had signed up for a guided tour of Switzerland for this summer.  The plan was that they would stay on in Switzerland for a few days after the end of the tour, I would meet them there, and I would introduce them to our Swiss cousins.  My cousin Brigitta, who lives outside of Zurich, was going to organize a family reunion while we were there.  We were dealing with a very tight time frame because Brigitta, who is a teacher, was going to be traveling over much of her summer vacation.  There was just one week in August that would work for her.  Gail had found a tour that fit into that time frame. 

Gail had told me that the tour company had not yet confirmed those dates.  We assumed that not enough people had signed up for that particular tour yet, but it was still early.  Nevertheless I was holding off on making my travel reservations until they had a confirmation.  Yesterday, Gail told me that for some unexplained reason their tour had been cancelled.  She is looking into some other companies that might have tours of Switzerland that conclude in Zurich at the right time.  So that trip is a question mark. 

Souvenirs for Charity

I wrote in my last post that each year I do a painting to donate to the spring auction for "Los Amigos de las Américas".  During my travels to Mexico I also pick up a number of small items for their silent auction table of Latin American handicrafts.  I love to shop in the handicraft stores and markets when I am in Mexico, but I really don't need more "stuff" in my house.  So this provides me with an excuse to go shopping.  Here are the items which I have collected during the course of the last year for the auction...

A child's "lucha libre" mask

A trivet made from Yucatecan sisal and a small woven bag

A woven rattle in the shape of a pig, a doll of a Mexican boy, and another doll made from corn husks

A hand painted Christmas ornament, a small wooden cross with designs typical of the state of Guerrero, and a child's wooden toy

A wooden bowl and spoon for salsa

A couple of metal bookmarks

I found these in a bookstore in the historic center of Mexico City.

They had a wide variety of different designs.

A couple of small paintings which I bought at the Sunday art market in the Mexico City neighborhood of San Angel

And finally a framed picture painted on a real feather.

This is from Mérida, Yucatán.

Ready for Auction

Last week I wrote that I had started doing a painting which I will donate to a charity auction.  This evening I finished the painting.

As I previously wrote, I was going to do a street scene based on a photo which I had taken in the small Mexican town of Tlalpujahua.  But very quickly my painting diverged from the photo, and it is simply an imaginary scene in an imaginary Mexican village.  It is a fairly large canvas measuring 36" by 24".  I am not really satisfied with the way it turned out, but, hopefully, someone will like it and bid on it.

The auction will be held on April 14th in Fairlawn, Ohio (a suburb of Akron).  The proceeds benefit the Ohio chapter of "Los Amigos de las Américas", an organization which sends high school and college students to Latin American countries where they spend the summer doing volunteer work.

Paint Time

My constant traveling schedule has pushed my hobby of landscape painting to the back burner.  I used to do a lot of painting.  I was even a member of the local fine arts club, participated in their shows, and sold a painting from time to time.

Now I am generally doing just two paintings per year.  One is a small canvas which I use for printing off my own Christmas cards, and the other is to donate to the annual charity auction of the Ohio chapter of "Los Amigos de las Américas".  The auction is held each April, so each year when I return from my winter trip to Mexico, I must get started painting.

The picture is already about one fourth completed, and, as usual, the theme is Mexican.  I picked a photo that I took last year as the inspiration.

I took this photo of a typical street scene in the small town of Tlalpujahua, a picturesque former mining town in the mountains of the state of Michoacán.  I say that it is the inspiration for my painting, and not a faithful rendering.  Already there are enough differences between the painting and the photo that it is more than just "artistic license".  

The canvas is fairly large... 36 inches by 24... so I have been working diligently on a nearly daily basis.  I must finish it by the end of the month, and deliver it to member of the auction committee.  Once again, I will not be able to attend the auction, since I will be in Mexico again when it is held in mid-April.

I will post a photo of the painting here when I have completed it.

The Auction Painting

I wrote a while ago that I had begun a painting to donate to the spring charity auction for "Los Amigos".  I finished it yesterday, and, although this photo does not do it justice, here it is...

The painting is based on a picture which appeared on the blog "An Alaskan in Yucatan".  Author Marc Olson purchased this abandoned "rancho" in the countryside outside of Mérida a couple years ago, and is in the process of making it habitable again.

Marc, if you read this, I would appreciate your comment.  It is not an exact duplicate, stone by stone, tree by tree, of your photograph ("artistic license", you know), but I hope it captures something of the atmosphere of your place.

Time to Paint Again

My hobby of landscape painting for quite a while has taken a backseat to my busy travel schedule.  However, regular readers of my blog know that every year there are two occasions when I get out the paints...  one is for my annual Christmas card, the other is to do a painting to donate to the spring auction of the Ohio chapter of "Los Amigos de las Américas."  "Los Amigos" is a non-denominational organization which each year sends high school and college students to various Latin American countries to do volunteer work.  It is my favorite charitable organization, not only because of the good work it does in our neighbors to the south, but because of the life-changing experiences it provides the young volunteers.  For a number of years I have donated handicrafts which I have picked up during my trips to Mexico, as well as a painting.

This year I was actually thinking about being a lazy bum, and simply donating a painting which I had done some years ago.  But then I was reading the blog "An Alaskan in Yucatan" written by Marc Olson.   (You will find a link to his blog in my "Blog List" to the side.)  Marc is an ex-pat who has been living for some time in Mérida, and I had a chance to meet him on one of my trips to Yucatan.  A couple years ago he bought an abandoned "rancho" in the Yucatecan countryside, and he is in the process of making the place livable again.  In his latest entry, he posted a picture of the little ranch house.

(photo by Marc Olson)

There was something about the light and the simple composition of the photo which appealed to me, and I thought that it would be a great subject for a painting.  I asked Marc's permission to do a painting of it.  I knew that he would approve because when he was in high school he spent two summers as a volunteer with "Los Amigos", giving vaccinations to children in rural villages in Colombia and Nicaragua.

I have made a good start on the painting, and hope to be finished with it by March.  Unfortunately I won't be able to attend this year's auction because I am leaving for Mexico City just a few days before the event.  But my painting and the bunch of Mexican handicrafts that I have for them will hopefully raise a nice sum of money for the group.

If you are interested in this fine organization, here is a link to their website...

Los Amigos

Going Once... Going Twice...

Last night I attended the annual charity auction of the Ohio chapter of "Los Amigos de las Américas".  The event raises money to help send high school and college students to Latin American countries this summer to do volunteer work in poor communities. 

There were several tables offering a wide variety of items for the silent auction.  One table featured Latin American handicrafts.  Another table had gift baskets, another had miscellaneous items, and yet another offered gift certificates and tickets donated by area businesses and cultural institutions.  I won four tickets to visit the Hale Farm and Village, an interesting attraction located in the nearby Cuyahoga Valley National Park and operated by the Western Reserve Historical Society.  Historic buildings from throughout the area have been moved there to recreate a 19th century Ohio village.

The verbal auction included the landscape that I painted for the event.  This is the fifth year that I have donated a painting for "Los Amigos".  I am happy to report that it fetched the highest amount of any of the artwork that I have donated to the organization...  $375!


My regular readers will remember that my former teaching colleague and dear friend Jane passed away last year.  She always used to attend these auctions with me.  It just wasn't the same without her presence, and it was the only sad note to an otherwise wonderful evening.

More Stuff for the Auction

The painting that I am donating to the annual charity auction of the Ohio chapter of "Los Amigos de las Américas" is set to go.  I have applied a coat of varnish and attached a wire to the back for hanging.

Now I am sorting through some other things that I will donate.  During the course of my travels to Mexico, I always pick some small handicrafts for their silent auction.

These are some of the items that I purchased...

In the more touristy areas of Mexico City you will always find women sitting on the sidewalk selling these small handmade dolls.

I bought this small embroidered purse from Oaxaca at the Ciudadela Handicraft Market in Mexico City.

I found this lovely beaded ornament at the gift shop in Mexico City's Anthropology Museum.  It is an example of the handiwork of the Huichol tribe.

This exquisite lacquer plate is from the town of Olinalá in the state of Guerrero.  I found it at the Ciudadela Market.

Time to Paint

Those of you who have followed my blog since its beginning know that each year I do a landscape painting which I donate to the charity auction for the Ohio chapter of "Los Amigos de las Américas".  "Los Amigos" is a non-profit, non-sectarian organization which sends high school and college students to poor communities in Latin America to do volunteer work. This year's auction will be held on April 2, so it is time for me to get busy with my painting.

Often I do a painting based on a photograph which I have taken on one of my trips to Mexico or Spain.  This year, however, I have chosen this picture which I found on the web.

It is a view of Pico de Orizaba, the tallest mountain in Mexico.  Also known by its Aztec name of Citlaltepetl, it is located on the border of the Mexican states of Veracruz and Puebla.  The dormant volcanic peak has an elevation of 18,491 feet, and is the third highest mountain in North America.

Hopefully my painting of this scene will turn out well, and will bring in some money for a very worthwhile cause.

The Auction

Last night several friends of mine and I attended the annual auction held by the Ohio chapter of "Los Amigos de las Américas".  "Los Amigos" is a non-profit, non-sectarian organization with chapters throughout the United States.  It sends high school and college students to various Latin American countries to do volunteer work during the summer.  It is my favorite charity, and for the past five years I have been attending the event and contributing items to the auction.

The event was held at the Kent State University Conference Center in Kent, Ohio, about an hour from where I live.  It began with a "silent auction" with numerous tables of things that have been contributed by individuals and businesses.  There were gift certificates, gift baskets and a wide variety of objects. 

 

 

One of the items was two admission tickets to Stan Hywett Hall and Gardens in Akron.  Stan Hywett Hall is a Tudor-style mansion that was built in the early 20th century as the home of Frank Sieberling, the co-founder of the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company.  Today the house, filled with antique European furnishings, is a museum and a registered National Historic Landmark.   My friend Alejandro is planning to come up from Mexico for a visit this summer.  He has not been to Stan Hywett Hall, so I thought that it would be an interesting excursion for us to make.  I placed the winning bid on the tickets!

 

One of the most interesting parts of the "silent auction" are the tables filled with Latin American handicrafts.  Many of the items were brought back by the student volunteers.  Whenever I go to Mexico I make it a point to buy a few small handicrafts to donate to the auction.

 

 

(For example, I purchased the small painting to the left of center at an outdoor art market in the Mexico City neighborhood of Coyoacán.)

 

One of my friends who attended the auction was my former teaching colleague, Jane.  Regular readers of my blog know that she accompanied me on a trip to Oaxaca, Mexico, this past winter.  While in Oaxaca she bought a beautiful table runner.  Unfortunately, when she returned home, she realized that the colors did not go well with her décor.  So, she donated it to the auction.  It was the most popular item on the Latin American tables and fetched the most money!

 

 

Later in the evening a "verbal auction" was held for the more expensive items that had been donated.  These ranged from a ride on the Goodyear Blimp, tickets to the summer concerts of the Cleveland Orchestra at Blossom Music Center, to resort vacations.  Each year (as you know from previous posts) I do a painting for the "verbal auction."

 



 

 

There was a bit of a bidding war between a couple of people for my painting.  The winner was Cliff, a friend of mine who has attended the auction for the past several years.

 

  

It was a fun evening that benefited a very worthwhile cause.

Time to Get Painting

Each year when I return from my winter trip to Mexico, one of my projects is to paint a picture to donate to the spring auction for the local chapter of "Los Amigos de las Américas".  In the past the auction has been the first Saturday in April.  The date worked out well because it fell just before I would leave again to be in Mexico City for Alejandro's birthday.  When I looked at the calendar for 2015, I realized that this year the first Saturday in April is the day before Easter.  I doubted that they would have the auction on that date.  I was hoping that they would not schedule it for the following week.  I would still be able to do a painting ahead of time, but I would not be able to attend the event.  It's a very enjoyable evening to which I look forward, and several friends go with me.  They enjoy it too.  It's become a yearly tradition.

A couple days ago, I received an e-mail from "Los Amigos" informing me that the auction would be March 21st this year.  Wonderful!  I'll be able to attend, but I have to get started on the painting.  In past years I have done Mexican landscapes, but I decided that this year I would do a scene based on a photo I took on one of my trips to Spain.  I knew exactly which photo I would use.

This is a picture of Chinchón, a small town to the south of Madrid that I visited last September.  I like the way the trees in the foreground frame and divide the view of the town in the background, and I think that it will make a nice painting.  So, last night, I printed a copy of the picture, and this morning I began work on the painting.

I will keep you posted as the work progresses!

The Auction

I previously wrote about the painting which I was going to donate to a charity auction.

Last night was the annual dinner / auction held by the Ohio chapter of Amigos de las Américas.  As I have mentioned before, Amigos is a non-governmental, non-religious organization which sends high school and college students to Latin American countries to work on a variety of health and education projects.  Amigos do a great deal of good in the communities they serve, and it also provides the young volunteers with a life-changing experience.

This year the Ohio chapter will send twelve students to Mexico, the Dominican Republic, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Peru, and Paraguay.  The auction is the chapter's main fund raiser to enable these students to spend an unforgettable summer helping others.  It was held at a country club in Stow, Ohio.  Around 140 people were in attendance.  I went with three of my friends. 

There is a silent auction which is held before and during dinner, and a verbal auction of the more expensive donations is held after dinner.  For the silent auction there are several tables with a wide assortment of items.  One table is always filled with Latin American handicrafts, many of them brought back by student volunteers from the prior summer.  I donated a number of objects that I had purchased on my trips to Mexico during the past year.  I won the bidding on a lovely ceramic vase from Nicaragua.  There is also a table of gift baskets.  I had prepared a basket of artisanal soaps and bath products that I bought on my trips to Mexico.  I am happy to report that it sold for more than its retail value.  I won a basket of Ohio food products... many of them yummy treats from our nearby Amish country. 

At the verbal auction, my painting sold for $175.  There was a bidding war between one of my friends and a lady who purchased one of my paintings at last year's auction.  This is probably going to sound catty and egotistical... but I'm going to say it.  There was another painting in the verbal auction, a large abstract donated by a professional artist and valued at $1500.  Of course it would have been wonderful if it had brought in scads of money.  But as an amateur painter who has never had any art training, I couldn't help but feel of twinge of satisfaction when my painting sold for more than the professional artwork.

My friends and I all had a great time.  We went home with some nice items, and felt good about helping a very worthwhile cause.

Your can read more about Amigos de las Américas HERE.

Los Amigos de las Américas

I mentioned in an earlier post about buying handicrafts which I donate to an auction to benefit an organization called "Los Amigos de las Américas".  One of the blogs which I follow regularly is "An Alaskan in Yucatan" (you will find a link to it under my blog list).  Today, its author, Marc Olson, published a post on his experience as a volunteer with "Los Amigos" when he was in high school.  Marc is a much better writer than I, and I recommend that you read his description of how his work as a volunteer changed his life.

I know that I am being a copycat, but this is such a worthwhile group, that I felt compelled to mention "Los Amigos" again.  More people should know about this organization and the work that they are doing.

"Los Amigos" is a non-religious, non-governmental, non-profit group which sends high school and college students to Latin America each summer to work as volunteers.  The students live with a host family for six to eight weeks and participate in health and environmental projects in poor communities.  Back when I was in high school, I had never heard of "Los Amigos".  (Although the organization began in 1965, the chapter in Ohio probably was not yet in existence back in those days.)  As I explained previously, one of my Spanish students became involved with "Los Amigos".  He spent the summer before his junior year of high school teaching dental hygiene to children in Costa Rica.  It was a great experience for him.

For the past several years I have been donating to the annual auction of the local chapter.  In addition to bringing back handicrafts, each year I have painted a landscape to put up for auction.  Here is the painting that I did for the 2013 event, a view of the archaeological site of Cantona in Mexico.

As soon as I return from my winter trip, I will begin work on another painting for the 2014 auction in April.

Once again, I will give you the link to the "Amigos" website...
www.amigoslink.org

Frankly, I cannot think of a more deserving organization... not only for its work among the poor of Latin America, but for its impact upon hundreds of young Americans.

A Shopping Expedition

As much as I love Mexican handicrafts, after so many trips to Mexico I don't need any more souvenirs.  But I like to buy a few things for friends.  I also like to buy a few handicrafts to donate to an organization called "Los Amigos de las Americas".  "Los Amigos" is a non-profit group which sends high school students to do volunteer work in Latin American countries each summer.  Many years ago one of my students became involved with "Los Amigos", and spent a summer in Costa Rica teaching dental hygiene to children there.  Every spring the northeastern Ohio chapter of  "Los Amigos" has an auction to raise money for their projects.  For several years I have been buying some items on my travels for their auction.  (And it gives me an excuse to do some shopping!)

My plan for the day was to take the metro to the San Juan Handicrafts Market, and then from there to walk a few blocks to La Cuidadela Market.

I got off the metro at the "Salto de Agua" station which gets its name from the nearby colonial fountain.

   
From there it was a fifteen minute walk to the "Mercado de San Juan".

Admittedly a lot of the merchandise in the market is "tourist junk", but there are also some nice genuine Mexican handicrafts.  The black pottery from Oaxaca is a favorite of mine.

Even though quite a few of the stalls were closed because it was Monday, I found everything I wanted, and I did not have to go to the other market.

One of the items that I bought for "Los Amigos" was a nice piece of lacquer ware from the village of Olinalá in the Mexican state of Guerrero.

If you are interested in learning more about "Los Amigos", here is a link to their website...
Los Amigos de las Americas