Holidays in Mexico

Really behind on my postings! These sketches are from a holiday trip to Mexico. Even though I was there for two weeks I only managed a few sketches as we were busy with a wedding, baptisms, troubadors, mariachis, baseball, picnics, dancing, you get the picture. Our family friends have a home in San Pedro in Puebla and this is part of the casita, little house, that is over 120 yrs. old. They use the courtyard to dry the corn.

In one of the rooms of the casita the corn with the husks are laid out to dry. When the husks are dry they are removed and saved for making tamales. Then the corn is moved out to the courtyard. The corn was yellow, red, blue and everything in between. Oh, did I mention they make their own tortillas...yum!

On Christmas day we all walked down to the local baseball field to watch a very loud game between the two rival teams of the town. Cachorros, Cachorros, Rha, rha, rha! Then we went into town and the big market day. Wow, is that ever an eye full. It was challenging to shop and sketch at the same time. Soon the bags became too heavy to try and sketch.

After all the "hub-bub" of the festivities we decided to have a picnic on the mountain. Their version of a picnic is 5 cars, 40 people, 2 bar-b-que grills, tables, chairs, and don't forget the gas generator for the two foot speaker. In Mexico, there must be music! I did manage to capture some of the beautiful wildflowers on paper.

We left Puebla and headed for Queretaro and the home town or I should say village of my son in law, Barrio Santa Maria. It was great to meet his family and spend a week with them. Once again I didn't manage to sketch very much but I was able to spend a little time around the courtyard trying to capture the whimsy of his mother's garden. All in all a fabulous trip. Can't wait to go again, soon I hope!

Robert Bateman 6" x 9" Sketchbook

Pen and Watercolor

Everything Landscape

We had our final critique today in my Experimental Drawing class. One of the assignments was an Everything Landscape. Everyone added an item to a list and we had to incorporate all 29 items into a drawing. I approached it as a large sketchbook page. This is the final outcome. It is 26" x 58" I did the initial drawing in pencil, then added ink lines and watercolor. It was a very interesting assignment.

Can you find the 29 items?

Costa Rica: Last and Favorite Pages

These are my favorite pages from Costa Rica. I had so much fun walking and sketching in the botanical gardens. I really enjoyed overlapping flowers, plants and vines. It was also great fun adding all the lush colors.

This page is from the Corcovado Nat. Park. All the flowers are so interesting and beautiful. The hanging white flowering vines were fascinating. Too bad my camera focused on the trees behind it. Oh well, I guess the sketch will have to do.

In this photo my camera did a great job, focusing on the flower and not the background! It is a type of hanging hibiscus. So delicate. There are so many spectacular plants and flowers.

This is the fruit of the "Lipstick" tree. If you flip the open seed pod over it looks like big old lips. The outside of the pod is spiky but soft not pokey and the inside is hollow with seeds that are full of a red staining liquid. I used it to paint a little in my sketchbook.

Robert Bateman 6" x 9" sketchbook

Pen and Watercolor

More from Panama and Costa Rica

We spent two days in the Coiba National Park. We walked along a very muddy trail and saw some wonderful plants, birds and animals. We also spent two great afternoons swimming and snorkeling.

My favorite was Islote Granito de Oro; the little grain of gold. It was a very small beautiful little island. There were thousands of hermit crabs and interesting things to sketch. While snorkeling I spotted a silver tipped shark. Sorry, no time for a sketch.

Pieces of the forest on a hike with Roger and Rudy. More mud and more fun! No, the pelicans were not in the forest, I added those later on the beach at Manuel Antonio. As I swam they were diving and feeding all around me. More fun!

Robert Bateman 6" x 9" sketchbook

Pen and Watercolor

Panama-Embera Village

One of our stops was at the village of the Embera. They welcomed us with music and many smiles. This is a sketch of the shaman's house, he is 105 and looking great! As I worked in my book a little boy came up and was watching me. I gave him the pen and asked him to draw me a flower.

He had just started school and had a little trouble to start but soon got used to the pen and finished his flower. Then I gave him the water brush and my paints. When he finished I had a group of the village children around me so I quickly drew the bar of triangles and circles.

It was interesting that 3 of the 4 children picked the circle to paint but looking at their body paintings I realized most of the designs were lines and geometric shapes so maybe the circles were appealing to them. Unfortunately we had to leave before the page was filled.

I got a band painted on my forearm by one of the village woman and it has faded away after about 12 days and I am sad.

The Embera are a lovely, beautiful, friendly and very happy people. It was an honor to spend the afternoon with them. Something I will remember always.

Robert Bateman 6" x 9" sketchbook

Pen and Watercolor

Panama and Costa Rica

Just returned from a great time in Panama and Costa Rica. I went on a cruise with Cruise West. It is the second time I have cruised with them and it was so much fun. We stopped at the Miraflores visitor center which is one of the locks of the Panama Canal. One of the rooms had a display of wonderful insects. I wish I'd had more time as they were fabulous.

Our first stop after boarding the ship was in Portobelo. Tons the gold and silver for the King of Spain passed through this tiny port. It has tons of history as well. There is new music school and these guys were added recently. The town also is host to a large vulture population.

The next day we went through the Panama Canal. Wow, what a wonder that is! It took us about 7 1/2 hrs. to transit the canal. We were lucky and got to start the trip in the afternoon so we saw the workings in the daylight and the dark. We were the 24th transit of the day and traveled with the Ulusoy-9 out of Istanbul. What a way to start our adventure!

Robert Bateman 6" x 9" sketchbook

Pen and Watercolor

A few more from France

Here are the last pages from my trip to France. This first one is a grid of some, just some, of the things I bought in the different villages. Fun things to remind me of a great time.

The second to the last day we went to Gordes and my legs just didn't want to do another hilly village so I made my way to the town square. I decided to work on people and gestures. I was pleased with this page and it was fun.

The very last day a few of us went back to Rousillion for the morning. I tried to work looser and did a few more people. I love looking back in my sketchbook as it puts me right back in the moment. Now where is that ice cream man?

Robert Bateman Sketchbook

Pen and Watercolor

Race for the Cure

Today was the Orange County Race for the Cure in Newport Beach. One in eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in her lifetime. Early detection is very important. Have you gotten your mammogram? Here is my number and pink hat. I am a breast cancer survivor, 16 years and going strong.

Here is Liz and myself after the race. We walked the 5K in one hour and were very proud of ourselves. It is amazing to walk with so many others in support of this very important issue. My favorite T-shirt of day?

"Yes they are fake, my real ones were trying to kill me!"