San Miguel Allende, Part 3

I’m not an early riser except when I travel. Then, I’ll get up early, get out and get a quick sketch in before the rest of my family wakes up. This is how 2018 started. Out on the streets, at a little stall, sketching the line for tamales while eating a pork tamale and drinking atole.

Then back to the hotel for a lazy morning with my family, with breakfast spilling into lunch. I drew us all as we ate and then drew the flowers at the table. Yes, like I said, a lazy day.

The Mask Museum in San Miguel Allende is actually a private collection. You can call them and arrange to tour this fascinating collection. Interesting fact: see that strand of hair hanging down the middle of the forehead on that mask? The wearer of the mask gets to choose whose hair that is: usually that of a wife, a lover… someone special. Almost all mask-wearers in traditional ceremonies are male.

Here is a sketch at the archaeological site of Cañada de la Virgen , which was arid, yet beautiful. Just being among ruins that old (from about 530 AD) is really special. You’re not allowed to take a backpack with you, so I carried a few things in my hand: a small Nova sketchbook, a tube of white gouache, a waterbrush, brushpen and a couple of watersoluble colored pencils. Sounds like a lot, but it’s really just a fistful of stuff. Enough to make a quick sketch. Cacti are wonderful shapes to draw.

I think there’s one ( maybe two?) more posts of sketches from San Miguel Allende that follow this one.
Here are post 1 and post 2.