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"Conversation"
(sold) Alcocer, where we’re building our casita in central Mexico, is a world away from touristy San Miguel de Allende though in actuality the distance between them is but 2 1/2 miles. Our neighbors there are mostly farmers, and we delight in watching the small herds of cattle, goats, and sheep being shepherded to and from the mountain pastures beyond our house. They pass our property both coming and going for a stop at the presita, a small reservoir, for a drink of water. The animals are part of the landscape and culture of the village, their morning and evening movements from paddock to pasture imparting a natural rhythm to life in rural Mexico. I have been especially attracted to the sheep as they scramble up and over the rocky paths, their docile faces belying their inherent nervousness that keeps them clumped together as a flock. This small series of lambs showcases in portraiture their exploration of this new world they find themselves in, seeking out its smells, its mysteries. And sometimes you need a more experienced head to call you back to the safety of the group when you’ve strayed too far afield. |
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Other pieces from this series include:
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| "Curiosity" | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| "A New Sprout" | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| "Wooley" | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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New Work from the Fantasia in Fez, Morocco
One of the highlights of our world trip last year was the spectacular Fantasia Festival in Fez, Morocco. The fantasia is a war ceremony to showcase the strongest riders of opposing tribes. Each successive group of riders, in traditional costume astride ornately adorned horses, charge from a standstill at the distant end of a field galloping at top speed and holding their traditional rifles above their heads. Standing in their stirrups tightly reining their horses, they careen en masse down the field in a crescendo of energy that ends in full fortississimo with the simultaneous firing of their weapons. Hooves resound as horses and riders sweep across the earth, clods of dirt and grass flying, while their cries split the air urging each other on. The two paintings echo the chaos, the pageantry, the solidarity and daring of the tribes as they make their run down the long field. I wanted to capture the raw beauty and strength of both horses and men in this magnificent display of power and tribal tradition. |
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"The Charge"
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"The Tribe"
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"Faith, Hope and Charity"
Doll sellers are eye-catching sights in San Miguel de Allende dressed in traditional brightly colored skirts and blouses, their raven hair plated in a thick rope. The dolls they sell are similarly outfitted in colorful ruffled skirts with satin ribbons in their braids and perpetual smiles on their faces. They also sometimes sell heavy wooden crosses on strands of thick wooden beads. Their solicitations, almost supplications, lend a sense of poignancy to their presence against the backdrop of ancient colonial architecture and cobblestone streets. |
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