Mexico needs no introduction, especially for those of us living in North America which consists of Canada, USA and Mexico. Many Canadians, including myself at one time, travel down to Mexico usually to visit a beach-side resort, although I know of some people who have direct ties to the country by way of family. Historically the land was part of the Inca or Mayan empire until it was displaced by Spanish followed by Americans who were eventually repelled to where the border was drawn. There seems to be troubles and violence in and around the southern border due to various factors, yet there still remains a strong bond between the three countries of North America. When researching the landscape of Mexico I found a great variety including steep mountain passes, vast deserts, river valleys, forests, beaches, underground grottoes and much more. The thing that grabbed my attention the most were the purple cacti. They appeared to be a patchwork of magenta and green, occasionally with bright yellow flowers. Other shapes and sizes of cacti were also seen throughout the landscape. Some cactus are even edible. I remember one day I bought a strange fruit at the market, and got all kinds of pricks upon cutting it, unbeknownst to me it was part of a cactus! Inside they are kind of like melons but a bit more firm like a potato. The rest of the ground in Mexico was a mix of raw sienna (warm beige) with red ochre. In the painting I did the magenta with PR122 and PV19, the ground is with yellow ochre (PY43) and red ochre (PR101), and the greens and yellows are with PG36 and PY154. I also made the distant mountain a purple colour to mesh with all the cool water colours.
World Inspired Landscapes: Mexico, watercolour 8 x 10" cold press, March 2024
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