Poinsettas abound here right now as the Christmas season gets busy in Ajijic.  I just went and purchased something like 10 plants to put around the Terrace. There are so many varieties to choose from, but I enjoy the fuschia colored the most as they blend into the fuschia walls of Casa Rosa.

The demonstrations at Galeria Sol Mexicano on Calle Colon #13 in Ajijic last week were so much fun.  The first day started with a little bit of a delay.  Although all festivities had finished in Ajijic, the Plaza and surrounding streets were still blocked off from local traffic.  I thought I had figured out how to maneouvre my way around the back roads and find a spot to drop off all my gear.  Unfortunately, I realized I would have to drive up the wrong way on the street, so I just didn't feel comfortable doing this.  I took another sweep around the village and found a parking spot that required me to move inside the car from the driver's seat to the passenger seat because the driver door would not open against the high curb.  Succeeding in this escape, I got all my gear out and walked the 2 blocks to the gallery.  Awaiting me were 5 interested budding artists who were very keen on watercolors.

We started with a nice set of washes for a sunset over Lake Chapala including the mountains across the lake in a very nice Ultramarine blue.  I worked with a very wet paper and let the watercolors mix where they may.  Then we tried a different set of techniques, expressionist, but on dryer paper. There was a wonderful tree filled with glass ornaments - hummingbirds, angels and dragonflies.  They were on mobiles with little price tags hanging below.  Behind this whimsical creation was a deep orange wall of the gallery.  The blue glass of the angels and the complementary color of the orange wall just begged to be painted.  It gave a bit of an opportunity to talk about painting reflections in glass. The demo was too soon over and the first day finished.

Day two saw three attendants come back and many friends come by and stop to chat or observe for a bit.  I was able to video some of the demonstrations and put them later on social media in various facebook pages and even twitter.  I worked on a second whimsical piece of the glass ornaments.  The dragonflies had so many wonderfully colored wings.  As I proceded with this demo, I realized that the ornaments were made of a different metal - bronze and not silver as the angels were.  Well, that changed the effect of the picture as it became much warmer and maybe just not enough contrast.  I completed the shadows darker as well, and framed the piece.  Both are now part of the display on at the Gallery.

My final piece of the second day demonstration was a wet and loose demo of Angel Tears, or Trumpet flowers.  One of my favorite flowers to paint and a great way to show the effects of water and color.  Pictures can be view on my social media pages.  Everyone had a great time and some of the guests purchased my coloring pages that are also available.

Saturday was PAINT OUT AJIJIC sponsored by the Lake Chapala Painting Guild.  We had several entrants and lots of visitors watching the plein air painters have a great time!  The weather was a bit of a concern in the morning, but it cleared up and stayed beautiful until about 3:30 after the People's Choice was announced.  Then the wind picked up and we were concerned easels and materials would blow away. By six the same evening, we had rain - which is so unusual down here at this time of year.

Well, now that all those events are over, its time to get to work finishing commissioned pieces and getting ready for the show in January at the Ajijic Cultural Center.  More painting news to come as I get some new pieces online!  Happy Painting!