Color Palette Postcard from Mexico

A dose of color from my travel sketchbook

Ah, color. This time of year, I think many of us are operating at a color deficit. And while I’m an enthusiastic fan of most aspects of winter, sometimes my artistic soul needs a healthy dose of lemon yellow, rich terra-cotta brown, and grapefruit pink to reawaken my creativity. So for a couple weeks in January, we traded the subzero West Virginia weather for Mexico’s palm trees, colorful buildings, and sunshine. We spent our time exploring three cities: Mexico City, Oaxaca City, and Puerto Escondido. This was my first time to Mexico and I wasn’t prepared for the color explosion that I’d experience.

As a professional artist, I always seem to have the same debate with myself before taking a trip: should I bring my art supplies and sketch, or is this trip purely for relaxation and drinking in fresh inspiration? Because as much as I love travel sketching, breaking out my art supplies on vacation can sometimes bring me into the same headspace as my everyday illustration work. I’ve learned to set some boundaries so that I give myself true breaks from creative output.

So I went to Mexico with not a single art supply in my backpack. My approach this time was a little less black or white, though. Instead of deciding ahead of time not to do any sketching, I planned to wait until I was there to see if I felt inspired to create. If so, I would find an art store and purchase a few supplies that excited me in that moment.

As we took in the sights, sounds, smells, and flavors of Mexico City during the first few days, I didn’t feel the need to create—I was content to simply observe. But by day four, I started to feel the familiar itch of creative impulse: wouldn’t it be fun to sketch that crazy plant? wouldn’t it be nice to just sit at this café for an hour and draw the colorful houses across the street? that window box is just BEGGING to be captured! While walking through an artist market in a park after visiting Frida Kahlo’s home, that subtle itch reached its tipping point and I asked a watercolor artist if he recommended any art supply stores in the area. It sounds dramatic, but I couldn’t take in one more day of Mexico’s beauty without processing it through my own art.

An hour later, I stood facing a wall with hundreds of colors of opaque paint pens to choose from. I’ve only dabbled with paint pens a little bit but they seemed like the perfect fit for the playful, flat colors that I’d experienced so far in Mexico. They have a similar look to that of gouache paint, without the hassle of carrying around paint tubes, brushes, water, and paper towels in my backpack. Giddily, I scrolled through my recent photos and spent many delightful minutes distilling the colors down to a cohesive palette of 8: my “Mexico Palette”

From there, I kept my sketching kit in my backpack at all times, and the desire to capture what I saw just kept coming—especially in Oaxaca City. I’m not sure if I’ve ever been this artistically inspired by a city before. Every home and shop is painted in joyful colors, multiple murals adorn every street, handwoven textiles decorate the walls, and most shops have hand-lettered signage that makes my illustrator soul sing.

Poolside sketching. The pool at our rental was only slightly larger than a hot tub, but it still provided a relaxing setting for sketching these palms!

I’m grateful for this mid-winter burst of color and to have been given a glimpse into the incredible artistry of this country. I hope this virtual color “postcard” brings a bit of Mexico’s magic to your day, too.

A vignette from the courtyard of Kiyo Cafe, my favorite coffee shop in Oaxaca City. Came here several mornings during our stay to relax in the courtyard. I love all the open air lounging spaces in Mexico.

March Events:

March 19th, 12 pm
Fueling Art Practices Through Creative Play
Online via Zoom
In this talk and Q&A, I’ll share the story behind my first 100 Day Project and provide tips for sketchbook play and keeping things fresh. Tickets are $5, get yours here.

March 20th, 6-8 pm
Tiny Worlds Book Talk & Discussion with the WV Living Book Club
The F.A.R.M., Granville, WV
Join us for refreshments and a book talk, signing, and Q&A about my newest book, Tiny Worlds of the Appalachian Mountains. Get your ticket here.