Springtime

Spring has arrived on my website's landing page.

Xilitla, Mexico: The Surreal Gardens of Las Pozas

Last weekend I was far, far away. Both geographically and mentally. If it wasn't for the drawings I brought back with me, I'd think it was but a dream...My dear friends, two beautiful people, tied the knot in the midst of luscious Mexican cloud forest of Las Pozas Gardens. It's 12 hours north of Mexico city by bus or car on winding mountain roads, in the city Xilitla of San Luis Potosí state. 

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There was a night stop-over in the city of Ixmiquilpan, where I got to briefly run through the main square and it's magnificent Church of San Miguel Archangel. 

Church of San Miguel Archangel, Ixmiquilpan

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On the third day of my first-ever Mexican stay, the Bride and the Groom lead us, the happily rowdy, dressed up wedding party, into the surreal Gardens of Las Pozas for the ceremonies. 

Bride and Groom by the Stream in Las Pozas Gardens

The park was built by Edward James, an eccentric British millionaire, patron of the surrealist movement, who came to Xilitla to cultivate orchids. He didn't succeed—a snow storm killed off the orchids. So the man decided to make "permanent" orchids out of concrete and build a park for them. The construction lasted up until 1984, when Edward James passed away. 

Concrete Flower

Climbable Structures of Las Pozas

Endless Waterfall

I drew as much as I could while roaming Las Pozas. But no photograph nor drawing can do justice to this incredible, three-dimensional rain forest park with man-made plants, Art Nouveau-inspired castle-like structures, waterfalls and streams. This most extraordinary and gorgeous place does not compare to anything out there, and is considered to be one of the world wonders. BBC included Las Pozas in it's series "Around the World in 80 Gardens" (short clip here.)

Guests Gathering For The Ceremony

The magic of Las Pozas that day was augmented by perfect weather and the occasion. It felt like an otherworldly cathedral in which wedding ceremonies took place. 

Wedding Ceremony High Up

Congratulations to the newlyweds! May you share a lifetime of love and happiness together!  And may the magical aura of Las Pozas guard your union.

Wild Rain Forest of Las Pozas

Portrait Of An Artist

I just returned from the Brooklyn Museum, where El Anatsui gave an artist talk. He is a Ghanaian painter and sculptor, whose main medium is ... bottle caps. The installations El makes must be experienced in person! You might just find yourselves as overwhelemed as I was by their beauty and meaning. Here's a quick iPhone portrait of the artist I did from the mezzanine during his talk. He seems to constantly wear a smile, which I noticed only from up close, during the book signing. Don't miss "Gravity and Grace: Monumental Works by El Anatsui"

Drawn on my iPhone

From The Archives: Paris in 2009

I made these drawings over 3 years ago, on a family trip to Paris. My blog didn't exist back then, so I never posted the art. Stumbling on these drawings makes me nostalgic for the favorite city. Maybe it's time to revisit...p.s. 3 years can be a very long time.

Notre Dame

Sacré-Cœur

Notre Dame

Rehearsing Obama's Inauguration 2013

It was a milky Sunday morning of January 13th, the last day of the winter drawing session with Dalvero Academy in Washington DC. The fog was so heavy that it erased tops of buildings and trees. We arrived at the Botanical Gardens on the National Mall, but something was happening over to the left, by the Capitol. Loud orchestral music and baritone reverberating announcements cut through the fog with bright and optimistic grandeur. Morning runners and dog walkers, together with tourists, huddled by the fence surrounding the Capitol courtyard, photographing and filming on their phones. To our great surprise, what we stumbled upon was a rehearsal of the presidential inauguration!

White chairs in perfect symmetry on an otherwise empty lawn, two of the 5 flags up under the Capitol dome, police officers scattered here and there, tiny figures moving along balconies of the building, a few reporters with big cameras, and soldiers in long lines. The baritone announcer introduced Beyonce as the singer of the National Anthem, and solders straightened up in salute.

This was an amazing opportunity to draw a historical event...I don't think I could ever get this close to the Capitol on an actual inauguration day. It's coming up this Monday, January 21st, after the 44th President of the United States Barack Obama is sworn in on Sunday.

Bartholdi Park in Washington DC

Also known as the Secret Garden, Bartholdi Park in DC is a picturesque and serene oasis of colors, textures and shapes. It's hidden behind the Botanical Gardens on the National Mall, with the Capitol peaking in the distance. While on a drawing trip with Dalvero, we happened upon a rehearsal of the presidential inauguration at the Capitol on that same day...but that's in my next post.

Max Richter at (Le) Poisson Rouge

Some iPad-drawn memories from a phenomenal, moving Max Richter sold-out show at (Le) Poisson Rouge tonight. The composer presented and played on stage "Recomposed": Vivaldi's "The Four Seasons" with the ensemble LPR, conducted by Tito Muñoz and Daniel Hope on the first violin. That was so beautiful...

Conductor Tito Muñoz and First Violin Daniel Hope

Composer Max Richter

Composer Max Richter during the second part of the concert, with string instruments, keyboards and laptop.

TEDx "Rise Of The Machines" with Ray Kurzweil & Juan Enriquez

Today, we're backing up our data. Soon, we'll be backing up our brains.  
"Everything is a gateway to the cloud" ~Ray Kurzweil

Today, I had an incredible opportunity to attend TEDx SiliconAlley at Terminal 5 in New York City, themed "Rise Of The Machines." Curated by Chris Grayson, the day was filled with amazing speakers.

"Fireside chat" between Ray Kurzweil and Juan Enriquez

 
Personally, I came to hear and draw Ray Kurzweil. This man, who has 19 honorary doctorate degrees aside from the long list of inventions, entrepreneurships, books and other notabilities, has been fascinating me for years. His insight into the exponential growth of technological innovation enables him to accurately predict the future, time and time again. According to Ray, development of intelligence is the next logical step in evolution, which, in turn, breeds artificial intelligence and posthumanism.





Ray Kurzweil's talk today was followed by a "fireside" chat with Juan Enriquez, who, to quote Wikipedia, "is recognized as one of the world's leading authorities on the economic and political impacts of life sciences." Juan also gave a talk earlier, a remarkable talk. He reminded us that historically, tattoos are permanent identifiers and storytellers. Today, by the virtue of sharing our personal data electronically, we have digital identifiers and stories. So Juan asked: what if Facebook, Twitter, Google, etc., are our electronic tattoos? "Does Google make you immortal?" And "What if Andy was wrong? What if it's longer than 15 minutes?" (referring to fame, of course, and the notorious Andy Warhol prediction: "In the future, everyone will be world-famous for 15 minutes.")

"What if we are darn close to immortality?" ~Juan Enriquez

"Human intelligence is based on recognizing patterns" ~Ray Kurzweil