Mexico

After all my stops in California (see my previous posts), I spent the last week of my workshop travels out west in Mexico. My destination was a small village in South Baja called Pescadero. This oasis in the desert is nestled between the Pacific Ocean and the Sierra de la Laguna mountains. With a population hovering around 2,500, I think more people live in my building in NYC than in Pescadero.

Pescadero is not a typical tourist location. It is a world away from the luxury resorts at Cabo. And that was perfect for me. I was surrounded by cactus, hummingbirds, basil fields, dirt roads, bodegas, and temperatures in the 80s. My kind of winter.

I stayed mostly on the desert side.

But there were beautiful beaches...

and killer sunsets over the ocean (unretouched pic).

An outdoor cafe visited on my first day.

Outdoor farm to table restaurant we ate at on the night of the full moon.

I was there to teach a two-day book-making workshop El Libro Abierto. The workshop was hosted by my good friend Patricia Larsen. You have probably heard the story already but without Patricia, I would not be involved in the arts at all.

This was my first outdoor workshop and it could not have been better. 

With a view like this, how could it not be an incredible time?

One stash of papers that we used for the projects.

This talented crew created the most amazing books.

Patricia was kind enough to allow me to use her home and studio as the location of the workshop. Her home, which she designed and built herself, has been featured in many magazines including Elle Decor. It was a pleasure and a treasure to stay there, exploring the surroundings, and shooting too many inspirational photos to count.

Her home is literally an oasis in the desert.

Outdoor living at its best.

Even the "hallways" were a work of art.

One of my roomates.

Many of the materials were local finds, including this door.

The area where we held the workshop.

What I woke up to everyday.

The inside was even better then the outside.

Inside looking outside.

One of Patricia's rotating collections.

A simple vignette inspires.

A Pablo Neruda poem painted on the wall.

My kind of pile.

Patricia and I share a love of rusty found objects.

I leave you with one more sunset - symbolic of the end of my trip out west and my last post about these travels. 

Thanks for coming along with me.  I am already looking forward to my next international expedition to Australia in August as part of Art is You. Maybe you should consider joining me there in real life?