With any luck, two days from now my trusty white metal steed and I will be hurtling north across the Mexican frontier on a new adventure. Our first stop will be the wild and wooly Ciudad Obregon, where we will spend the night before heading towards the mysterious place known as La Rumorosa. From there, it is just a short and very beautiful jaunt above the tip of the Sea of Cortez and down the Wine Route to Ensenada where I will be holding the first exhibition of this journey.
I really want this trip to be about more than just selling art (although I will definitely need to do that too considering my budget or lack thereof!). I want to tap into that wonderful source that exists just above and beyond our usual modern perception of separateness and the angst that comes with it, to spread that magic that dissolves polarity into a singular awareness of unity. Being someone who dips in and out of that zone with less control than I would like, it’s a tall order but I know I need to try.
Perhaps my favorite thing about this art is that for even a small moment, almost everyone who sees it forgets about their personal troubles and simply enjoys what their eyes are seeing. And what their eyes are seeing, most notably the elderly ones, is something they have never seen before. In that moment there is a flash of that feeling one had when they were a small child and everything was new. Seeing that expression in people’s faces when they look at something I’ve helped Mother Nature create is what gives me the most joy.
I know I am taking a sizeable risk (more financially than personally in my opinion) driving my 34 year old car more than 5,000 kilometers on a budget mostly fueled by debt and an ever intangible hope, but I woke up one day about 3 months ago knowing that it was something I simply must do. I know I will at very least learn a ton and it will be a total adventure; both positive things. Perhaps I will look back on this time in my life when I’m stiff and stately, and chuckle at my younger self and perhaps for that moment, feel the blood warming up in my old bones.