Reflections on the Autumn Equinox

After a serious push on the paintings for my latest book I've returned to San Diego and am settling back in to the studio. The air is much cooler now and after a long walk on the beach with my son this afternoon I began thinking about the seasons of life. The California coastline that I ached for was covered in thick red strands of sea kelp and greedy seagulls were feasting on clusters of mussels. We decided that the sand dollars in different shapes and sizes were from Neptune's treasure chest but had washed ashore after a storm. Santiago and I climbed up to the highest rock along the jetty to watch fishing boats headed out the mouth of the bay. It was a good way to reflect on this 10 year anniversary of 9-11. Like others I will never forget that moment and all the emotions that it still brings. I wanted to remember how that moment brought people together. Together with my son, we watched a bouquet of white flowers tied with a red ribbon float out to sea.
























I realized this afternoon that living and working in two locations means that when I am in one place I long for the other. Perhaps that's why I had to satisfy a serious craving for fish tacos after our walk on the beach. I realize this duality helps me stay visually stimulated and so it was time to let the colors of this new season find their way to my brushes. This past week our son headed back to school with his new pencils and binder with a-z dividers and in many ways Fall means a fresh start. Strangely enough we had a 14 hour power outage on Thursday that left Southern California, Arizona and parts of Mexico in total darkness. My nephew found his way over on his bike and we lit up lots of candles then went outside and played guitars till late that night. The stars were indescribably bright in downtown and although we lose power all the time in Mexico I can't remember enjoying a blackout quite as much. I came home from San Miguel de Allende with my suitcase full of jars of paint. This was followed by a trip to the art store for the new brushes needed to replace those that had permanently bit the dust. Then it happened, my trusty old friend the blue hairdryer finally gave out. Maybe the power surge when the electricity came back on was just too much. I was about to toss it but was moved to see it covered with the streaked colors of years of past paintings. I decided it deserved respect after all those years of service so it now rests at the top of my bookshelf.

In August I turned 50 and found that like several of my friends I experienced a sense of melancholy and reflection at the changing seasons of my own life. Autumn has always been a time to turn inward and the good news is that introspection can only be good for your work. In the meantime we can savor the lush abundance of harvest and the crazy fun of Halloween with our kids and friends. Here's a Bruja-a personal piece that I painted for an artist friend who works with found objects.
























I'm a scavenger and like to play with old stuff too, so this year I started making robots to put those found objects to work.






































































This last one is an angel and on this day I remember.

Thinking in Pictures

Have you ever noticed how travel changes the way you see? French writer Marcel Proust got it right when he said "The real magic lies not in seeing new landscapes, but in having new eyes". When I was 10 years old, my architect parents sent me on my first big trip. I left the brightly accented, sprawling concrete of Mexico City for a communal farm in Exeter England where I lived with conceptual and performance artist Felipe Ehrenberg. I found myself immersed in a world of new hues, pale whites, grays and greens with vast open spaces. Visiting London was like a book that had come alive and each time I flipped the page it was thrilling. The opportunity to see things outside my life experience changed me. My senses were completely shook up and I began to explore this new visual landscape. I needed to put it all down in my drawings. With Felipe's guidance I learned to use a printing press and produced a handmade journal that blended my adventures and imagination. On that trip I became aware that everyone regardless of their culture or language, experiences a universal set of emotions like joy, sorrow or passion.

Those early encounters shaped me. When painting I associate emotions with both color and texture because they visually tap into our shared feelings and experiences.

Growing up in Mexico I was exposed at an early age to vibrant hues that reached out and grabbed hold of my senses. I remember my childhood as a vivid swirl of color. Babies wrapped in their mother's deep purple rebozos, the bright rosa mexicano pink of tuna cactus fruit ice cream on a hot day. I find myself searching for colors and textures wherever I go and record them in my subconscious or sometimes with a camera. When I close my eyes I see these colors and textures and over the years have invited them into my work.

It's fascinating that healers at St. Jude's Hospital and the American Red Cross use color to enter the world of young people as it helps them connect to the emotions of children in need. I know how lucky I am to paint for kids and I want my illustrations to inspire and challenge them. That connection between color and feelings is basic and profound so there is no need for watered down colors or realism. They are way too smart and don't need us adults to remind them that a bus is yellow or the grass is green. Unlike adults, children are able to keep information from their senses separate and thus perceive the world differently. As we get older our senses fuse together and we lose the ability to focus on isolated pieces of sensory information.

I have found that the most direct route to the emotions of my young audience is quirky, unpredictable, magical color. Children are more likely to trust their emotions and respond to these gutsy colors with fresh eyes. When making children's books I find myself constantly challenged to spend time trying to think the way they do.

For this reason, the search for color is something I take seriously and get very excited about. This is the humble little tiendita in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico where I buy the essential ingredients for my paintings. For years I wondered why my 75 year old mother would take the time to walk to the mercado every day to buy just what she needed for the upcoming meal. Then I realized that the 20 minute walk to go buy the colors I needed for the day was a chance to think about the direction a painting was going.

In my quest for chroma I look for clues in the visual environment and make mental notes. I'm searching for colors and textures that trigger an intuitive, emotional response. I often file these images on my computer or print them out to use when the time is right. I tape them up on the walls of my studio and they illuminate the path I take when creating a book or illustration.

One day I decided to walk a different route through the countryside and came upon this beautiful old abandoned church. The facade confronted my senses and the colors got inside me. The rich textures, warmth of the reds and pinks eventually found their way into the desert scene below.

I am always amused with the way painters try out colors here in Mexico. This indecisive wall really captured my attention and flooded me with mixed emotions.

When asked to create a poster for the San Diego Blues Festival I was inspired to re-visit those colors and textures to convey a romance gone wrong. I've added a woman's face that is like a tattoo across his heart, he rolls the dice and the passion in his voice becomes a green songbird.

The beauty and pageantry of a street procession during Holy Week left a big impression on me. Our town becomes the backdrop for a celebration of centuries old traditions and authentic spirit.

When contemplating beauty my senses were reminded of how the colors and textures moved me in that unforgettable scene. I synthesized them into this painting called Colibri.

At times even the subject matter of a visual reference will directly inform my work. When traveling in Switzerland I wandered into a graveyard behind a castle and saw this wonderful sculpture that struck a visual nerve.

The subject matter and weathered textures of the stone evoked this personal piece I call the Angel of Reason.

The piece below Cuban Dreams was a direct response to the music, colors and textures I saw on a trip to Havana. I have realized the value of building a visual vocabulary by thinking in pictures. Cultivating the spirit of a traveler as I go through life means opening my senses to the emotional cues, colors and textures of the world around me.

Clearing your Cabeza

Hemingway said "There is nothing to writing.
All you do is sit down at your typewriter and bleed".

Here in Mexico I seem to find more time to think about my creative process and work to re-connect with it. I meet many people in my travels who think that an artist can create anytime, anywhere. In my case that couldn't be further from the truth.



Creating the mind space to draw or paint takes discipline. Once you make that commitment to love what you do madly you find a certain freedom. In order to create however you need to be free of whatever is bothering you. We are bombarded by things we feel the need to take care of before we can get down to the really satisfying work of creating. It could be financial issues, relationships, health concerns, or distractions like email. In my opinion one of the most helpful books on this subject is Steven Pressfield's: The War of Art. In this book he talks about RESISTANCE [the phantom that take many forms], the ego, all the internal and external things that impact our work. All the little excuses we make for not doing what we want to do or putting our creative work off till later.

Hemingway was right. I believe defeating those distractions involves rolling up your sleeves and making sure your fingers are covered with paint on a regular basis. It's about making a mark on the paper each day even if you think that mark isn't the best one you've ever made. I've talked about this with musicians, writers and artists and it seems that we all share a common experience.

Now everyone is different. I have found that it helps me to transition to this clear space in my head each day so I can paint. It's something to realize that you are the one responsible for making yourself too busy. It helps to seek out that silence and space and to make it a spiritual practice. I work best early, early in the morning before my family opens their eyes and I choose to run. I like to get out of the city into the country. I know these photos make it look idyllic but I sometimes have to deal with an occasional stray dog at my heels. For me, it is worth the risk as breathing oxygen and tuning into the healing power of nature calms the clutter. This morning I decided to take along a camera to document my efforts to quiet the mind.

When I return, I always draw first as it helps me to think visually, solve problems and find a language to communicate with myself and others. Then it's time to get down to the conceptualizing, sanding, transferring and painting part. I've talked with other creatives who write morning pages popularized in Julia Cameron's The Artist's Way [stream of consciousness writing] to clear the clutter. Deep breathing, meditation, going for a walk or listening to music are some of the techniques I've heard about from friends. I'd like to hear from others about your methods to quiet the mind.

Perhaps one of my all time favorite artists, Charley Harper also found great inspiration from nature. When once asked to describe his art style, he said,

“When I look at a wildlife or nature subject, I don’t see the feathers in the wings, I just count the wings. I see exciting shapes, color combinations, patterns, textures, fascinating behavior and endless possibilities for making interesting pictures. I regard the picture as an ecosystem in which all the elements are interrelated, interdependent, perfectly balanced, without trimming or unutilized parts; and herein lies the lure of painting; in a world of chaos, the picture is one small rectangle in which the artist can create

an ordered universe.”

New video featuring children's books

I've just put together this video that celebrates some of the children's books and community murals I've painted with kids. I shot most of the footage and still imagery here in San Miguel de Allende to connect my illustrations with the vibrant street life that inspires my work. I've also included images I shot on a trip up the stunning California coastline. The lively soundtrack, called "Horsing Around" was written by my close friend Gil Gutierrez who also hails from San Miguel. Thanks for taking the time to watch the video by clicking the link here.

Thinking your way around the concept

It's great to hear from many up and coming illustrators, I genuinely appreciate your questions and thank you for your support. This post is for you and anyone who values ideas and unique, hand-crafted illustration. I believe it is important for young artists to develop their abilities and listen to that intuitive voice-the one that compels them to make images for a larger audience. Popular culture is bursting with the power of visual thinking. Drawing and painting is a way to communicate, to deliver messages and I can't imagine anything more exciting or rewarding. I've been working at this now for 25 years and in that time I've learned to never miss an opportunity to re-invent myself.

I was fortunate to teach for the Art Center at Night program mentoring young illustrators. I'm not afraid to share techniques and tricks because I know that anyone who learns them will apply them in their own way. If they do rip me off I remind myself to work harder and stay a little ahead of them. I'm lucky to have the opportunity to teach workshops to children and students because I learn so much from them. Most of my conscious effort is pushing myself to draw more intuitively, to try to solve visual problems like a child. Kids haven't developed timidness in their approach to drawing and I find that so refreshing.

While discovering yourself, study but don't copy other people's style. Usually by the time you master their "look" they are miles ahead of you and their style has already evolved. You can't go looking for style as true style finds you and comes from the inside out. Keep listening to that inner voice- the one that reminds you of your passions and the things you love. Be patient, create a plan. It is so important to keep your mind and eyes open. I'm greatly inspired by the history of art, design styles and illustration. If you take a look you'll find some great approaches there to add value to your thinking. Start with the Surrealists whose work is filled with illogical juxtapositions and the element of surprise. Then check out the Expressionists who mastered distorting reality for emotional effect. In this post I decided to use some of my work to show you how to look at historical style and apply the concepts of these great painters and thinkers to your own illustration.

What has always fascinated me as an artist and illustrator is concept, the idea, the content and that is followed by style and technique. I have chosen to be a conceptual illustrator so to keep things fresh, ideas need to come from my head.

1. Play with scale, shape and composition.

In this recent poster for Bird Day.org notice how the bird in the middle is much larger than the kids. I enjoy throwing reality out the window, if it helps me communicate the emotion and excitement of discovering birds. The shapes are essential to the composition. When building the layout I keep a close eye on the negative spaces to make sure they are working. I sketch on tracing paper as it allows me to tear pieces, move and juxtapose elements in the design stage. It's like arranging furniture in a room. When you find the right place for everything and put it there it just feels right.

2. Search for visual metaphors to express an understanding of one idea as it relates to another idea. I look for some similarity or correlation between the two.

Here the teacher is represented as a strong tree who inspires, motivates, and provides shade [a safe environment] to help students reach their potential. Those branches grow community. In this image I'm connecting the concepts of nature and nurture.

It's important to do personal work whenever you can as it pushes the boundaries of your thinking. It's a chance to explore ideas and stay in touch with what makes you tick.

I often create visual metaphors to articulate my emotions.

In this case, the man in the boat finds a safe harbor with the woman he loves.

3. I look for ways to represent the emotion or spirit of the text or idea.

Pat Mora's text said: "Our families tell us stories while we listen and play". I remember the magic of my parents storytelling. We read with our son every day and sometimes when the story or image is compelling he gets a dreamy look in his eyes. I wanted to capture that emotion with this concept. As an illustrator you have the opportunity to expand on an idea and take the words to unexplored places.

4. Giving inanimate objects personality.

A great exercise I've done with students is to drop a bunch of adjectives written on slips of paper in one hat and inanimate objects in another. Then draw an adjective and object and connect them in your illustration. The randomness of this process pays tribute to Dada. You might end up with a shy shoe or an obnoxious wire whisk. It's great practice for putting emotion into your work. You can give personality to anything.

In this poster for jazz radio station KSDS I've created a trumpet that can sizzle like habanero chile or give wings to the sweet song of a nightingale.

5. Distort reality for emotional effect and use symbolism.

Read a novel by Franz Kafka, or think of Edvard Munch's figure running in agony against a blood red sky. In his diary Munch wrote that he "sensed an infinite scream passing through nature". The expressionists found a way to distort color and form that tapped into the viewer's emotions.

I paint directly on wood but sometimes use the computer to scan in my work then experiment with color shifts or textural effects. If I find something I like better I will go back to my painting and change it. This piece for Amnesty International calls attention to their work to win release of prisoners of conscience around the world. Notice the figure bound by barbed wire holding the flame of hope. That wire changes to a growing plant as the prisoner attains freedom.

6. Don't forget to add an element of surprise.

My son Santiago believed that paintbrushes were magic wands. In this illustration for Book Fiesta the submarine has mechanical arms and the anglerfish serves as the reading light. I'm very inspired by indigenous peoples of the world. The painter Paul Klee achieved that naive quality I keep reaching for. He was left-handed but could draw with both hands. He said that a clumsy hand is often more useful for drawing than a skilled hand. I gave the fish a primitive style, a tribute to the petroglyphs of indigenous groups.

7. Add humor and shake vigorously.

Laughter strengthens your immune system, pumps energy and protects you from stress. I used the window here to introduce humor as there is something funny about the cow having a conversation with the goat while being milked by the maiden. Perhaps it reminds me of the multi-tasking we do to get by.

8. Illusion: Overlapping objects and mixing scale.

Tipping my hat again to surrealists like Salvador Dali who used illusion. Here is a concept I use frequently in my work. In this painting I've got a larger hand reaching down into the earth. The shape of the hand creates a painting within a painting. There in an interplay of color and illusion where the shape of the earth eventually becomes the shape of water with naive looking fish swimming by.

9. Put the familiar in an unfamiliar setting- juxtapose unrelated objects.

In this first illustration from ¡Yum!¡Mmm Qué Rico! America's Sproutings you see a red-headed girl enjoying chocolate. There's a chocolate castle and a cup of cocoa floating in the clouds. You see children literally diving into chocolate cake and pie. Surrealists like Rene Magritte explored putting unrelated objects together in such compelling ways. I like to make word lists and force connections between unrelated objects. For Book Fiesta! three kids and their dog [who thinks he is a pirate] are off on an adventure. Now they could be reading while sitting on a couch but a more playful idea is to put them in the mouth of a happily spouting whale. Sure you could do this in photoshop but it might be scary for kids. As an illustrator you can tell the story with visuals that send the right information to a child's imagination. It's all about having fun.

10. Mix and match ideas

You can use more than one approach at a time.The smaller figures communicate the power of collaboration and teamwork. I've incorporated the color switches and overlapping from the illusion technique. In this illustration I'm also mixing scale and metaphor to illustrate how the writing of one person could motivate others to reach for the stars, or the moon or the sun.

UNIVISION Video -Latin Music Legends stamps

To view a video filmed by UNIVISION at my studio in San Diego about the Latin Music Legends Stamps created to honor Celia Cruz, Carlos Gardel, Carmen Miranda, Tito Puente and Selena please click here.

!aaaahhhhh Aguas Frescas!

In the search for new colors for the backgrounds of my latest children's book I have found big inspiration in Aguas Frescas. Yesterday I photographed this stand at the Mercado San Juan de Dios in San Miguel de Allende. I like to make short video clips on my daily walks then review them each morning. At the end of the day it's clear I often synthesize these sights and sounds into my work. I find it also helps to sip color while I'm painting.

My mother Pillo started making these fresh fruit drinks for me when I was a kid and they are typically served from large barrel-shaped glass containers called jarrones. In summer, it's easy to find vendors selling these colorful concoctions on carts all over town often kept cool by resting on large blocks of ice. You make authentic aguas frescas from fresh fruit like melons, oranges, cantaloupes, pineapples, limes, guavas, watermelons, mangos...whatever you can find. Here in Mexico we sometimes use more exotic ingredients like hibiscus flowers [dried jamaica], tamarind pods or pomegranates.

These refreshing summer drinks are easy to make, good for you and a great activity to do with your kids. We make a different one each day and our son gets excited to pick the fruit out at the market and watch the color emerge in the blender. He then pulls out his colored pencils and labels the fruit in his drawings using Spanish- melón, naranja, jamaica, tamarindo, guyaba, sandia, limón.

Here's our technique:

Grab a pitcher and add water.

Depending on the fruit you may or may not choose to add sweeteners like honey, agave syrup or sugar.

Cut the fruit and blend it in a blender then add that to your pitcher.

You might need to strain certain fruits.

Cool it in the fridge overnight or add ice to drink it on the spot in a festive glass.

Encourage your kids to change up the lemonade stand this summer

with these colorful and cool creations.