I Visited Some Inspiring Artsy Women's Homes in Mexico

The Artsy Midcentury Ladies of  Guanajuato, Mexico

I just got back from Guanajuato, Mexico, a gorgeous little town in central Mexico filled with artists, musicians, and colorful houses that I love to paint.

There are a ton of unappreciated little museums in Guanajuato, including two artists' homes that really give a glimpse into what it would've been like to live an artsy life in Mexico in the 1950s.

The Museo Casa de Arte Olga Costa - José Chávez Morado (top) is the home of a famous muralist and his wife, also a painter but not as well known. (I know, big surprise). They lived on the outskirts of Guanajuato in a lovely stone compound that surrounded a garden. 

Even more interesting was Casa Museo Gene Byron. Gene was a painter and sculptor who lived with her husband in the tiny village of Marfil outside of Guanajuato, also in a sprawling compound surrounding a garden.

Visiting these homes reminded me a lot of touring Georgia O'Keeffe's home in Abiquiu, except that these homes cost about two bucks to visit, there was hardly anyone else there, you were basically free to wander around and touch whatever you like...and the guides offered almost nothing by way of explanation, in either Spanish or English. Everything I learned about them I had to Google later.

Still, it's always inspiring and instructive to visit an artist's home, and to see the remnants of a life devoted so singularly to art, as these were. Off the beaten path, living cheaply under the year-round sunshine, painting whatever one's desires dictate...it looked pretty good to me.

Speaking of Mexico, I Filmed an Art Class There

While I was in Guanajuato, I filmed an introductory travel sketching class. I believe firmly that anyone can learn how to draw just a little--just enough to fill a sketchbook while you're on vacation. (Take a look at my latest Guanajuato sketchbook here.)

The class is live on Skillshare, an online learning platform with a Netflix-style monthly subscription fee. There are loads of great art classes on Skillshare, so it's worth checking out if you're into art.

Here's a link to my class that'll let you watch a preview and give you 2 months free access to everything Skillshare offers.

I'm Also Making Some Little Videos About the Kopp Novels

Teaching these online classes has forced me to finally enter the 21st century and learn how to make videos! It's like a newfound superpower. Now I'm making videos about everything, including a series of short videos about each of the novels in the Kopp Sisters series. Here's the first one. The idea is to show some of the real-life pictures and newspaper clippings, and answer the most pressing questions I get from book clubs.

More to come on my YouTube channel.

Asked and Answered...

Ask me a question and win the book of your choice! This month's winner is Kathy from Saline, MI

Kathy asks: What is your favorite, go-to dinner on nights when you are feeling tired and fried after a difficult day of writing (or anything else!)? 

HA! When I started this little contest, I told you all that you could ask me anything--even what I have for lunch. So I was glad to see someone took the hint!

I am an indifferent and disinterested cook, so dinner every night, whether I'm fried or not, consists of Opening Some Bags and Jars from Trader Joe's (which is three blocks from my house, and yes, that's pretty much why we live here). I do have some favorite Combinations of Things from Trader Joe's:

A package of chopped vegetables, grilled, and vegetarian sausage or tofu topped with Zhoug sauce (I'm addicted to it)

The frozen Creamy Polenta and Spinach with Carrots cooked on the stovetop with a can of white beans added, and a bag of Brussels sprouts, roasted.

Melodious Blend (frozen lentils, garbanzos, assorted other things) topped with/served with Broccoli Cauliflower Patties and some sort of sauce (ideally Yumm Sauce, which is not sold at Trader Joe's and yes this qualifies as a problem in my life)

Risoni cooked like risotto with asparagus and mushrooms, maybe alongside roasted broccoli and cauliflower (which conveniently come in a single bag together).

You get the idea. Thanks for asking. I wonder how many of you are as dependent upon Trader Joe's as I am. Maybe we should have a Trader Joe's recipe exchange.

Ask a Question & Win a Book!

 Please go here to ask me a question and pick your prize. Even if you've entered before, please feel free to enter again and ask the same question or a different one. Only 30 people entered last month! You have a very good chance of winning! 

Let's Get Together in 2020--uh, maybe?

I would love to see you at some of these events around the country, but to be honest, I don't know how coronavirus is going to affect gatherings like this. So definitely check with the venues before you head out!
 

Lakewood, WA: March 28 Pierce County Library
Newport Beach, CA: April 4 Literary Orange
Middletown, RI: May 1 Norman Bird Sanctuary
Ellsworth, ME: May 2 Ellsworth Public Library
Portland, ME: May 3 Sherman's
Wyckoff, NJ: May 6 Oasis fundraiser
Redding, CA: May 29 Wicked Plants exhibit

Some of these are ticketed events. More tour dates are on my website. Please confirm details with the venue.

Would You Like a Signed Book?

Signed copies of most of my books are available at Eureka Books, the bookstore my husband and I own. 

What Are You Reading?

Believe it or not, this guide to the Florida Keys is an astoundingly brilliant work of literature. I am not kidding. Joy Williams is an acclaimed, award-winning novelist who once wrote a guidebook  because it turns out that being a critics' darling doesn't pay the bills. Well, she did a hell of a job. This is so much more than a guidebook. It's a fiery, opinionated, hilarious insider's look at one of the weirder and more magical places in the United States.

It's been described as the best travel guide ever written, but it's so much more than that. You don't have to be planning a vacation to Florida. Read it for sheer pleasure. I'm reading it right now and so is my dad, and we're both just flipping out over it.

What are you reading? Tell me about it on Goodreads or Litsy.