Artists Live Paint Play Mexico

Artists / live, paint, play in Mexico steps on how to

To begin at the beginning, I became an artist while living in Cabo San Lucas, Baja Mexico. Prior to that, I was fumbling through life trying to find my so-called self. You know the feeling---life was happening -your body goes through the motions more or less and responds to events, situations, people in a somewhat predicable manner. When I arrived in Cabo for the first time in 1991, it was clear that I had been dreaming a life and suddenly upon waking up, the real life was there!

I believe there are places on earth that can do that. I’d traveled extensively for most of my adult life but I wasn’t prepared for the Baja. It was at that time in the early 90’s a relatively unknown factor on the travel scene, the world hadn’t discovered it as yet. To me, it awoke a mysterious force which would have it's way with me one way or another.

Immediately there was a quiet peace which descended on you as you left the airport, which at that time was a rickety old building, one small runway used for both takeoffs and landings and which was conveniently open only during the daylight hours. The airport is located near San Jose and there was a badly potholed 2 lane road which took you the 35 miles along the Sea of Cortez to Cabo San Lucas.

We were hooked on Cabo from the moment we landed. Charming in its own way, we loved the rustic buildings, dirt streets with the chickens and children running about, the bougainvillea and cactus which was stunningly beautiful and everywhere you looked.

Big game fishing was the big tourist attraction apart from the weather, which by the way is perfect 9 months of the year. Of course the margaritas were a huge draw for folks looking for a way to blow off steam in safe, but exotic atmosphere.

In a way, I believe we didn’t choose to go to Cabo so much as it chose us to be there. After a few times returning, it gets in your blood. You’re addicted to the easy way of life, the warmth and the quiet peacefulness that seeps into you as you spend more and more time there; it gets harder to jump back “in the so-called rat race”.

Apart from a small studio run by an artist from Texas, there were no galleries in Cabo San Lucas. My artist/mentor/companion Chris MacClure, quickly found a gift store to sell some small pieces he painted while there, but living and being an artist for over 40 years, he saw the innate potential in Los Cabos and we both knew that this treasure would not remain a “hidden” gem for long.

I was just learning to paint and the atmosphere there was working its magic in my soul at the time. At some point, I became aware that the urge to paint was beginning to over-ride any other considerations and we soon found ourselves discussing ideas to move to Los Cabos. Sitting on a beach late one afternoon we were watching the sea as the sun set behind us and we turned just as the last rays of sun caught a lone cactus silhouetted against the sky. It was glowing so brightly that golden rays of light beamed out from it. At that moment the name of our soon to be studio/gallery came to both of us at the same time. THE GOLDEN CACTUS GALLERY

I suppose one could use all kinds of logic as to why we do what we do or make the decisions we do. Looking back, you could say we merely followed our intuition, but we were stunned by our epiphany and resolved right then to put things into motion and begin our new life in Mexico.

“Nothing is so powerful as an idea whose time is come”. Victor Hugo

Learning the art of living doing business in a foreign country was about to begin in earnest!

On my next blog, we’ll go into more detail on the how to' or how not to’s more specifically.

Adios for now 2 ^nd Storey Gal

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2nd blog

Like a perpetual motion machine, your life seems to take on its own momentum once a serious life-changing decision is made. Somehow events conspired to keep us moving forward in spite of the constant reservations the mind was continually concocting to keep us from pressing forward. We pushed on despite the “what ifs” that kept popping up.

We’d spent considerable time in Baja by 1997 and developed some good relationships that fired up once we committed ourselves. A Mexican friend located an excellent space for our “studio/future gallery”.The Golden Cactus. It was in the heart of the old section of Cabo San Lucas, just a block off the main drag but close to the marina and just down the street from the infamous Cabo Wabo cantina. It was the whole second floor of a corner building which was great because the way the building was situated it afforded a perfect 180 view. Windows wrapped around the front and two sides and as a bonus there was a 3 foot wide balcony which could be easily accessed with some modifications. Our total space of about 1000 sq. feet, currently in use as a storage space for the gift shop underneath, was sufficient and we drew up plans to make the space workable as a studio, even including a full bathroom with shower and a room we could use to sleep in if we needed to. Our friend would make the renovations over the summer months and be ready for our arrival in the fall.

To finance our new venture, Chris, my now soon –to- be -husband, approached a local auction house in the seaside town where he’d been a resident painter for over 15 years. In one fateful evening his entire studio of over 120 pieces of art, went on the auction block- no reserves. Because Chris had been such a presence in the art community the idea rustled up lots of local press and hype and the event was hugely successful. With that one bold gesture, we had our seed money.

What are the character qualities which determine who has what it takes to follow a dream? I don’t think anyone knows for certain what they are but perhaps they get fleshed out as you head into the fray, developing as you go along. Depending on events, it can take a short time or a lifetime.

Perseverance, patience, tolerance, humor, wisdom are just a few qualities that come to mind when endeavoring to implement any grand scheme or to change your way of living. Never- the- less it's character building 101 and heading to Mexico we were about to get a crash course.

Rule #1 DITCH YOUR TYPE A PERSONALITY: while we may consider this a positive attribute for the gung-ho entrepreneur, in Mexico this is the proverbial “red flag” to any play you may want to be involved in. “We want what we want when we want it” attitude will pretty much guarantee that you won’t get it any time, any how or anywhere, in Mexico!

All 5 of the “character builders” came up immediately upon dealing with the Mexican bureaucracy. Indeed, any bureaucracy can make you crazy but they have fine-tuned this in the Mexican immigration department. Under no circumstances must one underestimate the importance Mexican’s working for the government, place on properly executed paperwork!

Nothing, nada, no thing out of sequence, place, origin-stamped, stapled or copied unless authorized, notarized, originalized, organized, and translated into Spanish and 10 copies to go with the original. Every single pertinent passport, visa, document, bank statement, utility bill, birth certificate, proof of residence, any and every single thing you can think of must be copied, 10 times presented with the original, notarized, stamped, approved, detailed and on time, which you never know and which they seldom tell you. They will seek and find any discrepancy, no matter how minute to get you to come back, again and again and again waiting in line for hours and hours until “they” are satisfied you have complied with all the ubiquitous rules and regulations which seem to change daily.

Patience is the virtue invented by the Mexicans. And not just gringos have this mountain of paperwork to climb; everyone including the Mexicans are invited to participate in “paperwork roulette”!

Once you’ve been on this ride a couple of times, you finally realize it’s best to hire a professional to do the dirty deed for you. They’re used to it, know the procedures, never seem to be impatient, with standing in lines for hours and even have a sense of humor about the whole thing. Bless them for it and pay for the peace of mind you’ll have not having to deal with it. We hired an accountant, eventually, enjoyed the time saved and because this is an on-going battle, we feel it helped us stay in Mexico longer than if we had to be up against this alone.

Always remember Chris’ proverb to friends wanting to come to Mexico to live: “bring ½ the clothes and twice the money you think you’ll need”. Even with all the hassles involved, we love the fact that in Mexico any problem can disappear with just a little money thrown at it.

So first thing you need is a good, hopefully honest “paperwork processor” in the form an accountant or notary to help you navigate the murky waters of the sea of paperwork you'll need to live/paint and play in Mexico. Bring every document you might need including, birth certificate, marriage certificate, up to date bank statements from home, passport, tourist visa you'll get on entering Mexico, proof of residence utility bills, drivers license just to scratch the surface. Oh, and bring lots of money, cash preferably, to pay for the services, permits, copies, translations and sundry expenses.

Next we'll go into the nitty gritty. Hasta pronto 2^nd Storey Gal

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Hub/blog 3

ARTISTS LIVE PAINT PLAY IN MEXICO

a how to for the initiated artist

I suppose you need a good dose of courage to embark on a life-changing and unknown voyage. We packed up our old blue van we affectionately called “van-go” and headed due south on the 2000 mile trip down to the tip of “land's end”, literally and figuratively!

We'd taken a course in Spanish with the Berlitz people but inexplicably it all evaporated the moment we hit the border at Tijuana. We stared at one another in amazement as the border guard waved us to the side for inspection and presumably asked us to open the van. Hand-waving gestures and shrugs finally got us through but it was definitely as surprise that we understood barely a word after a couple of dozen lessons in workable Spanish.

We'd heard all the horror stories about the Baja 1000 and the dangers and remoteness of the desert peninsula, so we were a tad nervous but Chris soon found his bearings and we settled into the drive. The rumors of the bad roads were not wrong or exaggerated. After Ensenada, the road deteriorated to patches of paving interspersed with potholes. The road had no shoulders and was extremely narrow and Chris had to use all his concentration to avoid the axle breaking rough patches while watching for the herds of cows and goats which wandered out on the highway and the cars coming at us passing the slow moving farm vehicles or trucks. Still, it was exhilarating and the beauty and diversity of the Baja was stunning and not at all how we envisioned it.

We took our time, enjoying the ever changing landscape. We spent 5 nights on the road, where you can make it now in 2. We've driven up and down the Baja half a dozen times since and it has improved immeasurably. The southern Baja has probably changed the most but the drive is safe and enjoyable and I'd do it again in a heartbeat.

When we arrived in Cabo San Lucas finally, we really felt we'd earned the right to be there. The drive had given us a confidence we didn't have before and after dealing with border guards, hotel staff, gas stations, restaurants and numerous patrol stops we had relaxed and knew that somehow we could communicate regardless of our lack of Spanish.

Our studio was waiting for us on our arrival. We got the key and ascended the steps to inspect the renovations that we ordered. Not bad, we had a shower, spare room for our futon and we had a door out onto the balcony, but the main entrance was around the corner, not front and center where we wanted it and someone had chopped down a beautiful 20 foot tulip tree which shaded part of our balcony.

RULE #2 ALWAYS EXPECT THE UNEXPECTED IN MEXICO

It seems our landlord had leased the small building next door to a masseuse whose idea of attracting attention to her business was to erect a 12 foot brick monolith with her sign on top, right where our tulip tree was standing in the way. We didn't know it at the time but she had also walled into her studio/salon the main water turn off valve for her building, our building and the one on the other side of us. Yvonne, the neighbor from hell, had virtual control over the water situation in our life and we had no idea at the time! More on that later.

Our first month in the studio was a whirl of activity in getting things up and working smoothly. At that time there was only one hardware store in town and routinely they would run out of even the most basic of items. We kept an ongoing “needful things” list which grew day by day. During that time, hawkers would wander the streets with all kinds of useful items, chairs, stools, shelving, dusters, mops, brooms, sheets, towels you name it paraded by our window and if we were quick, we'd score!

Chris was great at making things work---our track lighting system had to be totally jury-rigged. Even getting light bulbs was a problem and we stocked up whenever the store had a supply . That went for pretty much everything we needed, you never knew when something would disappear out of stock for weeks. The trucks bringing supplies seemed to run on a schedule that everyone knew except us. We seemed always to be just a day late and a pound short as they say.

Meanwhile I had the responsibility to deal with getting our working visa or FM3 and business permits etc. The phone company in Cabo is Telemex, has a virtual monopoly and is owned by Carlos Slim, the riches man in Mexico, not surprising since at that time it cost over $750 to have a phone installed in our studio! We decided not to go that expense considering the huge capital it was costing to get the studio up and running. Our “lawyer” doing all our paperwork was ½ mile away around the marina and even after making an appointment, I would walk around to find he wasn't there and walk back to the studio. It didn't matter to him, as I discovered finally that in Mexico that time is an illusive concept open to an individuals interpretation at any given moment. For instance, “manana” we think means tomorrow. Wrong---it just means not today and can mean any time after today up to 3 days. No one tells you this there---you learn it by experience. Finally, I learned to let him come to us---if he wanted something signed or more especially if he wanted money, he'd have to come to the studio.

After some months of frustration and not getting our proper paperwork done, our recommended by a friend lawyer finally admitted not having the proper expertise himself at dealing with immigration and we should find an accountant. We had spend $5000 by this time without getting a single paper we needed but we pressed on, found a good accountant and finally had our paperwork in order. This was proving to be not for the feint hearted---but “in for a penny in for a pound as they say”!

We had decided to have a grand opening exhibition and chose a date far enough in the future to be sure we had everything ready. Our buddy had a newspaper and offered to advertise the event, I'd write an article and he'd ensure all the “whose who” would come. Invitations were done up and he assured us all the important folks in Cabo would be invited. Now, there is no mail delivery to homes in Cabo! There was some mail delivered to businesses, but that was only by chance it seemed. Hand delivery was common and that's how it was done so we shrugged and left it in Jose's capable hands.

You really learn what you need to learn as it happens—there's no knowing before hand.

RULE #3 for Mexico—ALWAYS EXPECT TO HAVE TO DO EVERYTHING YOURSELF-no exceptions.

Meanwhile we were still waiting for our business permit.

RULE # 4 PATIENCE IS THE MOST IMPORTANT VIRTUE YOU NEED IN MEXICO--

AFTER A SENSE OF HUMOR!

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Blog 4

Artists live paint play Mexico

Still working on paperwork, still trying to get the lighting up and studio up and running, its 2 months along and we are still finding our feet in Mexico. Chris needed to put some frames on his work for the opening show and without a framing shop, we got a little inventive. We heard about a carpenter who did good work, we tracked him down and after much hand waving and gesturing, of course he didn’t speak English and our Spanish hadn’t miraculously returned, we picked out some floor molding that could be made into passable frames. They were to be delivered a few days before the show.

RULE # 5 TIME HAS NO RELEVANCE IN MEXICO

By this time, we’d all but given up on getting our business permit before the show. If they ejected us out of the country, so be it. Without communication with the outside world, we had no idea if anything was being worked out. Sometimes, one of the accountant’s people would come up to the studio, I’d sign on the dotted line 32 times and they’d be gone, we’d be left still wondering if things were progressing. All in all though we were warming to the casual pace and lazy days pottering about the studio and painting, drinking coffee on our little perch of the deck overlooking the passing parade of tourists, locals and numerous contraptions that plied the streets with all manner of food and snacks for sale.

Our buddy in charge of invitations showed up the day before the show and apologized that they hadn’t got around to delivering the 168 hand-addressed personal invitations, as yet. If not now we wondered when the hell would they? Of course, to show displeasure is not a good thing in Mexico. We discovered this is as bad as Rule # 1 – ditch the type A personality—and worse, since it is now a personal affront. We gritted our teeth and tried to smile bravely, but we knew that without a turnout—we were doomed! Our buddy assured us that since nothing else was going on in town, we were sure to have folks show up.

The “frames” arrived the day of the show. At least they’re here, we were by this time excited about any good fortune that came our way and we were almost gleeful until we put the first painting in a frame and it dropped right through. Seems our carpenter worked in metric and of course Chris was a standard measurement guy! Chris jury-rigged the paintings into the frames, sort of and we carried on hanging the show.

With the final piece hung, we set about arranging the food table against the wall, organizing the rest of the studio and that left 20 minutes to shower, change and be ready to meet “our public”, for the first time. As we came into the main studio after dressing, our eyes swept about to admire our deft handiwork when to our horror, there was a 4 inch wide swath of ants making their way up from a hole in the floorboards and across the wall, in a headlong dash for the food table.

We grabbed the table and moved it into the centre of the room while the ants continued across the wall, now seemingly confused but determined and they continued on and out into another hole in the outside wall at the top of the stairs. The last of the “tribe” just departed the studio when the first guest arrived.

The show was marginally attended, of course considering no one received the invitation in time, but we got the odd straggler and managed to at least cover expenses. Refer to Rule #3 –we learned that lesson well.

By the next morning someone finally showed up with the business permit but by this time we were already getting into the “cabo-mode”, meaning that there wasn’t much that could surprise us anymore because we’d already learned Rule # 2, EXPECT THE UNEXPECTED BUT DON’T EXPECT MUCH!

Hasta pronto for now 2^nd storey gal

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Blog 5

Artists // live paint play in Mexico

Funny thing about the desert, there are always issues around water;  too little water, too much water during the rainy season or water in the wrong place at the wrong time.   We had a “tanaka” or water storage tank installed on our roof when the renovations were done.  We’d heard that Cabo was susceptible to water shortages or poor pressure from more than one person so we weren’t surprised at having no water in our studio from time to time.  But, in fact it was becoming increasingly frequent and more than inconvenient, it was damn irritating.   |I mopped the floors, stairs and sidewalks everyday, which all “tiendas” or stores do in Cabo to keep the desert sand at bay.  The dust from the dirt roads and the beaches is in the air and settles on everything, mopping is done at least twice a day just to keep pace.  Days would go by and no water, but other tiendas around us had no water problem so we set about finding a plumber. 

Ricardo the plumber discovered the problem rather quickly.  It seems our masseuse next door had leaks in her tanaka and rather than fix it, she turned off the main city water valve, which remember she had walled into her studio before we arrived.  All the “down line” was affected but she insisted it was her right to control the water for our building and the one next door.

Rule # 5  Don’t get into altercations with the locals, always have a Backup Plan.

Our landlord owned her building as well as ours but he was terrified of Yvonne!  To be honest, I didn’t blame him.  Very territorial and protective of her turf, we knew better than to cross that line. She lied about turning the water off and only relented when our plumber told her he would weld the water valve open to solve the problem.  She then admitted turning the water off because her tanaka was leaking into her building, but wouldn’t spend the money to fix it and our landlord insisted it was not his responsibility either---this is a typical Mexican standoff.  So, we had our plumber install a brand new copper line from the city to run up our building, along the roof and into our tanaka. 

Rule # 6  Always be prepared to throw money at a problem in Mexico, it is the easiest, fastest and surest way of solving any problem.

It’s worth mentioning that it seems everyone around us coveted the water line we installed.  We were unaware of the extent of the jealousy over our line until we returned from a few months away during the summer to discover that Yvonne, the tienda next door and our neighbours under us all had suckered onto our line and we were again without adequate water and if we were lucky to have a few litres in the tanaka, we had no pressure.   Ricardo was summoned again to install another line exclusively for us.

Presto, pronto, problemo  solved!