Well, I've been out of touch for awhile. Not unusual for moi... but for the last few months I've been dealing with breast cancer surgery and treatment. The good news is that I'm doing fine. Truly fine. All things considered, I've felt energetic and well, all through the surgery, and so far three bouts of chemo--only minor symptoms so far, absolutely zero barfing. 

But I believe that the reason I feel so good is that I've been carried along through it all by the love and care of friends, family, and the amazing community of San Miguel. There really are no words to express the cushion of care that is holding me up.

All this support is now coming together in a big way.  Marilo Carral Gallery is hosting a special sale of my photos to help cover the cost of my surgery and treatment.

Friday December 2nd through Sunday December 4th

Everything you need to know is on the web at:
http://www.lulutorbet.com/

It's a unique sale, in that you can choose an image, by number, then the size and framing style. There are also wrought iron tables I've designed that have my photos under glass on top. You can also simply purchase the digital file on a CD, good for one-time use, which you can have framed wherever you live. There will also be framed and unframed images in bins at the gallery.

Marilo Carral Gallery in the Fabrica Aurora Locale 9-A
(first gallery on left at end of center hall)

Gallery Hours: Friday 12-9pm (the December ArtWalk is Friday from 6-9)

Saturday and Sunday 11am-6pm

Work by Marilo Carral and MariJose Marin will be on exhibit in front gallery.

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PEJU WINERY "CARumba!" Opening May 1 1-4 PM

I'm off to California to visit old friends in Marin County, and for an opening of my photos at Peju Winery in Rutherford, in the Napa wine country. It's the first time back since I moved to California in 2005, so I'm as excited about seeing old friends as I am about the opening.

The exhibtion opens on May 1, from 1-4 PM, at Peju Winery, 8466 St. Helena Highway (Route 29), in Rutherford, just north of Napa, and will be up through June 25th.  

I'll be showing large photos from "CARumba!"  images of the dented, scratched, much-repainted cars that ply the streets of San Miguel. (Here's a link to the pix). I hope you'll get a chance to stop by, either on May 1st or during the show's run.

New "Palettable" series at Generator Gallery

Although I'm still obsessed with taking pictures of the tarpaulins in the markets and the dented, re-painted cars of San Miguel, I have a new distraction. One day as I went to clean off months of cumulative mess on the large glass tabletop in my painting studio, I was caught by the compositions formed by the smeared, dribbled paints, the pastel dust and general detritus, and took a few pictures. At home, on my computer, I noticed that the light slanting through the window cast shadows from the paint onto the table beneath. So I was off and running,  putting another layer of glass on top, moving the compositions around on the table, adding writing and spilling water that also cast shadows.

A few photos from this new series, "Palettable,"  will be part of a group show, "Fotolandia," at Generator Gallery in the Fabrica Aurora through the month of June. These images are kind of a test run for what I can feel is going to be another long, obsessive exploration. Whoopee!

Report from Mexico + All Best Wishes for 2011

OK, here are the two big lies about Mexico:

One, there are no drug traffickers in most of Mexico, and I still walk home alone at night with no sense of danger. Two, it's not manana-land. I'm busier here than ever, though the fun quotient is much higher.

It's been a good year. I've had four photo exhibitions, which has been very gratifying and exciting. I think i'm even starting to make a profit with my photos, though I haven't quit my day job. Links to lots of photos can be found in the posts directly below this one.

The publishing business is pretty much history, and so now I write for private clients. At the moment I am editing a novel about Mexican history of the last century, written by a woman whose husband is part of a prominent Mexican family that figured prominently in the reign of Porfirio Diaz and through the Mexican Revolution.

I feel fortunate to live in this diverse, colorful, festive country, fortunate to have so many supportive and lively friends. In 2011 I'll have a show in Napa Valley, and hope to get back to Marin for the opening on April 28th. On August 19, I'll have a show opening at Bellas Artes, the cultural center here in San Miguel. So I guess it won't be the year of living languorously, as I'd fantasized.

Thinking of you and sending much love and best wishes  for a peaceful and pleasurable year for us all.

Lulu (Lolly, Laura)

The Call of Nature: New Photos at Camino Silvestre

I’ve never thought of myself as a nature photographer—or, for that matter, a nature lover. I feel more closely aligned with Woody Allen (“I am at two with nature”) than with John Muir. But when I find myself in the wilds—the Charco, Candelaria, a pond with frogs darting across the lily pads, an artful garden—I succumb to the charms of the natural world.

So I’m leaving photos of battered cars and market tarpaulins behind for the moment, and showing my photos of the botanical garden, the annual plant fair, and a couple of floral paintings, at Camino Silvestre (Wild Road), a beautiful new shop in San Miguel. Here are some images. 

In the end, the subject matter doesn’t matter. The myriad visual pleasures of the everyday world we inhabit are what I want the viewer of my photos to see and appreciate.

Camino Silvestre    Zacateros 46  Centro, San Miguel   Open 7 days, 11-7.

Pozos Party Photos: !NOW REVOLUTION!

NiCk and Manrey at Galeria6 in Pozos know how to throw a party.  It was a picture perfect day, the installation was superb, the gardens abloom, the crowd lively, food and drink aplenty from our generous hosts. And I sold two photographs. Whoopee!  Here are photos of the opening. 
The show is up through January 2, if you want to spend a leisurely day in the country, visiting the old silver mines, the lavender farm, a long lazy lunch...  



Galeria6  Plaza Principal 6  Mineral de Pozos  

!Now Revolution" exhibition at Galeria 6

Mexico's Bicentennial is being celebrated in many and sundry ways, but perhaps none so wild and wacky as !Now Revolution!, a group showing of five artists at Galeria6 in nearby (to San Miguel) Pozos, a growing new arts community. Lena Bartula's got cross-dressed revolutionary heroes; Anado McLaughlin's installation has ten thousand Buddhas doing something or other; Ezshwan Winding says her torched encaustics are "about the underbelly." Jim Pasant's  (who will also do DJ duty at the opening as Notorious J.I.M) is showing photos of Mexican street graffiti. And me?  Banners, fireworks, and things that explode (images here).

Doesn't this sound like fun?? One way or another, we're all playing with fire....

!NOW REVOLUTION!    

OPENING NOVEMBER 6, 1-6 PM

 Galeria6  Jardin Principal 6  Mineral de Pozos

"AUTOreflejo" at ArtPrint Photo Gallery Opening Sept 10

Well, things are heating up as Mexico's Bicentennial gets underway--parades, fireworks, theater, bullfights, fairs, parties, dancing. It promises to be a long and lively celebration.

I'm adding to the mayhem by having an opening on Friday, September 10, at ArtPrint Photo Gallery, just off the square. It's new work, but more cars (images here)--battered old cars, reflections through closed car windows, the rear-view mirrors of taxis. I have several other series in progress, but I just can't seem to get over these cars. Someday I'll move on, I suppose, but their serendipitous beauty still catches my eye.

Viva Mexico!

Photo Show at Cafe Iberico June and July 2010

I know you've all missed me terribly in the many months since I last posted (not so much?), but as usual I've been far too busy for someone who moved to Mexico so I would have more free time. Don't believe everything you hear about Mexico--the threat of narco-traffickers, the killer swine flu, or that it's a manana culture. I have to admit I've had more time for photography and painting, which has been wonderful, even though it now contributes substantially to my perpetual whirlwind state. Fortunately, I do spend an inordinate amount of time having fun, seeing friends, and being charmed by this great country I live in.

At the moment I have three photography shows in the works. One is up now, at a great new restaurant in San Miguel, Cafe Iberico, which serves authentic Spanish tapas, very good wines, and dazzling desserts in a beautiful setting. I'm showing more large images of scraped, repainted cars (there are always new battered beauties) that look like paintings; dashboard dolls; and a couple shots from a new series, "Smithereens," of things that explode in San Miguel: Judas figures, fireworks, pinatas. The show is up through the end of July.

In September, I'll have a show of new work at ArtPrint Gallery, which opens on September 10 in time for Mexico's bicentennial celebrations, and will run through October. Next year I'll be having a show at San Miguel's cultural center, Bellas Artes. Details in due course.

I hope you Sanmiguelenses will have a chance to stop in and see the show at Cafe Iberico at Mesones 101. And I hope to find a little more free time to post all the great quotes and funny videos I've been collecting for you.

Opening Night--Queretaro Museum: "CARumba!" and "LONAmiento"

The opening of my photography show at the Museum of the City of Queretaro on December 16 was a blast. Two busloads of friends came along for the ride. We had wine, popcorn, and chocolates en route. The buses got lost, and we ended up far from the museum. Then we got lost trying to find our way through the streets, so I was almost an hour late to my own opening.

But it was a thrill for me to see such a large show of my work in a museum (a beautiful colonial ex-convent) with so many friends in attendance. There were six openings at the museum that night, so there was a lively crowd. Walking back to bus, we passed through the stunningly decorated squares of the historic center--one with a towering tree, dozens of hand-crafted tin lanterns, and angels; and another that is famous for its devil theme--though the meaning of the flamingos interspersed among the crouching and menacing devils eluded me.

Here are some photos, taken by my pals Roger Brudno and Carol Jackson; and a video of the event shot by the talented alTirado, edited by the ever-patient and savvy Roger Brudno. For me, a night to remember!

Museo de la Ciudad Guerrero 27 Nte Centro Historico Queretaro Tues-Sun 10-6
Show continues through January 31, 2010