Jill and Jewel's Oaxaca Art Trip

I joined this wonderful art trip to Oaxaca that was organized by a friend of a friend.  The idea of the trip was two-fold: to create one's own art and to see the artistry of others.  In many ways that could be done anywhere--you don't need to go to Oaxaca.  Ah, but Oaxaca holds many things that are unique to it, and that uniqueness is part of the inspiration for the artist within you.

I had never been to Oaxaca, although I have traveled through Central and South America on several occasions over the last 40 years.  Oaxaca is an artisan rich region of a country that has many talented artists, which was a draw to me on those grounds.  In addition, I am a big fan of Rick Bayless' and an amateur home cook, so visiting the region of Mexico that he draws inspiration for food from has appeal for me, to be sure. In other words, the visiting art part of the tour was a fantastic draw--I just wasn't sure how I would fare in the art instruction part of the tour.

Had I really known Jewel and Jill before I got started, I would have relaxed about that considerably.  I am not an ideal student in that I am easily distracted, which makes following directions that are more complicated than I can grasp challenging.  I am more of a fiber artisan, and this class was about drawing, painting and collage.  The bottom line is that I had nothing to worry about.  The class had a wide range of students with an equally broad range of experience.  I was in the bottom quartile, to be sure--but no worries.  I learned a ton, I never felt out of my element, I had great support throughout the class, I got ideas from other students as well as the teacher, and I came home inspired.  What more can you ask from a class?