Painting on the Road: Postcards from Argentina

Strathmore watercolor postcards are convenient

We are smack dab in the middle of a 3.5 week trip to Argentina and Chile and I'm so glad I packed watercolors because a few quick postcards are all I've had time for so far. Argentina is a huge country and transportation is time-consuming. The postcards, paintbox, water brush and little spray bottle of water weigh next to nothing and easily tuck into my daypack, no problem to carry around on days when painting will have to be a spontaneous activity during a stolen moment. Even though I haven't been producing much art myself I have been looking at the work of others and making a few connections with other artists. In Buenos Aires we went to the San Telmo Sunday market which offers a range of contemporary art, traditional textiles/crafts/metalwork, and flea market antiques.

Picasso lithographs, Mendoza

While visiting Plaza Independencia in Mendoza we stumbled upon the Museo Municipal de Arte Moderno which just happened to have a wonderful show of Picasso lithographs displayed without barriers or elaborate security systems, similar to how you'd hang art in your own home. How nice to get up close to great art! Argentina makes its art (and education through university) free to the public. What a good idea!

In Salta we saw The Children of the Volcano exhibit at the Museum of High Altitude Archaeology of Salta. In 1999 the mummified bodies of three Incan children were found at the top of the 22,109 ft. Llullaillaco volcano. They had been ritualistically sacrificed at least 500 years ago and buried along with culturally important items including textiles and miniature human and animal figures made of gold, silver and other materials.

Artifact found with Volcano Children, Salta

My goal while traveling is keep my eyes, ears, mind and heart open to whatever comes my way. I like to paint or draw when I can; look at art including graffiti; visit all kinds of museums; eat good food (of course!); and connect in meaningful ways with the people I meet. I've met a lot of interesting, kind, and helpful Argentinians and fellow travelers on this trip! (Hello Federico, Lara and Maija!) If you're interested in reading other posts from my Painting on the Road art and travel series you can type "Painting on the Road" into the search box in the sidebar.