"Messengers", 22" X 11" watercolor

Messengers by April M. Rimpo

Messengers speaks to a tradition in Guatemala practiced on All Saints Day.  Many Guatemalans are very faithful Catholics and as a result All Saints Day is celebrated with a parade in which they pay tribute to Christ and Mary.  It is also a time when they celebrate the living and their ancestors.  The Guatemalan's visit their cemeteries in throngs, spending the day visiting with each other and with those departed.  It is a celebration, not a sorrowful event. Flowers are everywhere and kites are sold so families can tie messages to the strings and sail these messages to their ancestors.  The recipients may no longer be here in this life, as represented by the empty chair, but you get the sense that these conversations are a vital part of life.

Messenger

watercolor

22" X 11" image

28" X 17" brushed silver frame

$725

AVAILABLE FOR PURCHASE HERE

Technical Tip

It's important to watch demonstrations and to attend workshops every now and then.  If nothing else it reminds you of things you've learned but they have fallen into crevices of your brain that you don't seem to access any more. During the demonstration Frank Webb did for the Baltimore Watercolor Society this week, he used Phthalo Green, which is a color I have not included on my regular palette in a very long time.  In fact I'm not sure it has ever been a regular part of my palette.

I loved the colors he achieved with it, so I decided to use it in the dark regions in one painting I finished last week;  I also incorporated Phthalo Green in "Messengers."  I really enjoyed the result and will likely make it a regular color on my palette.  It was fun to rediscover a pigment I owned but hadn't used for a while.