“Self-Portrait in Parts,” 24”x18”, chalk, ink, watercolor, acrylic on paper, 2020
This photo was from my first trip to Peru. I as walking up the road (shown to the right) when I saw this newly repaired wall so white in the cool thin air. Cusco is an absolutely amazing city high in the Andes. People have been living in this area since at least 900 CE, before the Inca and the Spanish. Such a rich history.
I had never been to Asia before and I just LOVED Taiwan. I had one day to myself and wandered where I wanted. I’d read that the park at the Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall was beautiful and shouldn’t be missed. I took the (super clean ) subway which stopped right at the corner of the park near the Main Gate on the west end. Just inside the park is National Theater and the National Concert Hall. It’s all so well-designed.
The area where I took the photo from is part of rainwater recycling system. The rainwater from the Memorial is stored in collection tanks where a filtration system helps to purify the water for irrigation. The papyrus are part of the natural filtration system.
I hate the term “bucket list.” I prefer to go with the concept of Places I Would Love to See and Experience. The Grand Tetons in Wyoming was just such a place. The United States are so vast with such a rich history, even if we don’t appreciate all the peoples who’ve lived here for thousands of years. And underneath the people is the land. For millions of years, the lands have worn away like hundreds of miles away in the Appalaichians or moved and shifted upward like here in the Tetons. The homes of any people who choose to live in this cold, unforgiving land look so inconsequential to the mountains.
Dublin, Ireland, 2017
8” x 10”, digital print
I have been to Ireland many times since my first visit in 1977. At the time there were so many flower markets on Grafton Street and in other markets. And I could see why. To me, the city of Dublin was dirty and old, very grey and always cold and wet. The flowers at the citywide markets were a wonderful welcome to my Midwestern heart. Today, there are fewer flower markets, but when I round a corner, the bursts of colors and scents from these sellers fills my heart and soul. It is though they are welcoming me again.
Esteli, Nicaragua, 2009, 8” x 10”, digital print
My son was serving in the Peace Corps in Nicaragua, when we came down to visit in 2009. He lived up in the mountains but had come down to the market in Esteli for shopping and reliable internet service. I was amazed by the large quantities of vegetables and fruits everywhere. This large bunch of carrots just jumped out at me. I wished there was a market like this at home.
Mother Sweater
© 1984 Lourdes S Guerrero
29”x48”x10”, wool/cotton/acrylic
