I
just can’t get enough of painting murals at the nursing home Fray Rodrigo de la
Cruz! Last week I went by to ask permission to do the third and –alas, last- mural
in the dining hall. That took all of twenty seconds. “Mi amor,” the director said, “the wall is YOURS!” Leaving took me another
hour because of course I had to say hello to all the friends I made there.The
cute old man who was sitting at the “art table” insisted on showing me all the
colouring pages he had finished. He had only a few pages left so I promised to
bring him more. (Which I did and will continue to do. What an easy way to make
someone happy!)
Anyway,
yesterday was the day and thanks to a fantastic team we managed to finish the
mural in just one day! There were three of us, so basically we did three days
of work in one. My assistant Henry did a terrific job setting up the paints and
materials and then helped marking the grid and sketching. Whereas drawing the
grid took him a long time when he first started, he now has the hang of it and
the job was done in no time. More great help came from Alice Lee, quite an
accomplished painter herself, who had offered to volunteer. The design was
ideal to work in a team of three. The wall wasn’t too high, so we didn’t have
to fight over ladders and the width of the design gave each plenty of space to
comfortably work in. We worked hard, only stopped for a quick lunch and despite
a chat here and there, Don Saul’s constant singing and an abuelo hiding under our worktable, we were finished by 5pm!
This
mural depicts Don Patrocinio Quesibaldo, a friendly old man whose favourite
spot was the bench next to the exit where he could keep an eye on people’s
coming and going. He liked the previous murals we painted and often came by for
a chat. Unfortunately we heard yesterday that Don Patrocinio passed away soon
after we finished our mural in January. I like to think he would be honoured to
have his portrait on the wall.
Doña
Trini was there of course, as always busy drying dishes (despite her 96 years
of age) but taking regular breaks to give us hugs and positive feedback. Another
old lady came by to tell me that she really enjoys the murals, especially the
first one, of Doña Juanita and Don Inocencio. She said: “They were my friends
and I talk to them. And you know what? They talk back to me!”
Wow…
So,
another great experience! It could of course not have been done without
donations from Ann Kitchen, Amanda Gibson, Alice Lee, Ana Maria Ackermans,
Suzanne Picot and Wendy Russell. Thanks so much! And of course a big thank you
to Alice Lee and Henry Navarijo for a terrific job done!
So
what’s next? I’d love to continue painting in the nursing home. The dining hall
is quite done by now, but the complex is huge and there are plenty walls left. Also
on my wish list is the new hospital
of Obras Sociales in San
Juan del Obispo. A huge brand new building with masses of white walls that make
my fingers itch. And of course there are still some requests from schools on
the shelf. And more dog murals at the Unidos para los Animales shelter…. Plenty
of walls to think of, as long as the donations keep coming in, I’ll keep
painting! Thank you all for your support!
