A Heart-centered Point of View
Traveling to Guatemala has always been, for me, a journey to the heart. Like many tourists, ex-pats, and foreigners who call Guatemala home, I go there for the natural beauty, down-to-earth lifestyle, and the people. Its the heart of the place, the heart of the ancient Mayan cultures, and the heart of the people that makes me feel like I've come home every time the wheels hit the tarmac at La Aurora Airport in Guatemala City.
My trip included a wonderful commission for a kind Dutch gentleman living in San Marcos la Laguna. Joseph is all about heart. In our first meeting, he spoke of the sense of heart he feels living in the valley above Lake Atitlan with views of the three volcanoes front of you. We shared some of our own heart-felt experiences with loss and the transformative, healing power of the heart. He provided me with a geometric design as a guide, and told me to "Follow My Heart."
I had the great fortune to create these 12 windows in the rooftop studio of my friend Alex, who passed away in 2017. He was a talented artist of carpentry and music, creating his own stringed instruments. I had the pleasure of creating a mosaic garden table for him and Barbara, his wife and one of my very best friends. It was a wonderful experience to combine my mosaic production in Alex's rooftop studio with regular visits with Barbara. The pieces are indeed, full of heart. Not only are they full of my own heart, and Barbara and Alex's home, but Lake Atitlan, Volcano San Pedro, and Rostro Maya as well. Here are some shots from the studio
Visiting Barbara gave me the opportunity to visit this mosaic garden I table I created for them a few years ago...visiting another old friend!
....And a print of "Fairy Slippers", which she hung so beautifully in her home's bougainvillea colors...from the inside and from outdoors...
The mosaic I made of Alex's grave needed some repair as it has become water damaged, giving me the perfect opportunity to show some love for my friend. Before renovation, on the left, and with "New Alex" in center and right....
SO many people made me feel like I was back in my hometown--and in many ways, I was!
Nancy McCoy has been a friend of mine in San Pedro since the early days of Cafe La Puerta. Our lives have been intricately woven together in Atitlan, with many creative projects and friendship over many years. Nancy hosted me in her son's house, an incredibly beautiful, inspiring space at the foot of volcano San Pedro, where the energy of the forest and mother nature's healing energies permeated me every day. I was able to enjoy and reconnect with these "old friends" as well...some mosaic lighting pieces I made to illuminate the path to the house....
SO many old friends! So much Heart! SO, so much love!
