The eyes have it
Galeria La Manzanilla featured the paintings of Guillermo Gil Gonzales for its Meet the Artist Reception season finale on March 8. This is the third year the Ajijic-based artist has “closed the show,” so to speak.
The heart of Gil’s work continues to be his faces, which made up the majority of the 27 new works he brought to the show. Over the years, he’s honed his subjects to such a sharp reality that it wouldn’t surprise me to hear one of his ancianos cough or a niña giggle. But the real soul of every one of Gil’s “portraits” is still the eyes, perhaps a mirror to the soul of the artist himself.
Gil continues to exhibit throughout Ajijic and at the Plaza de la Liberation in Guadalajara. Expanding his audience with representation in a Puerto Vallarta gallery is a possibility for the near future. You can view Gil’s and other affiliated artists´ work on the Galeria’s Website: www.artinmexico.com.
Galeria La Manzanilla, located at Calle Perula Sur #83, will continue its winter hours, Monday to Saturday 11 to 6 and Sunday 11 to 3, through the end of April. In addition to fine art from throughout Mexico, the Galeria also features a wide variety of pottery, ceramics and one-of-a-kind jewelry.
Que te vaya bien
“Adios!” is back at the top of my frequently-used-words list, and I’m liking the sound of it. Not that I won’t miss some of the winter people who are shipping out to their summer places. I wish them all a safe trip. I am, however, looking forward to the peace and quiet left in the wake of their departure.
The Galeria, Palapa Joe’s Open Mic, and Scottie and Friends have all called “last of the season” in the past couple of weeks. As of this writing, they’re still playing duplicate bridge twice a week at Martin’s and the Men’s Breakfast group continues to meet on Wednesday mornings at Las Cabañas. Not for much longer, though, I suspect.
The foreign tourist trade is tapering off, as well, making room for the Semana Santa (Holy Week) crowds. The first wave is already breaking on our shore. Semana Santa is the best of times and the worst of times in La Manzanilla. What’s not to love about this Mexican holiday tradition, when hundreds of families spend a few joyful days together on our beach, partying through the three most important days of the Catholic Easter observance? All these people descending on so small a space by the bus and truck load in such a short amount of time puts a serious strain on our water and power supply. Driving the short distance from one end of town to the other will be a Herculean challenge. And the discordant disco music into the wee hours will make me want to sharpen two pencils and poke out my eardrums. But it only lasts for a week. And maybe my favorite churro lady from Guadalajara will be here.
Still life
Stay tuned for at least one more column from the Lois Lane of La Manzanilla. Chantli Mare, our newest premium restaurant up on the Boca de Iguanas beach, has just announced a gala end-of-season BBQ and dance with the return of The TallBoys Band on March 22. The timing is such that you’ll have to read all about it next time. Plus, by then I hope to have my new Mexican driver’s license, an adventure sure to spawn a few words of informational copy. If you’re in town on Easter morning, when most of the Semana Santa crowd has disappeared, you’ll want to have reservations for Café de Flores’ outstanding brunch. Until then, I hope you have a good Easter, wherever you are and however you celebrate.