Food recipes

Saturday, December 27, 2014

Museum Labyrinth of the Sciences and the Arts

One of the newest museums in the city of San Luis Potosí city in México is Laberinto de las Ciencias y las Artes, Labyrinth of the Sciences and the Arts. I've heard it was a interactive museum for children. So it wasn't a major attraction for adults, but there's a game changer exhibition advertised all over the city. The temporary exhibition is called Body Worlds Vital. Real human bodies were plastinated using a technique created by a German doctor, his name is Gunther von Hagens. So I went to check it out yesterday. I asked permission to sketch, since photos and videos weren´t allowed just for that exhibition. I had to write a letter to the director of the museum to request permission. So I did, what could I loose? I returned today to deliver the letter and they granted me permission minutes later. Wow, lucky me! 

This is the side entrance of the museum near the parking lot. The facilities are great, worthy of first quality exhibitions like this one. This temporary exhibition was supposed to be over at the end of December, but it´s been so succesful that the museum is thinking in extending it for another month.

The quality of the pieces is very good. You can see muscles, tendons, nerves and little ligaments even veins. Two or three pieces are just jaw dropping, so complex to draw, so I sticked to those pieces that my limited talent could manage. 

Here it is the Diver, the body of a woman separated in half. The front half, where the face is, has what it looks like the hands, but in reality its oly the ligaments! The back half, where the brain is, has what it looks like like the hands, but it´s only the bones and nails, and at the center, it shows the organs. These pieces are not only educational but art as well! Who ever chose that pose has an artistic mind. I could describe the technique but I don't want to get into trouble or pay a fine.


If this exhibition comes to your city, go, you won't regret it. I thank to the Director of the Museum María González Flores for allowing me to sketch part of such an interesting collection.

Tuesday, December 23, 2014

The newspaper stand.

I lived 19 years in San Luis Potosi city, Mexico, until I moved to the United States. It's always nice to visit family here. I remember this newspaper and magazines stand being there forever. I sat  down across the street and the vendor kept looking at me suspiciously. I found it funny. Three cars parked in front of me in one parking spot during the skecthing time, so I had to stand up several times to continue. Two young men came out of one these cars and asked me kindly if they were blocking my view. I politely replied no, they actually were blocking my view, but I'm too nice to say otherwise, ha! They asked me if I was drawing and if they could see my drawing. They were pleased to see it. They turn out to be architects, one of them told me he wasn't good at drawing by hand, and right after, he asked me why did I choose to sketch the newspaper stand, he said I should sketch La Caja de Agua, a well known monument in the city. I told him I already sketched it (click here to see it). I explained I belong to a group called Urban Sketchers and our purpose is to show the world one drawing at a time, and I want to show the newspaper stand to the world as they are still exist all over Mexico. They were satisfied with my answer, congratulated me and left. When I added some color to my sketch ( I finished it at home) I went to show it to the vendor. He thought I was drawing the school behind. How come two persons thought the newspaper stand is not worth to sketch? Carlos, the vendor's name, told me he's been the owner of the stand for 27 years! Oh yes, I do remember that long ago I used to buy there my Cabala Spanish puzzle magazine, but I vaguely remember him. It took me only 29 years to know his name.




Sunday, December 21, 2014

A great heart


Dad is great example of taking care himself. I accompanied him to see his cardiologist for a routine check up. The building across the street is the Hospital Angeles in the city of San Luis Potosi. The orange buildings are doctor offices only. The two story building on the left is the hospital. There's an underground parking lot. I sketched this one from a 3rd floor. Nice view. My dad had to wait for me since he was in and out the doctor's office in no time. Glad to say his heart is great! 




Thursday, December 4, 2014

Inside the actors studio

My husband and I are watching our friends' dogs while they are out this week. Our friends love Dachshund. They are very responsible and an example of how a dog owner should be. The care and love our friends give to their dogs is amazing. A way to see how much they love their dogs is looking at their colorful beds. Each dog has a bed carefully prepared for their enjoyment. There's a Christmas theme blanket full of a variety of stuffed toys. Some still as a whole, others not so lucky. I can image the countless adventures they have had playing with them. I thought their beds looked so cute so I sketched them. The first bed has a legless crab, a lighthouse, a clueless cow, a big lamb, an oversized bone, a pink bird, probably female, a shy porcupine, a Christmas Snoopy, a pumpkin and a snowman in a position that I swear is ready to sacrifice it's life at the mercy of the dogs' teeth.



The second bed is equally charming and carefully set for their comfort. In this one there's a snowman which is imagining it's on a launch chair at the beach, a upside down bear, a multicolored worm, a Thaksgiving Snoopy, a blue bird, probably sad, a very relaxed gingerman, an earless bugs bunny, and a buried Charlie Brown.
 



The dogs are very friendly and well trained. The dog sitter stays overnight but works during the day, so we go twice during the day to check them out. Both dogs are rescued: Roxy 11, who we've took care of on previous times and we know her well; and Slinky 3, he is the new member of the family. We've been 3 days with Slinky so far to get to know him. Both dogs enjoy visitors. As soon as we arrive we waste no time to let them out their cages for them to stretch, greet, run, bark, drink water, explore, pee, poo, play and let us rub their bellies. When is time for us to go, we called them to come into their cages. Roxy knows what to do, but Slinky...oh...Slinky. When I say cage, he switches to acting mode. Now he can't walk. His brain is divided in two. It commands contradictory orders and Slinky knows it. He looks at me begging for help. His back legs are paralyzed, they don't move and his rear end is on the floor, the front legs are baby stepping in slow motion towards the cage door, dragging painfully his whole body. Three feet of agony and suffering. I watch and wait patiently. I'm the audience. When Slinky's hands are inside the cage, the paralyzed legs are no more and he walks proudly few steps like a normal dog to finally get inside the comfortable cage. The act is useless now, is over. I close the cage and clap. Bravo, Bravo! I leave the house smiling, knowing that I'll watch the same performance worthy of an Oscar and enjoy it the next day.....twice.