Puerto Vallarta Street Art with D.G. Kaye

It’s hard to talk about Mexican street art, or Mexican art of any ilk, without massive nods to Frida Kahlo.

D.G. –  You should see all the Frida stuff I have here, from art to books to clothing and a beach bag. Can you tell I’m a huge Frida fan? LOL

Resa –  Yes I can tell! So, let’s see what you’ve captured and then spend some time with Frida! In regards to the pic below, that you have titled“Little Boy Lost in Technology”: It looks like it is painted on a crumbling shack.?

D.G. – I didn’t even remember titling it that, lol. My interpretation is because so many are lost in their phones like phone zombies.

D.G. named many of the pics she sent in. I’ll put those in blue italics.

But actually, it’s not a shack, it’s the side of a store downtown. I’m not sure but I would guess it was painted on stucco? I mean the brick is exposed and so is part of the board and stucco?

Resa – Is this what it is like in parts of Puerto Vallarta?
I mean is poverty and hi-tech living together?
Is this image reflective of real life there?

D.G. – Yes, there is definitely poverty, just not in the tourist areas. Wall art/murals are permitted there as a medium of social messaging. The artist only needs the permission of the building owner and/or local authorities. Funny though, no matter how poor, everyone seems to have a phone. 🙂

D.G. – This intricate mosaic done in mirrored glass is in the Entertainment Park at the malecon (boardwalk), a square where they have entertainment sometimes and the Saturday morning market is held.

Resa –  It’s gorgeous!

Resa – Is this image on the malecon? Or where did you find it?

D.G – The above shot and the  next one were taken at the La Cruz market. Above, the artist featured paintings. The next one was a mural painted on a storefront entrance.

Resa – Is the La Cruz market the main market in Puerto Vallarta? Is it on the Malecon?Does one buy food there as well as art?

D.G. – Yes, there is a whole area like an outdoor foodcourt where merchants sell home made food and baked goods. Delish! There are several little markets throughout all towns, and yes, the Malecon has little markets as well, and a Saturday market. But the La Cruz market is by far the biggest and doesn’t have typical market items. It’s more artisan crafted – clothing, jewelry, hats, collectibles, lotions – you name it.

Resa – Tell me about “Child Art”!

D.G – The image of the girl is an actual painting, not a mural. I took the shot up in La Cruz outside a booth with an artist doing his art. I didn’t get to speak with him so I don’t know his name. His art was outside his booth on stands. I wasn’t the only one with a camera. 

Resa – You titled the above “Catholic Religious”. Is this image on, or by a church?

D.G. – The girl with the red apron was snapped outside a building on a downtown side street. I’m still trying to figure it out. It looks religious at first, but why would the vegetable be on it? Lol. It’s wall art, but not sure what it represents.

Resa – I get it! The red apron/poncho looks like a “chasuble”, a liturgical vestment  worn by Roman Catholic priests and bishops at mass. Seems like there are a lot of murals/street art in Puerto Vallarta.

D.G. – Puerto Vallarta is a growing art scene with so much talent.
Murals are allowed and have been a common way for artists to express themselves in social justice since the Mexican Muralism Movement. It began with wall paintings in the civic buildings after 1910 to educate the illiterate.

Resa – “Planetary art” Was this found at a trip to the Planetarium, or is it street art that made you think planetarium?

D.G. -As you well know, when you walk along older narrow and/or cobblestone roads, there’s always something to see. This photo was painted on a wall on a narrow downtown street.

Resa –  Where were “Splash of Nature’s Colour” and“Peaceful Art” found?

D.G. – The splash was taken in Punta Mita, another town not far from La Cruz. It was a very short street with a few stores and restaurants and outside the stores you would find art.

D.G. – Peaceful art grabbed my attention while I was walking downtown around the malecon area. We were looking for the cotton store. I remember being disappointed when I looked at it later. I’d cut some of the top off. I was standing across the street from it, and I was trying to snap the photo in between many cars driving by.

Resa – Out of the dozen pics of art you sent, 5  are of Frida. It seems to me inasmuch as Mexico inspired Frida, Frida now inspires Mexico. Am I overstating her influence?

D.G. – No, you aren’t overstating the huge influence Frida had and still stands for in the Mexican culture. Frida is loved and admired throughout Mexico. She is admired for her colourful artwork – all expressions of what she was feeling throughout her life as well as many political paintings.

Resa – I adore this mural of Frida, which you say is on a restaurant. Did you eat there?

D.G. – No I never ate there, so I can’t even tell you what the name is. My bad.

Resa – The important thing is you got the pic!

Resa –  I love this pic of Frida and Diego you took when visiting “Immersive Frida Kahlo”, in Toronto.

Click on the pic below and go to an article D.G. wrote about Frida. It fills in many things not in this post.

A BIT OF HISTORY
D.G. – Frida was born July 6, 1907 – July 13, 1954. Frida played a big part in the Nationalist Movement during the Mexican Revolution that took place from 1910 to 1920. The country was fighting for democracy to get rid of a dictator that had been in power for 34 years, violating the Mexican Constitution.

Many of her art pieces represent the pain she suffered in her younger days when she was first bedridden for months when she contracted Polio in 1913. She recovered, but she was left with one leg shorter than the other and deformed and wore a built-up shoe to help her limp. Then she was bedridden after a terrible bus accident in 1925. It was when Frida was held up in bed for months that her father had an easel installed above her bed so she could draw.

Frida is known as empowering, and as an icon for women’s strength, her art, and her love for the Mexican culture. Many only knew her as Diego Rivera’s wife in their younger days because he was already a famous mural painter when they met, and her art was not yet recognized. 

Resa – Although you shot the “Immersive Frida Kahlo” images from moving wall projections, I am enamoured. I put most of them in the Slideshow below.

D.G. – Frida’s portrait of Diego in the slide show –  To me. this painting highlights their volatile and turbulent relationship as it looks like hot flames.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

D.G. – Check out this great video on Mexican Muralism

How Mexican muralism sparked a public art movement

Resa – What a fabulous video! Thank you, Debby! I’m thrilled with everything you’ve sent me. Our post will be the bee’s knee’s!

D.G. We’re a great team. And of course we’re not just throwing pics up without discussing what they are, and perhaps a personal opinion or observation here and there. You are the creative art director and great photographer. I take amateur pics that tell me a story and love to write about. Teamwork!

About the Author

D.G. Kaye is a Canadian author living in Toronto. She is a nonfiction writer of memoirs about her life experiences, matters of the heart, and women’s issues. Her positive outlook keeps her on track, allowing her to take on life’s challenges with a dose of humor and a mission to overcome adversity.

D.G. began writing when pen and paper became the tools to express her pent-up emotions during her turbulent childhood. She began journaling about her life at a young age and continued writing about the people and events that left imprints and lessons. She writes books to share her stories and inspiration.

D.G. is a big advocate for kindness and for empowering women. Her favorite saying is “For every kindness, there should be kindness in return. Wouldn’t that just make the world right?”

When she’s not writing, D.G. loves to read (self-help books and stories of triumph), cook (concocting new recipes, never to come out the same way twice), shop (only if it’s a great sale), play poker (when she gets the chance), and, most of all, travel.

Visit her website at www.dgkayewriter.com and join her mailing list to keep up with her latest blogs and news about her books and events.

Contact D.G. at: d.g.kaye.writer@gmail.com

Follow D.G. on her social sites:

http://www.dgkayewriter.com

www.twitter.com/@pokercubster

www.facebook.com/dgkaye

www.linkedin.com/in/dgkaye7

Visit D.G.’s author page and books: www.amazon.com/author/dgkaye7.

Podcast links: Grief the Real Talk

https://www.youtube.com/DebbyDGKayeGies

https://soundcloud.com/dgkaye

https://open.spotify.com/episode/38OoQQysdvNYjXL3pfCMMq?si=wg-DQ8_PSs-hthRtIzvpFQ

Mercury and Psyche

I went gaga when I laid eyes on this mural.

The translucency of of colours over words is intriguing to me.

The gods never looked so great!

Rising over 10 stories into the Toronto sky line, this tall boy was difficult to shoot with my IPhone.

Oh, and there was this ugly billboard four feet in front of it, so I had to shoot on an angle.

Ah, I get it! Pave paradise, put in a parking lot. Rectify with gorgeous art. Put bad asp billboard 4 feet in front of art. Next!

Pics taken by Resa – February 20, 2023

Toronto, Canada

The artists: PichiAvo (Pichi & Avo) – Valencia, Spain

Click on photo below to visit their website.

Sir Chocolate Children’s Books – by: Robbie and Michael Cheadle

This delightful series of Children’s books teaches many things: kindness, community,  acceptance, environment and more.

Resa – I believe the above is the first book in the series.

Robbie – It is the first book in the series. It was the first children’s book my publisher, TSL Publications, published too, so it was a learning curve for all of us.

Resa – On page 22 there’s a roaring fire. It looks delicious. What is it made out of?

Robbie – Ah yes, that fire was fun to make (and eat). The logs are made of a chocolate bar we get in South Africa called a Flake. It is quite crumbly and does look like it’s made of wood. 
The fire is made from yellow buttercream piped using a large star nozzle and the earth is made from crushed, dark Oreos. Very delicious.

Resa – So, your son and husband are both named Michael!

(This is a bit embarrassing, but I thought Robbie wrote these books with her husband.)

Robbie – My husband’s name is Terence. Both my sons have Dean as a second name which is my father’s first name. It is a family name that has been passed down for a number of generations.
Resa – “Sir Chocolate and the sugar dough bees” is quite pertinent and important in my mind. Bees are so important to our survival. Did you and Michael do this tale as a teaching story?
🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝
Robbie – Yes, all the books have a subtle teaching point about teamwork, friendship, acceptance or the environment. The Sugar Dough Bees and The Condensed Milk River are both about environmental issues and I have been pleased that lots of the children do pick up on them. It shows that the schools and their parents are giving them good guidance about our planet and looking after it.

Resa – Yes, last night I read “The Condensed Milk River”. It’s great that you feature environmental issues.

Resa – Your son was 10 when you wrote these books based on some of his ideas.  That was in 2016. He must be 16 – 17 now. Does he still help with ideas?

Robbie – Michael is turned 17 on Monday, 30 January. He does still help with ideas for the stories, he has a wonderful imagination. Most of the Sir Chocolate books were written in 2014 and 2015 although I am only publishing some of them now.

I haven’t had to change them much as we still like the stories. My artwork has grown though and I’ve tackled more difficult projects like fondant dogs and a gingerbread caravan.

Michael assisted with a number of the ideas and themes for Haunted Halloween Holiday which we wrote and published last year.

He is very open minded and there is a strong theme of acceptance of difference in that book. A Vampire (Count Sugular) is married to a witch (Witch Honey) and their male baby is a banshee (I’ve only heard of female banshees before). I have been delighted to see child readers picking up on this and making remarks about a vampire married to a witch.

Resa – I see in “The Sugar Crystal Caves” that the recipes are not cooked or baked, but are created out of biscuits, wafers and other already made treats that are glued together with icing sugar.

This seems fun for younger children, that are not ready to bake, even with mom’s help. Is this what you intended?

Robbie – The instructions on how to make boats, cars, and other fun things from biscuits and icing was just an idea I had when I wrote that particular book. I had been remembering making sugar crystals and racing cars out of boudoir biscuits when I was a kid and I wanted to share that knowledge. I don’t think kids are shown how to do these sorts of activities any more and they are such fun. I did a few of these activities with my Sunday School class and they loved it. Biscuit art is an alternative to baking and is also a fun and bonding exercise for children and caregivers.

This particular book has done well with the pre-schools. I think the biscuit art is easier for teachers to do with their classes than baking.

Resa – I like the biscuit art. It’s like food LEGO. Kids get that.

What a great suggestion – biscuit art is like Lego. I didn’t think of it like that but your are right, it is all about construction.

Resa In “Sir Chocolate and the Fondant Five”, you teach about African animals. It seems there is more to this than just teaching about animals. After all, they have to be saved from the lazy elves. What was your & Michael’s objective in this story?

Robbie – The objective of this particular book was partly to teach children about the “Big Five African Animals”, but it was also about teamwork and formulating a plan to solve a difficult problem. Sir Chocolate and the other animals all work together to find and rescue the Fondant Five. They derive a plan and implement it. 

Resa – After I read “Sir Chocolate and the Ice Cream Fairies”, I thought….. Kindness and understanding bring personal rewards. Am I on the mark here?

Robbie – This little book had a few subtle themes. Obviously, colours was one, as well as different flavours and tastes and being adventurous about different taste combinations. Kindness and being helpful and thoughtful if people are sick are unable to attend to their jobs and needs for a period, was also a theme. 

Resa – In “Chocolate Fudge Saves the Sugar Dog”, Sir Chocolate’s son is the hero. You teach about some dogs, but there is more. Tell me about the main lesson in this book!

Robbie –  Chocolate Fudge is intended to be a good example to children. He is smiley,  always polite to teachers, and does his work and achieves good marks. The dogs, on the other hand, are naughty and undisciplined. They chase the ducks and scare the frog. When Lord Humbug calls for the little dog who is struggling in the water, he doesn’t listen, but choses to carry on playing. As a result of his disobedience, he ends up in trouble and nearly drowning. Chocolate Fudge is brave and becomes a hero by saving the little dog.

I’ve also read “Haunted Halloween Holiday”. I reviewed it on my Hallowe’en post. Click on the book cover & go to that post. Scroll to near the end and find the review!
Diana from “Myths of the Mirror”blog reviewed Robbie’s new children’s Christmas story. Click on the above image, and go to the page of reviews. Diana writes the best book reviews!

Resa – I adore all of your fondant characters & cake castles & scenes etc. Personally, your fondant flowers blow my mind. Is the day lily on the shortbread in “the strawberry cream berries” a fondant or real flower?

Robbie – Yes, that flower is made from fondant. It is a wired flower which means that I run a narrow piece of florists wire through the base of each petal when I made them (each petal is made separately, of course). When they are dry, I then twist the wires together to form the flower. Wired flowers are challenging to make.

I modelled the pink one you referred to on a similar coloured flower in our garden. I love animals, birds, flowers and nature in all its shapes and forms. I usually study flowers, and other creatures for a few weeks before I attempt to model one. I like to get the small details right in each creation.

Resa –  Robbie, I’m all into details. Thank you for patiently answering my many questions. It allowed me to write a detailed post on the marvellous creation of a son and his mother.

To learn about making fondant sculptures from Robbie, click on the cake above!

On top of everything there are recipes to go with the stories. Most are classic treats. Robbie shows us how to make Choc Chip Cookie & Choc Cupcakes.

The videos are edited by Gregory Cheadle, Michael’s brother older by 3 years.

Click on Robbie’s profile above, and go to her books on Amazon.

OR buy paperbacks directly from her publisher – https://tslbooks.uk/product-tag/sir-chocolate/

Turquoise Lion

It’s just a small piece in an alley, and I love it!

He lives midst bits and burners.

The burner (writing) to the right of the lion is by Insight. The face on the far right is an Elicsr.

Pics taken by Resa – December 21, 2022

Toronto , Canada

The Artist:

Unsigned, but a guess would be Nick Sweetman

Honestly, I always thought the name of this song was “Lion Eyes”. I’ve used it on a post before, and I was sure it was “Lion Eyes”. Guess I hear and see what I want to.

 

Birdo Birds

Obviously I was thrilled to find this!

Fresh paint by Birdo, a fave of mine, and one of the very first street artists I ever met.

Timothy Price is the only person I know who has a parrot…2 parrots I believe.

How could I not think of him when I discovered this?

Pics taken by Resa – November 8, 2022

Toronto, Canada

The Artist:

Putin Go F**k Yourself

I just had to go to Graffiti Alley yesterday. I was wondering if any of the artists were showing their support for Ukraine with their art. I found this by nick_sweetman

Nick says on his Instagram account:

“We chose the colours of the Ukranian flag and wrote “Putin idy nakhuy” which in Ukranian means “Putin, go fuck yourself” sung by Ukraine’s national animal, the nightingale. Letters by @mr_tensoe2 @twice.born and @workingspy3000 who also painted the white dove of peace 🕊”

A look at the alley.

Graffiti Alley is a large network of lanes and alleys. I continued on my way.

…and found this painted paste-up, which was obviously purposely wrinkled up in the gluing.

Say it again!