Bridge in Mexico City

24″ x 30″
Oil on canvas

About a year before we moved from Cleveland Ohio Charlie told me that there would be a possibility of us moving to Mexico City Mexico. I protested No Way! As I was moving to Mexico City I said that I would stay in my house with a 12 foot fenced enclosure, in a secure guarded gated community and just paint all day. In 1994 Mexico City was one of the largest, most polluted and dangerous cities in the world. People forget that Mexico City predates Columbus and was an old city even before the Spanish arrived. It is hard for persons living in the United States of America to understand the real poverty and complete lack of any real social and financial safety net. Not only is the water unsafe to drink but all vegetables have to be rinsed in a chlorine solution. Raw vegetables should never be eaten in a restaurant. Less than two weeks after arriving I was downtown Mexico City in the heart of the wholesale and shopping area walking around with my friends. After parking the car we passed a empty lot with only a pile of raw chicken corpses over 7 feet tall oozing gore down the street. In spite of all of the filth, pollution, crowding and crime I consider my stay in Mexico City one of the neatest, most fun experiences of my life. I had lots of time to paint and the greatest subject matter any artist could wish for. Charlie hated it but he had to drive to work every day.