ESCUELA CARBO FROM PLAZA COLON, CORDOBA, watercolor

Escuela Carbo from Plaza Colon, Cordoba, watercolor, 4x6
South America cruise series # 46

The traditional green windows, the beautiful trees in the plaza across the street. The cars are newer, but the school looks old and sad. Cordoba is a strong and energetic city in the middle of the country. It is full of life during the day and at night, with a strong  community of educated young people attending concerts, movies, art museums, and patronizing restaurants and bars. Why did they let go of their school producing Elementary School Teachers?

PASILLOS DEL CARBO, CORDOBA, watercolor

Pasillos del Carbo, Cordoba, Argentina, 4x6 watercolor
South America Cruise series # 45

Escuela Normal Nacional de Profesores Alejandro Carbo. These hallways saw me from age 12 to 16, when I graduated with the title of Elementary School Teacher, two years younger than my classmates. I had never gone back to visit in 50 years. So I walked in this time. A man stopped me at the door and asked me what was my purpose. As I was about to tell him I just wanted to visit the school, I couldn't talk. Emotion filled me with tears, he saw my face and understood. As I walked around and relived some moments of my youth, it was sad to see the classrooms in disarray, dirty floors and windows. Decay has slowly set in, as the school is not well kept.

ESTANCIA PEROTTO II, CORDOBA, ARGENTINA, watercolor

Estancia Perotto II, Cordoba, Argentina, 4x6 watercolor
South America Cruise series 44

View from the porch of our friends' house in Santa Catalina, Cordoba. Beautiful moments remembering times past, and getting acquainted with the new lives of their children and their children's children.

TRANQUERA EN SANTA CATALINA, CORDOBA, watercolor

Tranquera en Santa Catalina, Cordoba,  4x6 watercolor
South America Cruise series # 43

After a 5 week cruise round South America's Cape Horn, we flew from Buenos Aires to Córdoba, in Argentina, where we were received by our friends Lalo and Estela Perotto. What a pleasure to see them after so many years! Lunch was accompanied by a delicious Merlot, their own brand: "Perotto", with a picture of Lalo's father when he immigrated from Italy. This wine was produced by his son Jose's own winery. What an honor to be welcomed in this manner!  In the evening we walked along downtown Cordoba streets full of life, and saw the "dancing waters" of El Buen Pastor, "Casa Tomada's " shopping mall, small colorful boutiques, music, people, noise, fun!

TANGO EN PLAZA DEL ARBOL, BUENOS AIRES, watercolor

Tango en Plaza del Arbol, Buenos Aires, 4x6 watercolor
South America Cruise series # 42

Another day in Buenos Aires, Argentina, we went to San Telmo, visited the stores of antiquarians, and sat at Plaza del Arbol, where we had a drink sitting under a big tree, while enjoying the tango dancers. Very relaxing!

CALLE CAMINITO, BUENOS AIRES, watercolor

Calle Caminito, Buenos Aires, watercolor, 4x6
South America Cruise series # 41

In La Boca, a section of Buenos Aires facing the Rio de la Plata, we walked the  fun streets with colorful houses, visited the Museo Quinquela Martin, this was the best part of the day! His work is beautiful! Quinquela Martin portrayed the "porteños" the actual people from the port, who worked on the ships, loading and unloading. He made "La Boca" famous.

BUENOS AIRES SKYLINE, watercolor

Buenos Aires Skyline, 4x6 watercolor         South America Cruise series # 40

After a one day stop in Montevideo, Uruguay, we finally arrived in Buenos Aires, our last stop. The cruise ship continued to New York, but we stopped in Argentina, for a few days visiting with family and friends. We visited the Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes, Parques de Palermo, and had lunch at London Cafe. Buenos Aires is often called: "The Paris of South America", due to the architecture of its late 19th C. and early 20th C. buildings and city layout, imitating that of Paris of the same period, the Haussman period.

PUERTO MADRYN, ARGENTINA, watercolor

Puerto Madryn, Argentina, watercolor, 4x6
South America Cruise series # 39

More than 30 years ago, my husband and I were here with our three young daughters, we had driven from Cordoba, then went on to Punta Tombo to see the penguins. It was so much fun! This time, as a one day stop from the cruise, we did not go to Punta Tombo, we just walked about in the town, had empanadas and beer, and sent some postcards. Then, at the Oficina de Turismo, we found out there is a fantastic museum: Eco Center, so we boarded the free shuttle for a very interesting visit to this modern museum overlooking the bay.

TANGO AT THE END OF THE WORLD, watercolor

Tango at the End of the World, watercolor, 12x9 in.
South America Cruise series # 38

Hanging out in Ushuaia, tango dancers caught our eyes, our imagination, and our cameras! It was really fun to hear tango music again, after so many years out of Argentina. This was our last day "at the end of the world". After cruising for 4 weeks going south on the Pacific, from now on we would start going north on the Atlantic. Very exciting! The daily paintings, of course, never stopped. What else did I have to do?

TANGO EN USHUAIA, watercolor

Tango en Ushuaia, Argentina, watercolor, 4x6 in.
South American Cruise watercolor series # 37

At the end of the world, people dance tango on the street, or a sidewalk, or a park, dressed sexy and elegant, for the entertainment of tourists and passers-by. A joy to watch them, and give them a well -deserved tip inside the man's hat usually laid down carefully nearby. Another wonderful moment in Ushuaia, land of many contrasts.

USHUAIA NATIONAL PARK, watercolor

Ushuaia National Park, (Parque Nacional de Ushuaia), watercolor, 4x6 in.
South America Cruise series # 36

In Ushuaia, Argentina, the southernmost city in the world, we took the little train (watercolor published yesterday) through this beautiful park "at the end of the world". We were among flowers, rivers, green grass, and faraway mountains with ice and snow on their summits. Paradise on earth! No wonder people who come here to try it out...stay!! At least, it is paradise in the summer months....Winters are harsh, cold and windy. For us, at the end of February, paradise!

TREN DEL FIN DEL MUNDO, watercolor

Tren del Fin del Mundo, watercolor, 4x6
South America Cruise series # 35

There used to be a train to carry the prisoners to the prison at the end of the world, at the beginning of the 20th C. After many years of the prison closed and the train abandoned, an entrepreneur decided to rebuild the tracks, the train, the station, and carry tourists now to the Ushuaia National Park. It is a beautiful ride, with two stops. The train at the end of the world is a great tourist attraction in Ushuaia, Argentina.

ARRIVAL IN USHUAIA, ARGENTINA, watercolor

Arrival in Ushuaia, Argentina, watercolor, 4x6in
South American Cruise series # 34

After cruising along the Beagle Channel since sunrise, we approached the border between Chile and Argentina mid-morning, arriving in Ushuaia, the Southernmost city in the world, at noon on February 27th. The wind, the clouds sliding in the sky, a wild West setting, home-made houses, colorful, timeless, this is Ushuahia.  The architecture is uneven, chaotic at times. The Beagle Channel created a frontier and a passage. The port/harbour of Ushuaia is exempted from taxes, so it is filled with many factories. Thirty years ago, Ushuaia was only a town. Why do people stay? Why do others come? At the end of the world, swept by winds, with an average temperature of 41 degrees Farenheit throughout the year, Ushuaia can have four seasons in the same day!

SUNRISE ON THE BEAGLE, watercolor

Sunrise on the Beagle, watercolor, 4x6 in.
South America Cruise series # 33 (continued after a few days break)

I am back from another wonderful trip, so I will be continuing now publishing this series of paintings done during February and March this year, along the 5 week cruise we took to South America. The Beagle Channel at the very end of the South American continent, has been named after the ship that carried Charles Darwin in the mid-1800s: "The Beagle". It was impressive. At sunrise on the channel the light changed every few seconds, painting directly was impossible, so I took many photographs during this sunrise cruising and painted afterwards. It was the end of February, so that is the end of summer in the southern hemisphere. It was very cold, we saw some glaciers on the mountains in the continent side, and also on the mountains in the islands side. Cruising along, in the Beagle Channel, a couple of months ago...

TOGETHER, acrylic

TOGETHER, acrylic on board, 7x5in.



I am on a short trip for a few days, so I will continue the South America cruise series next week. Meanwhile, I am inviting you to see TOGETHER and other paintings of mine, at the Women's Museum, Barrack 16, Liberty Station, San Diego, California.