Symposium Pays It Forward

The ripple effect from the Santo Domingo Symposium was alive and well in New York this past weekend. I was so happy when Richard Alomar let me know about the meet-up at Merchant's Gate, at the entrance of Central Park in NYC this past Saturday morning. Along with Mark Leibowitz and Sunil and Amy (Sunil was in Lisbon), we braved the ominous skies and the tons of tourists to hang and draw. There is a great comfort in the company, not much needs to be said. Thanks so much for thinking of including me, guys.

Mercado Merenge

One cannot be in the DR without hearing and moving to merengue! The workshop that I taught was at the Mercado Modelo, where in and around, there are scads of Dominican trinkets- masks, drums, jewels galore- and all of the characters trying to sell them to you. The music is blasting, people stop what they are doing to spin and dance, and everyone is your friend as they lure you in to look at their wares. In and around the market are fruit stands and banana carts- bottles filled with the likes of mamajuana and other assorted homemade juices and drinks are swinging from the umbrellas and the smell of rice and beans and other Dominican goodies wafts through the air.

Dominoes!

I'm just back from a glorious three weeks in the Dominican Republic, my home away from home. I had a great class and then, went on to teach a workshop at the Urban Sketchers Symposium, held this year in Santo Domingo. It was not as hot as NY, but hot in other ways! I was obsessed with the domino players. WOW! did they ever have their rhythm down and were hot with the passion of the game. It was an illustrator's delight!