Travelogue: Baja California Sur

now with video

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Thanks to the late January versions of ourselves (bundled in multiple blankets and sweaters, scrolling through flights to warm and sunny places), by early March, my partner and I found ourselves in Baja California Sur, Mexico. We rented a car and spent nine days exploring the desert landscape and the incredible Sea of Cortez.

We drove up the Pacific coast to Todos Santos for a couple nights, then crossed the inland desert to the Gulf of California, staying in La Paz and La Ribera, with a night in San Jose del Cabo on both ends. I hadn’t traveled anywhere outside of British Columbia for leisure since the pre-pandemic days, and to be in a new environment, especially one as vibrant as Mexico, was such a gift to my spirit. The colours and images I absorbed will provide creative fuel for a long time to come!

Early spring in northern BC is my least favourite time of year—grey skies, melting snow, and no sign of green just yet. What a treat it was to spend those all-too-brief days in a remarkable corner of the planet, where the desert runs straight into the sea.

As we drove along the highways, we saw endless forests of giant cardón cacti—native to the Baja peninsula, and the world’s largest cactus species. Some can grow up to 30 meters tall, and they can live over 300 years. An old-growth forest of a completely different kind than than we know at home.

The whole place vibrates with colours and life, both on land and in the water.

Pelicans gathered on Playa Punta Lobos on Baja Sur’s Pacific coast.

Note the cactus as big as the building behind me (in Todos Santos, MX).

I saw in Baja California Sur:

• Armies of pelicans

• Dead pufferfish washed up on shore

• Transparent needlefish

• Red and pink bougainvillea growing over buildings

• Feral dogs and cats

• Humpback whales breaching

• Mobula rays dancing on the ocean surface, doing backflips around boats

• Lemon trees

• Huge papayas in fruit market stalls

• Hand-painted signs and murals on the smallest of shops

• Roadside taco stands with trays of salsas and pico de gallo

• Full moon sparkling on the Sea of Cortes

• The ceiling of a party store covered entirely in piñatas

• Cows quarreling in the middle of the road

Always motivated by our next snack, we tasted wonderful enchiladas, chilaquiles, tamales, elotes, molletes, tacos, tostadas, burros, churros, empanadas, chile rellenos, ceviche, and pescado a la plancha. Most of our meals were sidewalk-style, sitting in red Coca-Cola chairs, savouring the freshest food while the friendly staff stayed glued to soccer games on TV.

It was rarely quiet, day or night, and we listened to motorbikes, dogs feuding, the sound of the Pacific surf crashing, accordion music blasting from giant speakers, lively family groups gathered under beach palapas, roosters crowing, and songbirds at dawn.

Bright, playful art was everywhere—a reminder that art enhances public space SO MUCH. We found porpoises and whales adorning the sides of buildings:

Milagro heart charms on the walls of cafes:

Almost every business had a hand-lettered and painted shop sign, even mechanics and hardware stores. I’m always drawn to signage and lettering wherever I go.

Jacques Cousteau once called the Gulf of California and the Sea of Cortez “the world’s aquarium.” A hobby diver and snorkeler, I was excited to see what was happening underwater. Snorkel masks are, of course, the height of fashion:

We saw parrotfish, a green moray eel, Cortez rainbow wrasse, chocolate chip starfish, moorish idols, butterflyfish, spotted boxfish, porcupinefish, yellowfin surgeonfish, sergeant majors, and more. Looking into a tropical ocean feels like being on another planet.

Below is my face after getting out of the water, having glimpsed that alien undersea world. I’m happy to know it floats along while we go about our days.

Also pictured: a cool fish-shaped metal receptacle to contain plastic waste

Life and death seem closely intertwined in Baja Sur:

A colourful mural in Todos Santos

Countless pufferfish wash up dead on the beaches–their tiny fins can’t contend with giant surf. Little grim memento mori:

(Sorry for dead animal content - thankfully we also saw plenty of cute live ones when we went snorkelling). Did any fellow fans notice a similar shot on a recent episode of The White Lotus ?

I knew I wanted to draw on location on this trip—for simplicity’s sake I brought only basic materials that I could easily carry in the bottom of a day-pack. It turns out a road trip in Mexico is full-on (especially when putting your trust in a rented car on dusty washboard roads), so I didn’t draw as much as I’d hoped. Still, I found a few opportunities to sketch on the beach.

My entire sketching setup, and a tiny pocket sketchbook (and a Pacifico for happy hour).

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Mexico Travel Sketchbook Mini Tour (with my video voiceover debut):

Since coming home I’ve continued to fill my pocket sketchbook while my memories are still fresh. I made you a short video tour, for more vicarious travel (featuring rare commentary with my voice —honestly, still a mental hurdle for me to listen to it). Enjoy!

*If you’re watching this video in the Chrome browser, the colours seem to be very desaturated—it looks much better on mobile or in other browsers. Any techie friends know more about this?

In the video I talk about using Tombow markers; I was inspired to bring them after reading this post from artist Jennifer Orkin Lewis, who typically paints with gouache but sketched her own recent travels in Mexico using Tombows.

Thanks for reading, and I wish you a restful April month. Mentally I’m still here:

I’m about to head to Smithers Art Gallery to pick up my paintings after Up Around the Bend was exhibited there for the past month—thanks to all that stopped by. At the end of April, I’ll be attending my first-ever artist residency, at the Cassiar Cannery in Port Edward, BC. I’m very excited to head out to the north Pacific coast! I plan to create some new large paintings in the beautiful studio at the historic property. I’ll be sure to document the experience in a future newsletter, so stay tuned.

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An April assortment (links, films, books, etc):

• So many folk art traditions to admire in Mexico, including these tenango embroideries, covered with fantastical plants and animals, which I saw in shops throughout Baja Sur.

• Ex-votos, or retablos, also a popular form of Mexican folk art, are small paintings offered as thanks to a patron saint for a favour or for escaping danger. I love the work of Argentinian illustrator María Luque, especially this series of contemporary retablos she painted to thank her artist heroes.

• Last month I was completely absorbed in both seasons of Severance. The show’s cinematography is amazing and gave me a lot of inspiration for painting.

• I enjoyed A Real Pain and then listened to an interview with writer/director/star Jesse Eisenberg where he mentioned that he thinks Benjamin Labatut’s When We Cease to Understand the World is the best book in the world. I’ve just started reading and so far it’s right up my alley—a wild blend of fiction and science.

• Back in 2023, I created a fun custom illustration for Bread by Us Bakery in Ottawa, which I documented here. The bakery is now relocating and started a Kickstarter to help fund the move. You can receive a print of my illustration as one of the pledge rewards! Find out more here.

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