Oaxaca Dia de Los Muertos Dia Nueve

Today is Friday, November 2nd and the last day I will have on the streets of Oaxaca.  As the class is over, we have the whole day to just screw around.  I decided that I was going to pack and get that out of the way so I can horse around the whole day and not worry about leaving tomorrow.

After breakfast, K.D. and I decided to hit the streets.  Heading back to the Pan-American Highway meant more opportunities to shoot the wall art.

I was glad I was able to return to the Panteon de San Tomas with KD as it is a very special place.

KD and I headed away from the panteon and back toward the hotel to regroup.

That afternoon, KD and I went back towards town with the intention of visiting the print studios one more time. KD and I were both still dreaming about the print we saw hanging on the wall and it was drawing us back for one more look see.

And then...the print studio.

On our way to lunch, Colleen Darling pointed out a market to me that I had not visited.  Even a better find then the market was an entire alley full of wall art just to the right of the market.  

And after a morning of photography, a hearty lunch, a stroll down an alley full of wall art--it was time to make one more trip to the print shop--but this time we mean business, baby!

 KD and I start on one side of the street only to discover that the clerk in that shop is the artist of the piece we have been looking at for a week.  That is the deal breaker--KD decides to buy the piece.  Then she turns to me and says, "I don't have enough money.  Borrow me a 1,000."  And I did--pesos that is.

Then, it was time for us to get a photograph of the artist with the piece.  This was a unique moment and I am still trying to figure out why I did not buy this print.  Congrats, KD!

I did manage to score one more print for myself on this trip.  This is what it looks like framed at home:

All this exhausting thinking led us to take a very slow lunch in a restaurant filled with art.  

At this point I took off for a hike around Oaxaca proper by myself.  I just wanted to see some neighborhoods that I had not been into and headed toward the downtown area of the city.

On the street, the forces were gathering for the evening parade and I ran into a band that was playing for some large dancing puppets.

One of the musicians was also an artist and I bought this print from him.  The print is called "Bailando con el Gato" (Dancing with the Cat (12/12) and it is by Alba Castaneda.

After regrouping at the hotel, it was back to the Panteon San Felipe del Agua for a special evening of remembering.  Two of the group had a special reason to be in the panteon that night but in reality we all had a reason to be there.  Dia de los Muertos is about talking to your lost relatives and I think on this night we all did.

Then we all went to our Last Supper and the event was over.

My wife once said to me that a vacation should not be seen totally through the lens of a camera.  She is right,  of course.  However, some of us have weaknesses and curses that we can either fight--or accept who we are and live with what makes us happy.

I was surprised how much I loved Oaxaca.  Really surprised by what I saw.  I intend to go back, not to repeat this experience because this was about the workshop, the tours and the people I was with.  This experience will always stand for what it was:  the magical experiences of creating art in Oaxaca during Dia de los Muertos.  Adios, mi amigos.  

Picture by David Donley

You can see the full set of photos from this trip at http://www.flickr.com/photos/gniebuhr/sets/72157631931549136.