#esmereldas

I commissioned the very talented painter/tour guide/friend Polinice, for a portrait. I've been in love with oil portraits since I first saw Kehinde Wiley's work and the way he captures brown skin on the canvas changed my image of self, which I wrote about here.

Being that we live in an age were photos are numerous, and easy to take I wanted to start capturing my own image in different ways. So portraits when I can afford them might be a new hobby. Even if it's one that I did of myself. 

#selfie.

Not only did I want I remember my time here in Ecuador and especially Esmereldas but I wanted something tangible of me at 21. With my bantu knots and my thrift store dress and my fingernails painted with strawberries, I felt like the girl I always wanted to be. I'm just glad Poli was able to capture my essence. 

This is Polinice

Poli is a very talented painter.

His friend Henna is awesome as well, she does many things like photography, painting and cooking, but I think she's the best at listening to me make corny jokes in Spanish.

I spent the most of my first full day in Esmereldas with these two, walking around, communicating in a hybrid of Spanish and English but mostly pointing. It was fun. Poli has an amazing house with trees that grow exotic fruit and just a lot of things. Most artists I know have lots of things.

We spent hours in his workshop drawing and painting. This is what I came up with.

Me as a giraffe, Poli said from now on, anyone who comes into the workshop has to draw themselves as an animal. Que chevere  

I stayed with my friend Betty and her beautiful daughter in their neighborhood, the water wasn't consist but the hospitality was out of this world. And as always the police department was brand new and basically next door. I should have taken a picture of that.

And a lot of the things happened. The next posts will be pictures and stories if I can recant them. There are so many things I didn't take pictures of because I was too busy enjoying it. *sigh* I'm still on a high it was so beautiful. So much beautiful black skin, so much poverty, so many people willing to share EVERYTHING with me.