“Server in Cartagena” Watercolor & Graphite pencil on. 7x10 - 140# paper.

It’s odd doing what I do: Traveling and painting. You can become so absorbed in what you are seeing, and you see so much, that you start not knowing how to handle it all. Even though I am in Medellin, I felt I had to do this watercolor of a server in Cartagena, while at the same time getting to know Medellin, and colating a mountain of accumlated photo reference, whilst creating more all the time.

I want to do at least a hundred paintings, but probably only have time for a dozen. My imagination and ambition outruns my reality. I start feeling stretched and a bit flusterd, but then….

PROBLEM TO THE RESCUE

Nothing squeezes the adrenals and brings you into the moment like an existential threat. In this case, my debit card was red-flagged and I had about $75 in cash. Also I have no cell service. My bank cannot be reached. I’m up shits creek.

After about an hour of trying to find some online solution, I decided to take to the streets in my running shorts and buttpack, asking around for sim cards and stores that sell them with my very limited Spanish.

I stuck out like a sore thumb, but oddly didn’t feel out of place at all. I think because I was no longer in voyuer mode, but in problem-that-needed-solving mode, and people were so willing to help:

Pointing and speaking while I nod and pretend to understand. They would use google translate, or draw directions on a napkin, that eventually led to the new mall, which was cell phone heaven. No, the sim card would not work in my Moto 5G phone. But another kiosk in the mall sold me a phone and 30 minutes US call time, but had no idea how to call the US, but another customer found out for me by calling the operator, who told her that you needed to dial 00444 then 1 then the phone number in order to dial to the US. Which I did, and got my card de-redflagged (it was my $4 bus ticket purchase that did it.)

I did the white guy high five thing with the cell phone salesman afterwards, and as I walked up the looong hill to El Poblado, getting drenched in the afternoon thunderstorm, I realized that I had had more genuine interaction today than I had had the two weeks prior.