A “NON-BLOG” POSTING FOR THE “LOW SEASON”

It’s that time of the year in Puerto Vallarta, México when it’s hot, hot, hot! And did I mention humid! This time of the year is currently referred to as the “Low Season," but it was formerly known as the “Off Season." Since "Off Season" did not sound especially appealing to those in charge of promoting more visitors to the area it was modified to the current "Low Season."   I for one would have been just as happy if they had left it alone as the "Off Season"! 

Low season is when you can have the beach, the pool, and your Kindle pretty much to yourself!  


"Low Season" runs from May to the beginning of November, mas o menos, and is our favorite season. It is when we feel a real connection with nature and with the people of the area. We also refer to it as the “Quiet Season” even when the not-so-quiet-fun-loving Mexican nationals arrive for their annual summer vacations in the months of July and August. We are definitely an oddity in this regard since most visitors and winter regulars prefer the “High Season” when the weather is milder and when there is a lot of “gringo” social activity.

Nationals enjoying the low season before their amigos arrive in July and August for fun in the sun! 

This time of the year is when we go out early in the mornings to do our errands in order to be home by mid-day for a quiet siesta. The afternoons are when you come out of “hiding” in order to enjoy the “relatively” cooler temperature. Your reward for this lifestyle includes incredibly gorgeous sunsets and dramatic tropical rainstorms in the evenings. Life is very simple during the “Low/Quiet/Off Season” and is based on the rhythms of nature. 

When "bonding" with a Luna jellyfish is excitement during the quiet season.

Oh, no!  Another incredibly beautiful sunset during the low season.


So in honor of this time of the year I have decided to post this “Non-Blog” posting. What that means is that this posting will have minimal text (what you are reading is what you are getting), but heavy on the visual with a collection of some of my favorite photographs taken at this time of the year. The following is the link to my “LOW SEASON” photo album.  I hope you enjoy!

PV "LOW SEASON" PHOTO ALBUM

Don't be shy! Us bloggers love receiving questions, comments, or suggestions. Until next time, safe trails and happy travels. And thank you so much for joining me. Laura

AND FOR THOSE OF US WHO NEED A SIMPLE REMINDER OF WHAT THIS BLOGGING "BIZ" IS ALL ABOUT:

Definitions of BLOG (bläɡ):

*Noun: a regularly updated website or web page that contains online personal reflections, comments, and often hyperlinks provided by the writer; also: the contents of such a site.

*A blog (the shortening of the expression weblog) is a discussion or informational site published on the World Wide Web (WWW) or the “Web” consisting of entries ("posts") typically displayed in reverse chronological order (the most recent post appearing first).

*Verb: (used without object), blogged, blogging to maintain or add new entries to a blog.

*Verb: (used with object), blogged, blogging to express or write about on a blog.

Defining what a Blog is all about can leave you feeling and looking a little frazzled!

I MADONNARI STREET ART FESTIVAL PUERTO VALLARTA

The 13th I Madonnari Street Art Festival took place in Puerto Vallarta at the city’s Main Plaza this weekend. This colorful event brings together a variety of local and visiting artists to express themselves using chalk or pastels and it is definitely one of my favorite events of the year. The following will give you a background on what this wonderful annual event is all about and some photographs of the wonderful street art.

Street art chalk artists are most commonly called Madonnari (Madonna in Italian) because they originally created images of Mother Mary, the Madonna, either alone or with her child Jesus, in Italy.

The Italian Madonnari have been traced to the sixteenth century. They were itinerant artists many of whom had been brought into the cities to work on the huge cathedrals. When the work was completed they needed another way to make a living and consequently would often recreate the paintings from the church onto the pavement.

Aware of festivals and holy days held in each province and town these artists traveled to join in the festivities and to make a living from observers who would throw coins if they approved of the artist's work.

For centuries many Madonnari were folk artists reproducing simple images with crude materials such as tiles, coal, and chalk. Some artists such as El Greco would go on to become well known names.

























The origins of modern street painting can be traced to Great Britain. Pavement artists were found all over the United Kingdom and by 1890 it was estimated that more than 500 artists were making a full-time living from pavement art in London alone.

The British term for pavement artist is "screever.” The term is derived from the writing style that typically accompanied the works of pavement artists since the 1700s. The term ‘screever’ is most commonly cited as Shakespearean slang dating from around 1500.

The works of screevers often were accompanied by poems and proverbs, lessons on morality, and political commentary on current events. They appealed to both the working people who on the whole could not read or write, but understood visual images, and to the educated members of the middle-classes who appreciated the moral lessons and comments.

It was important for a screever to catch the eye of the “well to do” and in turn attract the pennies donated for their efforts. The first recorded street-painting competition and festival was held in London in 1906.

Madonnari artists were the visual arts equivalent of busking (playing music or otherwise performing for voluntary donations in the street or in subways) and the tradition continued until World War II when for obvious reasons it became impractical to sit in the middle of a street and create art.

After the war, the art of the Madonnari languished, but before it could die out completely a group in the city of Curtatone, Italy decided to revive it. The first I Madonnari festival in Curtatone was held in 1973 with some of the prewar Madonnari among the participating artists.

That was the catalyst for a new generation of "street painters" who traveled from city to city, and festival to festival, creating chalk artwork that hardly lasted longer than the handful of days required to make them.

I find it fascinating to watch the artists creating their amazing work on the Plaza de las Armas in Puerto Vallarta.  And in spite of the warm tropical sun and having people looking over their shoulders they remain focused on their creations. Simply inspirational!

I hope you have the opportunity of visiting the I Madonnari Street Art Festival in Puerto Vallarta which is an annual event held each November.

Until then, you may check out more of the Madonnari street art in my photograph album at the following link:

MONDANNARI FESTIVAL PHOTO ALBUM

With my thanks for joining me at Mexico and Beyond:  Laura's Photo Journey and wishing you well wherever your travels take you.  Saludos, Laura

                               And remember, a memory is only a click away!