El Salvador Interact - Mission 2008
In 2008 I took part in a mission trip to El Salvador. I travelled with the local Rotary Interact Club for a 12 day mission in which we delivered much needed medical supplies, clothing and personal hygiene items to the poorest of the poor. We also worked hard, in the 40 degree heat, helping to build houses in a remote village; and we even painted a couple of murals! One, at the remote village on a water tank, and the other at a small overlooked orphanage where 13 pre-teen children lived in horrible conditions. As a Registered Nurse I felt saddened by all the hardships of the people there. Many were living in shacks of sticks, mud and cardboard. No bathrooms, no kitchen sinks, no pretty pictures on the walls, no nice furniture. The living conditions of the children were like nothing I had ever seen. The smiles and hugs from the children (you wished you could bring home to Canada with you) just melted your heart.
As an artist my senses were truly awakened. I felt the spirit of Vincent inside of me! Being with the poor, seeing how they live gives one a whole new awaking to life. I had brought along a small watercolour paint set and some 300 lb arches paper cut in small pieces in hopes that I would have an opportunity to paint. Reality was that we were on the run so much I was lucky to be able to stop long enough to take a snapshot with my camera! A million paintings went rushing through my head everywhere we went. One day, while working at a remote village, I took a rest under what the locals called the “Giving Tree.” I always brought my little paint set in my backpack hoping for a moment to arise when I could use it; and finally I got an opportunity while I was relaxing in the lovely shade of that big old tree.The tree seemed to be standing so proudly in the center of the village. It must have been 100 years old. It was very tall and it's branches formed a huge umbrella that blocked out the fiercely hot mid-day sun. When I found a good seat on one of it's many large roots that grew around the base of it, I instantly realized that the temperature under the tree felt a good 10 degrees cooler than it did in the sun! Before I knew it, several children had gathered around me while I unpacked my painting supplies. My initial intention was to paint the landscape around me, but my focus quickly changed to the beautiful faces that surrounded me beneath that glorious tree.
For the first time ever, I attempted to paint some portraits from life. I was surprised to see how the very young children would sit and pose for me for a good 15-20 minutes while I drew and painted them. And I was further delighted to see how appreciative they were to receive the meager portraits that I had made of them. I suddenly realized at that moment, that they didn’t have any photos, let alone paintings, of themselves in their homes. I could see the immense gratitude in the mothers faces as the children ran to show them what I had made. What greater pleasure could an artist have in this life than to see how much their work is appreciated (and needed)? I was in heaven at that moment. “To save a life is a real and beautiful thing. To make a home for the homeless, yes, it is a thing that must be good; whatever the world may say, it cannot be wrong." (Vincent van Gogh)
As an artist my senses were truly awakened. I felt the spirit of Vincent inside of me! Being with the poor, seeing how they live gives one a whole new awaking to life. I had brought along a small watercolour paint set and some 300 lb arches paper cut in small pieces in hopes that I would have an opportunity to paint. Reality was that we were on the run so much I was lucky to be able to stop long enough to take a snapshot with my camera! A million paintings went rushing through my head everywhere we went. One day, while working at a remote village, I took a rest under what the locals called the “Giving Tree.” I always brought my little paint set in my backpack hoping for a moment to arise when I could use it; and finally I got an opportunity while I was relaxing in the lovely shade of that big old tree.The tree seemed to be standing so proudly in the center of the village. It must have been 100 years old. It was very tall and it's branches formed a huge umbrella that blocked out the fiercely hot mid-day sun. When I found a good seat on one of it's many large roots that grew around the base of it, I instantly realized that the temperature under the tree felt a good 10 degrees cooler than it did in the sun! Before I knew it, several children had gathered around me while I unpacked my painting supplies. My initial intention was to paint the landscape around me, but my focus quickly changed to the beautiful faces that surrounded me beneath that glorious tree.
For the first time ever, I attempted to paint some portraits from life. I was surprised to see how the very young children would sit and pose for me for a good 15-20 minutes while I drew and painted them. And I was further delighted to see how appreciative they were to receive the meager portraits that I had made of them. I suddenly realized at that moment, that they didn’t have any photos, let alone paintings, of themselves in their homes. I could see the immense gratitude in the mothers faces as the children ran to show them what I had made. What greater pleasure could an artist have in this life than to see how much their work is appreciated (and needed)? I was in heaven at that moment. “To save a life is a real and beautiful thing. To make a home for the homeless, yes, it is a thing that must be good; whatever the world may say, it cannot be wrong." (Vincent van Gogh)