Hola Lou - Bogotá, Colombia

Silkscreen print, edition of 50, signed and numbered by artist, unframed

Destination: Bogota, Colombia

Date:  25 - 31 March, 2022

Jaunt #082

approx. 27.5"h x 19.75"w

"I was heading to Colombia with high expectations of how colorful the country is. I was excited to learn more about its culture and overall feel the vibe of its people. Somehow, I was expecting it to be  similar to Mexico but to my surprise, so many things were completely different. My expectations were exceeded greatly. What a beautiful and vibrant place!

I was taken aback by how welcoming and warm and overall nice the people are, no matter their social status or what they do for a living. I felt that whenever I asked for directions or help in any way, literally anyone would stop what they were doing and take the proper time to help us out. The food was incredible, the colors were mesmerizing, but for sure its people made the most impact on my way of seeing this country.

Walking around the city and seeing how nearby the mountain range is from the actual city, was something I didn’t expect. I was not expecting to see such beautiful natural landscapes and scenery, literally anywhere from the city you can just look up and be impressed by how Bogotá is built in between so many mountains. Despite being a huge metropolis, getting to the mountains, even though it was a rough way there, was only a short drive.

I made an abstract representation of what I saw, ate, experienced and vibed on my stay there: The artwork is called  ́La Calera ́ because that was the name of the mountain area we stayed at, and for sure the one place that made the most impact on my way of thinking about Colombia, my own mental health and more. I incorporated elements and colors from its local flora and the bright Colombian yellow that is present at all times around the city. I added some shapes resembling the mountains and the scenes we saw from the whole city from up above Cerro de Montserrate."

-Hola Lou