People who love to fish & paint, 1000 miles away

May 3

Sometimes you and I get to experience amazing once-in-a-lifetime things. And for me, that was my recent trip to Cuba with my wife, Marlene.

While there, we enjoyed some amazing saltwater fishing (see my email from last week for a Tarpon fishing story!) We also came across some amazing local art.

Among the busyness of the hustlers in Havana, one particular street artist caught my eye. He and I enjoyed chatting about art for a while and then I bought one of his paintings that captivated me.

His work was phenomenal for several reasons: not only did his plein air scenes perfectly capture the feeling of being in that environment, but he was also working expertly with very limited supplies & color pallets.

His canvases seemed to be stretched from frames made of salvaged pallet boards & odd nails.

The painting I bought (see photo above) only contains about 3 colors. But the artist used each hue to capture the moody changes of different blues, which enhance the overall feel of the painting. He also perfectly captured the feeling of roaming the backstreets & allies, of the old cars, and buildings, and the subtle nuances of being in Havana.

This piece now hangs in my office at the Rivertown Gallery in Mountain Home, Arkansas.

While on the fishing boat for 5 days (read about that adventure here!), I had another unique art adventure.

I carry my watercolor art box with me wherever I go. After long sunny days on the ocean, fishing to my heart's content, I could grab my box and unwind by painting scenes from the day.

This always fascinates the locals wherever I happen to be. And this was no different: the fishing guides were especially intrigued. One in particular who already had some artistic experience.

This angler especially wants to become good at fish portraits. So I gave him a quick lesson: he had a lot of talent and caught on to technique really fast.

So I left him all the art supplies I'd brought with me: paper pads, a golden travel set, etc., and I'm going to try and continue coaching him through art lessons over What’s App.

There's something profound about traveling the world and finding people who share your passions. For me, that's fishing and art. And this trip offered both in unexpected ways.

If you're able, get outside your natural environment and see where it takes you! You never know what kinds of experiences you'll have or who you'll meet.