Yes, these paintings are of the same small capilla….sometimes our styles, perspectives and visual editing conspire to confuse the viewer.
Soria II L. Whynman
Two weeks ago, coming back from painting at Alonso Yáñez, we saw a tell-tale bell tower and on closer inspection, saw two small capillas facing each other and made a mental note to return and paint that scene in the future. The community of Soria is squished between the side of a steep valley and the River Laja’s floodplain and it took some sleuthing to figure out a path from the road to the capillas through the jumble of buildings and past way too many dogs to the capillas which were visible from the road.
Soria II and Calvario L. Topinka
After all the trouble of finding our way, we were rewarded with an unlocked gate and large atrium with two capillas facing each other and a small calvario between them. I got caught up in the details of the scene even including parts of a recently cut down tree while Linda opted for a freer artistic interpretation editing out the calvario and other structures and adding sheep. Painting is such fun!!
A family of several boys watched intently as we painted and one informed me that I had left out the cactus growing out of the roof. One must pay attention to one’s critics…..if the cactus looks like an afterthought, it was.
Plaque on Soria II L. Topinka
Neither of us wanted to paint the newer capilla although that was the one with the bell tower. A small plaque on the older of the two capillas informs that on May 18, 1949, the community of Soria spent $6047 pesos. It doesn’t say what the money was spent on…..perhaps the new capilla or the atrium and a remodel???
Soria is adjacent to the larger community of La Huerta with a fairly new vehicle bridge (1990) separating the two. Both communities are along the Rio Laja downstream from the Ignacio Allende Dam (sometimes referred to as Begoña Dam). This dam was finished in 1969 and provides flood control as well as water storage (180 million cubic meters) for agricultural purposes irrigating some 18,000 hectares. Almost all the communities along the Rio Laja recorded a disastrous flood in 1955 that destroyed homes and fields.
Soria: Population, 412; dwellings, 64; elevation, 1864 meters; GPS, Longitud (dec): -100.825000, Latitud (dec): 20.820278
© 2016-2018 Lorie Topinka ALL RIGHTS RESERVED