More from Miraflores. From the center of the locks walking across.
                                Weird to take a shot from there, half way across the actual locks.

    

Always like adding the workforce. Its gives it scale and personalizes the shot.

My older brother Sam and me at Amador outside a biodiversity museum designed by Frank Ghery. Someone told us to take off our dark glasses and we ignored them.

I painted in Gorgona from a house we rented on the beach. The owner told me I was a genius once I added her dog to the painting (see black spots bottom left). Apparently I was just an ok painter before I added the dog.

Limited palette of yellow cad light, yellow ochre, red cad light and Prussian blue. Not the most radiant colors but I was happy with it.

a few more from Miraflores. I used my ACP id to compare a color against white and black.
Yellow ochre (raw sienna?) everywhere. 

I've done a number of paintings from this view mostly ships headed southbound out of Pedro Miguel as they approach Miraflores -  a very cool view.

A visit to the center wall at Miraflores with my guard and guide Mr Rudolph Allen, a real gentleman.

Painting a small study alongside the Pacific Lock trench. I did an 8 x 10 to get just the color spots and overall color tone to the scene. Yellow Ochre dominated everything.

Really invaluable to paint on location and see colors and subtleties the camera never seems to get - or at least mine. Man, I look good in a hard hat.

 the view from where I stood. Of course I tried to paint too much on a small canvas and ended up scraping it all down to try a smaller scene. Nice frustrating day.

Has to be painted. This is at the El Valle market on a Sunday

 

I painted outside the train yard from the Diablo side through a chain link fence. The Kansas City Railroad runs the trains in Panama now.
Guys would yell at me as they drove by. Dude, who paints trains? 

 

 

Both unfinished pieces, just blocked in so I could escape the ants gnawing my legs.

The palette is white, yellow ochre, red cad light and ultramarine. I tried a brand of water mixable paints that I like very much - Cobra, an English company - the closest I've come to standard oil paints in texture and feel.
Not having to carry a solvent when traveling is really convenient, particularly overseas where the selection is limited.

A few more views of the Ports of Panama in Balboa. The small horseshoe shaped metal hooks on the cables is to keep rats off the ships while in Port.
The theme of the paintings is to feature the Panamanian workforce with the ships being loaded and unloaded and some local landmark (Sosa Hill for example) behind them to tell you its Panama.

I've been asked to do a few paintings of the Panama Ports in Balboa. I was told this is the busiest port in Central America including Mexico. I was taken into the oading area to get a sense of the scale and talk about possible ideas to paint. Sort of weird having these containers over your head. I was scared but I promise I never cried.

Standing at one of 48 water culverts on the floor of the locks. These will deliver the water to raise the ships in the new locks.

Another view from the floor of the locks.

A view of the construction of the lock basins on the Pacific side. I'm facing the middle of the three chambers.  All this rock had to be removed with explosives unlike the Atlantic side which is a softer clay like material.

This map is at a visitor center on the Pacific side of the Canal. It illustrates the path of the new channel and new locks. I'm standing with Abdiel Julio, staff photographer for the ACP at the visitor center.

Standing at a visitor center still under construction. The Atlantic side locks to the left. The photgrapher is my guide Abdiel Julio, staff photographer for the ACP  and political consultant in case I run for office in Panama.

I'm standing at the level of the floor of the locks. The pit along the bottom is where the water will flow from a series of enormous water basins that run parallel to the locks. The basins have been constructed to save fresh water, a premium in dry season. You feel dwarfed down in here.

Another view of the construction on the Atlantic side for the new locks.

At the Atlantic side locks. The upper chamber (of three) is closest to me and the one furthest along. The ships will be lifted 85' to Gatun Lake. I'll be painting from here.

Standing next to one of the paintings I did last year. This is at the ACP bldg in Corozal. The painting is the trench on the Atlantic side for the new locks.