My husband Raul and I have owned and operated our working ranch in Baja for more than 30 years. Rancho La Bellota, nestled in a quiet valley just 40 miles south of the San Diego, California border on Mexico’s Baja Peninsula, is a place where people visit to escape the hustle of daily life; to slow down and enjoy doing what they love with people they enjoy being around and in the within the depths of nature.
JennifercHugh and her students
Whether that’s horseback riding, which is our main activity at the ranch, walking in nature or our art retreats, there is something for everyone at Rancho La Bellota.
Over the years we have received visitors from all over the world. And I mean this literally. As far as Romania to right here, not 2 hours away in San Diego. We’ve made friends from those that come back year after year.
At our art retreats, some specific instructors schedule with us once to twice a year but we are always eager to meet new instructors who want to bring their students down to the ranch to experience Baja’s vibrant culture, history and delicious ranch style food.
From the pool
If any artist are interested in visiting the ranch, please contact Caroline at: CountryLass67@outlook.com for more information. plus, please visit the ranch’s facebook page. Although we do have a website, our main force of information is our facebookpage.
At our art retreats, sometimes an excursion to Baja’s famous wine country in the nearby Guadalupe Valley is always a treat. Art, wine and nature! You can’t beat it!
We live in an epidemic of anxiety. Most of us assume the key to overcoming it is thinking our way out. And for a while, it works. But there is always something that sends us back into the anxious spiral we’ve been trying to climb out of.
In Beyond Anxiety, Dr. Martha Beck explains why anxiety is skyrocketing around you, and likely within you. She also tells you how to reduce your anxiety and use it to propel you into a life filled with peace, meaning, and joy. Beck explains how our brains tend to get stuck in the anxiety spiral, which is a feedback system that can increase anxiety indefinitely. To climb out, we must engage different parts of ur nervous system- the parts involved in creativity.
The opposite of anxiety is a wonderful new way of life-one that can calm and inspire us as individuals and help us become a source of healing for everything around us.
I’m 35 pages in, and already I’m understanding how this anxiety spiral works and how I can take control of it and climb out of the hole. I hope you feel inspired to give it a read.
Where I live, it’s 6:30am. My living room, where I sit sipping hot coffee with my dog at my feet, is warm and cozy. Last night I woke up somewhere between 2 and 3:30am because I couldn’t sleep. Im not sure whether or not to blame it on the full moon or not.
My daughter sure did. She lives next door and joins me for coffee every day. This morning around 8am she burst through the kitchen door and declared, “Damn full moon! ” She recounted how she spent the night tossing and turning, then going downstairs to eat a mango and worry about the tiny mouse she saw in her house. I said, “You should have texted me. I was awake too!” Regardless, during my free time last night, I decided to get up and finish a small page I was working on for my art journal.
Last night
As I sat at my desk sketching out the page, I allowed myself to draw whatever I felt. It didn’t have to make sense and it didn’t have to be perfect. No judgment. Well, maybe a little but the point was to draw and immerse myself into not thinking about it so much.
The final outcome was these 4 ladies, and the one on the left, I did a few days ago. That day, I felt very light and carefree the entire day, which I thought was strange, but hey, enjoy it, right? The colors, if you notice, are light, and I think I completed it in about an hour. The eyes are soft and peaceful.
But on the other page at the right, I definitely had something going on last night. Each lady has a scar. Some are sad, one is peaceful, and I love nature, especially lush green forests, so the idea was to draw the mountains.
It helped me understand that no matter how much we smile and say everything is great, maybe behind the smile, things aren’t so great. Or at one point in our lives, it wasn’t. All of us, men and women, have scars to some degree.
My sketch book. It lives in my purse!
Art is such a unique way to express your thoughts and feelings through drawing and color. The difference in the two pages was so surprising that the contrast leaped at me from the page. If we are willing to let the paint flow, you may be surprised at what you create.
Sketching and drawing don’t require perfectionism.
I watch videos sometimes of artists on Instagram, and I used to feel frustrated because my work was nowhere close to theirs, but we are all individuals and working towards our goals at our own pace. Life is not a damn race nor should it be a competition.
Rather, be patient with yourself. Scars and all. Enjoy the moments where you are peaceful and not thinking so much! Maybe art isn’t for you, but whatever it is. Relish those moments.
This life is no easy ball game, and it should be played with kindness towards oneself, with respect and forgiveness, because we are not perfect, nor should we put pressure on ourselves to be so. That is not loving ourselves. It’s punishment.
I’m about to get up for cup number two! Surprisingly, I don’t feel so “dragged under the truck” this morning after waking up so early. The day is looking good!
Drawing and Collage
P.S. I have nothing against the full moon. It’s beautiful. It’s just a small joke between us. 🙂
Many people have said art is an avenue of therapy and I truly believe this. Aside from oil painting, I enjoy art journaling and sketching. Wherever I go, my art journal and watercolor travel kit goes with me.
In all of my journal work, I use collage which is a colorful intimate way of pasting paper or notes in your journal and to yourself that are meaningful to you. It’s a journal and after some time has passed it’s always fun to go back and read these notes. Then I remember where I was at during a particular period in my life and I reflect on where I am now.
There are no rules to art and certainly no rules to journaling. If you are interested in collage, I’d suggest a mixed-media notebook made by Fabriano or any other kind of book that has thick paper suitable for watercolor and glue.
Otherwise, grab your pencils, figure out what it is you prefer to draw, and have at it. Have fun and enjoy!
The Art Diaries 