One nice thing about painting around the world is that I get to meet new friends.  I found that a sure-fire way to meet people is to start to sketch in a public place.  Children immediately gather around and make friendly suggestions on how to improve the drawing.  This is Francisco from Zijuatanejo, Mexico. 

Every year, my wife and I travel with a group of artist friends to Mexico.  This October, we will go to Oaxaca for ten days to sketch, take photos, attend a workshop on dying textiles with natural dyes and drink margaritas 

In 2013, I was invited by the U.S. State Department's Art in the Embassies program to visit Kyrgyzstan and give master classes at art colleges on how to paint with smoke and fire, a process that I discovered by accident.  The students were wonderful - hospitable, attentive and extremely talented.   I was recently invited by the program to exhibit my work in the ambassador's residence in Uzbekistan.