A Magical Realism Life with Mia Pratt

Introduction Artist Churro Chapala Jorge Eduardo by Mia Pratt (Translations are made using AI Artificial Intelligence and may contain errors.) Churro Chapala Jorge Eduardo is a talented artist and singer living in the Mexican town of Chapala. For our interview I met up with him in the Soriana’s parking lot and we drove out to his art studio, which is located outside of town in a rural span of agave fields.  The vibe of his studio is that of comfortable old Mexico, authentic and down home. Inside the studio a collection of large acrylic paintings are either hanging on available wall space or stacked against the walls. He paints in acrylics in a freeform fashion that blends his love of caricature with shades of magical realism and surrealism to create scenes that take us beyond our imagination. Viewing Churros paintings in person catches you off guard due to the direct statements made by each painting. There is no pretense or artifice in his work - it makes a statement that leaves you co

When I was five years old I had an odd but magical experience in a redwood forest in Napa, California. My aunt took my mother and me out for lunch at little Italian restaurant, where we were seated on the back patio beneath a grape-covered arbor. When the two women became engrossed in grown-up conversation, I took advantage of the situation and wandered off to explore.  I discovered a tiny pond with a rock border, and the bottom was covered in undulating velvet moss. The water appeared shallow at the edges and grew darker in the middle where an island of water lilies shaded silver minnows as they darted in and out of its cover. Thrilled at my discovery, I sat down at the edge of the pond and removed my socks and shoes so I could wade in. But just as my toes touched the water a small voice shouted out, “No!”  I looked up in surprise and saw a little man standing on a lily pad across from me. He was about ten inches tall, dressed in a black top had and vest, and he was holding a silver-h

Lake Chapala’s Art of Mexican Magical Realism  (Translations are made using artificial intelligence AI and may contain errors.) Forty minutes south of Guadalajara, a talented community of Mexican magical realists have flourished quietly for decades in the historic villages lining the shores of Lake Chapala. Lakeside visitors flock to the area to wander its cobblestone roads and tour the magnificent murals gracing the walls of its plazas, streets and alleys. The term “magical realism” was first coined by German photographer and art historian/critic Franz Roh in 1925 to describe modern realist paintings that included fantasy or dream-like elements. A more recent interpretation explains, “Magical realism is often compared to surrealism, but while surrealism focuses on the life of the mind, magical realism is grounded in the real world, showing fantastical elements as a part of everyday life…” (UGA Today). Until recent years, magical realism was a relatively unknown genre of art outside of