During the summer of 2024, I was given the opportunity by Artistic Dreams International to come and work in the city of Hermosillo, in Sonora, México, on a mural inspired by the dreams of women living in La Posada del Buen Samaritano, a residential recovery and peaceful group home for women fleeing abusive relationships and also sometimes trying to pull themselves out of addiction. The mural design featured beloved local images: a palo verde tree, with branches full of small butterfly cocoons, growing into butterflies, and women themselves flying out and up from the tree like butterflies; as the women fly up to the right toward the moon, we see the town of Hermosillo below, with its different buildings and areas, arts center, mall, university, cathedral plaza, and the latest cool hangout, Parque “La Ruina”—the colors in the background move from dawn colors on the left through a spectrum to starry night sky on the far right. The amazing team that put this mural together, including artists and supporters of the work and those connected with La Posada through educational programs and administrative work, will always inspire me and make me happy.
