Cynthia du Bois relocated to Lakeside 12 years ago with her husband, who was ready to retire. She says she had always loved Mexico, but her husband “wasn’t crazy about it” and left within a few years. Du Bois, however, stayed put.
Du Bois started paining 35 years ago, but stopped for ten years to raise her four children. She has been painting full time, almost exclusively plein air, ever since she moved here.
Fortunate to fall in with a “wonderful group of artists,” Du Bois is a founding member of the Plein Air Painters of Jalisco, who go out a couple of times a week to create art in the open air.
“En plein air,” a French term meaning “the act of painting outdoors,” became popular with the impressionists in the 1800s, at the time paints were put into tubes. Suddenly, artists could take their paints and easels outdoors to paint instead of being confined to their studios.
Du Bois says she loves the colors of Mexico that feed her paintings. She also feels more comfortable painting outside here. “Mexicans love artists and people appreciate it when they see me painting.”
Please login or subscribe to view the complete article.