"Carmel Mission Fiesta"

“Carmel Mission“

Lithograph print
Image size: 25" x 18.5" - Edition 260 signed and numbered / 25 remarqued artist proofs

This painting was commissioned by a client in Carmel Valley and turned out to be a great challenge. The project required a depiction of the Carmel Mission during the annual fiesta and trading days in the early 1800s, which attracted people from all over the west. One of the major obstacles was convincing the various local Indian tribes to participate in the painting. The Mission was a place of repression and heartache for the local tribes, so there was a lot of ill will towards it. However, after an initial meeting with various tribal chiefs and a cleansing ceremony that we held on the mission grounds, the chiefs agreed to the project. Several hundred characters were gathered together, including the tribes in their native costumes. With a traditional period feast prepared, this was a very special day in the lives of all who attended.