Mexico
In 1972, Dorothy was the first American woman invited to create a mural at the University of Guadalajara in Mexico. She named it “Esperanza” (hope). The mural was 10.5 x 12.5 feet, painted in acrylics for the center of the courtyard of the university.
While there, Dorothy fell in love with the people and the rapidly changing country. She decided to stay and live in Mexico for three more years to work on her first collection. Dorothy’s intention was to explore two worlds, the new Mexico that was emerging in the 1970s and the Mexico of the past. For the first time, Dorothy experimented with a palette knife on canvas to create sweeping strokes of her subjects as well as refined details.
Upon completing her collection, Dorothy had a solo exhibition Serenata Mexicana at the prestigious Southwest Museum in Los Angeles. Museum director Carl S. Dentzel proclaimed the collection as “a gifted artist’s tribute to Mexico and her inspiring people".”
