Monotypes

Patricia Gonzalez
17" x 14", monotype, 2014

My collection of Latin American records is growing steadily. This is due to an influx of, mostly Mexican, records in the thrift stores of south Florida. This is reflected in the Top 100 Archive. In the the nearly finished Top 100 2013/14 there are as many surnames like Gonzalez, Sanchez, and Rodriguez as the are Smiths, Johnsons, and Williamses. In some thrift stores in Miami nearly half of the records come from one Latin American country or another. It's a bit messy, browsing through the shelves in thrift stores in Miami (where of course records are placed on the lowest shelves in the entertainment section of the store). The condition of the records is mostly poor, often the wrong disc is inside a jacket, if there's a jacket at all. Sometimes you'll find the back half of the jacket in a different location than the front half, and the vinyl in yet a third location. It is hardly a deterrent for me. I may assume that those records in good shape represent less popular ones, and I assume too that I often like less popular records better than popular ones. And that introduces me to this gem I found in a Goodwill store on Tamiami Trail in Naples. The gem is an LP by the Ecuadorian singer Patricia Gonzalez titled Un Amor Canta al Amor. The singer is pretty obscure, she doesn't have a presence on line, and as far as I can tell, it's the only one she ever made. But it's spectacular, and in near mint condition too. I saved painting her portrait from the image on the cover of the record for this special occasion that was a monotype workshop that I conducted just today. It's been waiting in anticipation for many weeks. Monotypes are cool. ♥ 'em!