Panamanian Taxi – acrylic on panel by Paul Zdepski
I began sketching this while in Panama at the Embassy Suites Ambassador Hotel in downtown Panama City. My time in Panama was a whirlwind tour of colleges, locks, galleries and cathedrals, but I was able to grab a couple of moments in the early hours of the day on Friday to sketch the cab drivers as they gathered to talk and wait from the fares to begin walking out of the hotels on the street. They would sit under the shade on the other side of the street, smoking and laughing, then wave like crazy to anyone that walked out of the hotel’s lobby. I thought the colors were spectacular. Central America just bleeds the rainbow with thick humid air filtering it all. I didn’t grab a ride with these guys, but I do remember them well. This piece has found a new home with a longtime collector of my work, and I know it’s in good hands.
