The folks at San Fernando Trailer Park know an artist when they see one. His name is Hector Vari, and if you´re lucky you might catch him at the park up on a ladder painting a panoramic scene of a Mexican country village on the back, side, or front of yet another RV sporting license plates from Illinois, British Columbia, California or Washington. A self-taught artist who says he learned his craft “en los calles,” Hector has been painting for 55 years on any surface that his oils, enamel or acrylics will adhere to. His specialty is mobile homes, but his canvas can range from velvet to glass to plastic 5 gallon water bottles. Philip and Helen Green, mobile homers parked for the winter at San Fernando, met Hector 20 years ago. Since that time, he has painted a colorful parrot on their RV door, plus a multitude of unusual items. “Hector can paint on any surface,” said Helen, “such as tiles, milk cans, satellite dishes, velvet. He even transforms an empty Padre Kino

wine carafe into a piece of art!He´s the best in the medium,” she pointed out. Barbara and Reggie Gilliam, their park neighbours, agree. “Many years ago we saw a motor home painted with a Mexican country scene and asked who did it. It was Hector, and we searched him out. He´s not always easy to find. He has the heart of a gypsy, and the women all love him.” Nowadays Hector divides his time and talents between Guaymas, San Carlos and Mazatlán, but in his younger years he traveled from Nogales down to the Nayarit border painting as he went. At 73, he is slowing down. Three of his sons are following in his brush strokes, and are mural and RV painters in their own right. For the gypsy artist Hector, his greatest pride is that his creations can be seen cruising down the highway throughout the entire North American continent. What more could an artist ask for? —MD (Hector Vari can be reached in Mazatlán by phoning 981-5053. But he might not be there.)