Sip 'n Paint Plein Air Watercolor: Catrinas

Jackie McKissack is leading a plein air watercolor workshop at the San Antonio Botanical Garden on Friday, October 16, from 6 to 8 PM. The session is built around one of the living sculptures in Jardín de las Catrinas: De Catrinas a Refranes, an exhibition brought to the Garden by Bank of America that runs from September 15 to November 2, 2026. The display brings together art, plants, and tradition with eight larger-than-life Catrinas, more than 10,000 marigolds, and hundreds of living plants.

The sculptures were created by San Antonio artist Regina Moya, a Mexican writer, illustrator, and public artist whose work draws on nature, Mexican traditions, and refranes—the traditional sayings that carry wisdom down through generations. The Garden's Día de los Muertos celebration began in 2023, and in 2025 Moya collaborated with botanical artist Layni Langham on Nana Echeri, a 16-foot-tall living Catrina whose skirt featured more than 100 living plants.

McKissack, who goes by 'Lulu' and runs Lulu's Art SA, is a self-taught watercolor artist born and raised in Canada and now based in San Antonio. She describes her work as being driven by her love of the craft and the sense of fun and community it fosters. The workshop is a plein air session, meaning you'll be painting outdoors on-site rather than in a studio, with one of the Catrinas as your subject.

The class runs from 6 to 8 PM on Friday, October 16, at the San Antonio Botanical Garden, 555 Funston Place. It costs $35, or $30 for members.