I recently traveled to Mexico with Tracy’s group for an art and butterflies excursion to celebrate my 70th birthday. It was the trip of a lifetime! The trip notes prepared us well before our arrival and the easy arrangements removed most of the potential travel stress from our plates. We had plenty of time to socialize with our art travel group, while still maintaining a very inspiring schedule of activities, all pre-booked and with reliable transportation. From plein aire sketching of architecture and walking tours in Mexico City to watercolor vignettes of the monarch butterflies in their natural wintering habitat near Valle de Bravo, we had a sensational experience. The attention to detail really set apart this incredible tour. Tracy and her partner handled all the arrangements while still offering us choices within the schedule and while still taking the time know each participant personally. Whether you would like to improve your Spanish language skills or go with all English translations, Tracy and her partner are completely bilingual and can answer linguistic or cultural questions you may have. And imagine traveling with an experienced and supportive top-level art teacher throughout the tour! The teaching and demonstrations given will improve your drawing and painting skills and your confidence. You will have time to share with other artist participants. The drawings you bring home cement your experiences more than just photos. Each locale chosen on Tracy’s tour will give you a taste of authentic Mexico that you will treasure: seeing the highest quality folk art from across the country, exploring a peaceful and historic monastery with beautiful sculptures, paintings, and architecture, participating in a salsa cooking class taught by multigenerational family members in their own home, and hearing from a dedicated monarch butterfly expert who has spent his career helping to preserve and protect this phenomenal butterfly migration, are all special examples. When I came home, I used my photos of the trip to enhance my drawings and paintings from the various places we visited and sketched. Even after 3 months the colors and memories are still vivid! I highly recommend an art tour with Tracy, Willy, Marjorie and friends!

My long-time friend and I traveled with Tracy on her Butterflies and Brushes field journaling in Mexico trip. I can highly recommend Tracy as a tour director due to her strong interpersonal skills and detailed written and verbal communications before, during and after the trip. Her daily tour plans are interesting, especially the visit to the butterfly sanctuary and the Vallee de Bravo folk art museum. Tracy is well organized and flexible when plans go sideways due to factors beyond her control. She showed resourcefulness and excellent problem-solving skills. Tracy’s passion for Mexican people, culture and art gives her unique insights in traveling in Mexico. Marjorie Liggett shares this passion for Mexican art and culture also. She shares her art skills in an accessible way for beginners and is so supportive of all different levels and styles of drawing and painting. She is particularly conscious of giving all students her attention irrespective of their challenges and strengths. I partcularly appreciated her tips and skills for watercolor in the field. I also liked the variety of sketching opportunities from botanical, architectural to animals. This trip was memorable for me in part because of Tracy and Marjorie.

February of 2026, I traveled to Mexico for the Butterflies and Brushes workshop created and led by Tracy. There aren’t enough words to describe this amazing journey. Tracy and her partner, Willy, created one of the most enriching and immersive adventures within our limited time frame. The combination of Tracy’s extensive knowledge of the area along with Marjorie Leggitt’s expertise in traditional illustration techniques, we were gifted with a magical voyage of discovery. Taking time to record your travels with pen and paper creates a sensory memory that stays with you. Imagine sitting in the midst of thousands of Monarch butterflies, so close, you hear the beating of their wings. Recreating generational salsa recipes within the same kitchen that great grandmother prepared the same salsas. The variety of experiences added to entire adventure, yet there were ample opportunities to explore on your own. Accommodations and food offerings were stellar as well. If the “art” component is worrisome, I recommend to take the “plunge” as Marjorie is one of the most gentle instructors and will guide you in whatever direction you choose to follow. What she will offer you is an outline of ways to record your experiences and create your own narrative. My chicken scratch landscape is so much more meaningful than my iPhone pics. Tracy created a multi-sensory, immersive journey that will be unforgettable.