El Bohio de Rincón (1991- 2022)

I was lucky enough to find myself in the middle of yet another tantalizing project. This one is deeply connected to our own history, our "original" Rincón. What "original" means - of course - differs for all of us depending on when we arrived. 

We first came to Rincón on the urgent plea of my late brother-in-law. It took us years to take his advice. When we finally did, we instantly fell in love with this town. After a day of admiring sea glass, exploring coral reefs, and sipping piña coladas, we were ready for some night life. 

A tall order back in those days. The only signs of life in the entire town were some country tunes coming from a dimly lit hut down a dark road. The sign on top read “EL BOHIO”. A few folks were standing around some barrels with Medallas in hand. Cigarette smoke and the smell of herbs accented the humid tropical air. The shaded figures seemed to encourage us to join them. 

We climbed up a few earthen steps to a deck, ordered some beers and struck up a conversation. The exchange became lively in a heartbeat. We found to have a lot in common. Little did we know these people would become some of the most important figures in our lives. We had struck right into the heart of what would come to feel like the mythical “golden age”. We had run into the future founders of "Rincón Beer Company" Sage and Naomi Hobbs and the legendary artist Jillo. We had an amazing night that I will never forget. They gave us the courage to take a big leap. Another 2 years later I would jam with Squid for the first time right here at El Bohio. 

In this painting I combined a few eras of the fabulous watering hole. The surfboard sign and the sign on the hand rail are from different eras, as is the barrel, at which we sat on that very first night in Rincón. But the history of El Bohio goes back much further, photos from that earliest time are hard to come by. 

I hope this awesome project brings back fabulous memories to the many people, who loved this wonderful place and I hope my friend Russell, who commissioned me, finds his vision well reflected.