Home Sweet Home

Home again...feels good. Three months is a long time. New habits formed, all good ones...wink, wink. Have not finished unpacking yet, and also trying to decide where to put things, where in this little house can I put up my easel and set up my pallette. I will be painting more plein-air this year, since I have had to give up my studio @ Shady Lea Mills. I have to remember that "Everything is temporary". Had Aja do my nails today, visited my friend Mary (85yrs old), picked up my car, a log for the wood stove, a tuna sandwich, life is good, watch a movie, cup of tea, and call it a day, I have got to slow down...hee hee

LORRAINE'S BLOG

LORRAINE'S BLOG

What do I ask of a painting?

I ask it to astonish, disturb, seduce, convince.

...Lucian Freud

Last Days

No running water again!!!!

Open Studios today was really great!! We started at Diane's casita, and she read from her book she is writing about "co-housing" and the functions, characters, and personalities that make up living in communal situations. Next was Hans, he is a very well-known poet in Germany, he read three poems, one he explained it in English then read it in German, and another one in german explaining that a poem is like music, even though we don't understand the words, we listen and interpret it a the most sensitive of ways. Then my favorite poem he wrote in his own language, a made up a language about love, just an amazing man and his wife Christine, who was with me last year at the colony as well, showed some new work inspired by the situations she encounters here in Costa Rica, for instance, she had a scary event of feeling dizzy and not being able to speak, she went to the hospital and after tests found nothing serious but being in the hospital was such a traumatic experience with many really sick people around her, she could not get the images out of her mind and so she painted the scenes of the hospital experience in oil pastels on large canvasses. Vivian showed her series of abstract work, shapes in shades of black, grays, whites with random spots of color. Then Lois showed her acrylic paintings, abstract, large, one of a older couple, close to each other, posing for a photo op in very simplified shapes, no detail, bold and brassy like her personality. Donna and John were next, John reading his articles he writes about issues in the USA and other andidtotes. Donna, an acrylic artist paints on a material like interfacing, beautiful landscapes of skies and creates poems that accompany them. Lucille showed her abstract photos. She actually draws on the negative with scratching, markers and the printed results are wonderful little whimsical works of art. Next was my turn, Dunia from the Nacional Galleria came for the first time to the "Open Studios" at the colony, she had gotten emails and a portfolio of work from me in the last few weeks and she did ask to see my work, and pending a review from her board next week, I will have an exhibit at the museum next January 2010. Yahoooo!!! Anyway, three months of work later I taped up my flowers/fauna and muses from Costa Rica. It was well recieved by all and I am very proud of my accomplishments here. Then we went to Irene and Charle's casita down the road and Charles showed his small colorful abstract drawings, ameba-like, galaxy-like, atmosheric-like. Irene also does much in ink markers and creates wonderful images of imaginary figures inspired from artifacts, tress, etc...with intricate patterns and colors. It is always a real treat to share and see artists' work in this setting of dedication & passion and to see the discipline it takes to making art sing to others. We inspire each.

This dress is made from recycled materials found on Playa Montezuma by artist, Carlos Arguilere. Plastic bottles, driftwood hanger, clothes basket, etc... He was collecting these materials when I found him camping on the beach in January. He also carved heads from styrofoam and did some abstract art from the junk that washes up on shore everyday.

Topas

This looks like a magazine cover, doesn't it?

The 1st horse parade (Topas) today in Cuidad Colon (a short walk to town) was spectacular. I have never seen so many horses. Prancing, and decorated with their proud owners riding them in their cowboy hats, boots, spurs, tight pants, beers and cigars. Horses of every color, spotted gray, shiny black, beached white, silver haired, braised tails and flowing manes, ribbons, adornments, beautiful statuesque and romantic. The colors in the traditional dance troupe was vibrant and you could not help but move in place to the musica.

Pura Vida

Lady of Lourdes, she tells of the vision and the
pilgrimages every February to her grotto.

The weeks are flying by. I leave for home in a week. I really loved showing Carol, Lorraine and Bill Costa Rica. We have had some adventures we will never forget.

Day tripping, bird watching, friendly taxi drivers, costa rican foods, art exhibits, the dogs of the colony, meeting artists from all over the world, coffee plantations, bananas, mandarins, pineapples, butterflies, heleconias, ginger, strangling fig trees, playa Montezuma, Orosi Valley, rain, boas, painting, drawing, hot springs, studio tours, San Jose, mountains, hills, waterfalls, earthquake 1-08-09, rides in the pick-up, horse parades, open market, cilantro, papayas, rivers, monkeys, green, focaccia, flat tires, lost, churches, Lourdes walk, stories of strength, mot-mots, drums, bread with cheese, hamburgers, avocados, bamboo, wind, sunsets, margaritas, days without running water, days with out electricity, days without the internet, jungle walks, spanish lessons, bird sounds, crocodiles, sarongs, black sandy beaches, volcanos, rainforests, movies online, rainbows, orchids, finding beauty in all things.Ladies who walked to Lourdes with a gentleman, Bill, who took the picture.