Orquideologia

Willy & Pat invited me go to an Orchid show in Grecia. It really was spectacular! Flowers in every color of the rainbow. They have a wonderful collection thmeselves, tiny ones to extrordinary ones. So I feel an "orchid" series coming on real strong. Boy this studio gets so hot in the afternoon, three fans going. Still working on my "passion flowers" piece, new this year. Hope to get more new ones done as well as finishing up all the others I bought down here with me. I decided to stay in tonight, others went to a concert in Colon. Drawing is on my agenda.

Bernarda took us for a ride to see a potential spot to paint near the canyon. The spot was a B&B, really beauitful called Casa Bella Rita, but really did not len itself to setting up in to paint for the dasy, so we found our familiar spot of last year to go back to realy soon. Not many places to pull of the road to paint, roads are thin and lots of cars whizzing by. So we are in a predicament sort of, looking for special places to paint other than the colony. I had some "ceviche" today for dinner, it was awesome and also a fruit/vegetable indgenious to Costa Rica, a small pepper-like shape and tastes like a cooked potatoe. Very good. Pejibaye , a relative of the coconut, is one of Costa Rica's most unusual treats. Pejibayes grow in clusters on palm trees, like miniature coconuts. The part that you eat would correspond to the fibrous husk, while the hard pejibaye seed, when cracked open, reveals a thin layer of bitter white meat around a hollow core. The bright orange or red pejibayes are delicious boiled in salted water, then peeled, halved and pitted and eaten alone or with mayonnaise. You'll see them sold on San Jose streets year a round. Their flavor is difficult to describe. They are not sweet, but more a combination of chestnut and pumpkin with a thick, fibrous texture. You can buy a racimo (bunch) of raw pejibayes at the Mercado Borbon and boil them up for parties, or you can buy them in the supermarkets peeled and canned to take home as souvenirs.

Passion

Well, the bells are ringing in the town because it is 6:00 o'clock, they ring twice a day, who needs a watch. Painted today...Passion flowers are in bloom at the poolside along with some purple flowers, white and orange too and of course green trailing leaves abound with litle curly vines sprouting about. Gorgeous, everything is green right now, December is green after all the rainy season has ended. There is talk about the orchids blooming too, have not seen them yet. A sight to see tomorrow, always something new to see everyday.

Now looking forward to going to an opening at the National Gallery where I will be exhibiting in January 2010.

In the Beginning

Settling in for the winter here in Costa Rica again. It's warm, the red passion flower blooming around the pool. There are some changes, new faces at the colony, some new roads leading to the coasts. Did some grocery shopping, prices not any dfferent than at home. I am ready to paint, experiment, discover and see things in a different light.

season’s GLITTER

It was winter and the wind blew, and the full moon’s glow captured the white snowflakes falling...ever so gently...down from the cold north like glitter, finally resting on my earth.

It was spring and as the currents shifted in the water on the cove, the paths of shimmering moonlight looked like glitter dancing across my sea.

It was summer and the night was warm, the landscape flickered with fireflies like glitter scattered amongst my roses and cosmos.

It was fall and the night was midnight blue, and the air was crisp with twinkling starlights that swept across my sky like glitter.

by Lorraine Bromley

Ukrainian Art Museum

Finally I got some confidence to find the art museum. It was worth it. Amazing works of art, from religious icons to contemporary artists. Small museum, but packed with diverse masterpieces. No photographs in museum, but did take many notes and artists names to research later. Ukrainian life in the early 1900's, winter scenes, oil paintings, graphics, & prints, were mainly exhibited.

Art-Music-Dance

Opera "Traviatta" was cancelled. So we walked with friends, Irina & Igor through a wonderful section of Kyiv, parks, architecture, fountains, views of left bank, lots of picture taking, history, rainbows, rain, subway, water museum, puppet theater, graffitti, monuments, stadium, listened to street musicians, watched some kids dancing in an open theater, a little bit of everything.

This picture with ribbons and locks is from a walkway called "The Kissing Bridge". It's where couples come to lock their love with promises together with padlocks, there must be thousands locked to both sides of railings over a main road into the upper city.

Ukraine Contrasts

The bed sheets are too small.......but a woman comes in to change bed every 4 days. Can not find a hamburger anywhere....but
There is a washing machine in our apartment....but you have to open it with a spoon. Can find prepared frozen shrimp in market ...but you can find the ones that you have to cut off the head, devein and shell. Walking everywhere is faster than taking a taxi or bus or subway. Outrageous styles in clothes in city...but quality is really bad and expensive. Buildings are beautiful on the outside and not finished in the inside. Bathroom has just a bathtub...toilet in another separate room. I think I am rather spoiled.
to be continued...

Some whimsical drawings of buildings inspired by the churches in Kyiv.

"White Walls of Kyiv"
7 x7 watercolor by L. Bromley

I still think I will put a few more details on this one, after looking at it now online. Went to the "market" today, small booths of the most outrageous clothes, leather, fur coats, book, cds, videos, pastries, kind of like outdoor fair where locals do there shopping, the malls are so expensive and not the best quality. You don't really buy clothes in Ukraine anyway. But the women really dress up, heels, skirts, dresses, they dress rather sexy. Raining now, but just passing showers. Bought the best nectarines I ever had. Been doing some sketches of many buildings, in B&W marker. One gallery the other day showed me work from different artists and some were just drawings, I would like to gather a series of drawings of Ukraine buildings for myself. to be continued

Kyiv Post-English newspaper..www.kyivpost.com


Walked and walked today to parts unknown, found a mall and bought a shirt and realized after I bought it that it was the wrong size. Well, I needed an interpreter to help me, it took in hour to exchange it, yes also needed my passport, 2 signatures, paperwork, unbelievable! Will never do that again, remnants of soviet rules.

The skies are very dramatic here, don't know if it is the time of year or what, but it is so picturesque, fluffy, big thunder clouds, all the time.

Lunch at Olivas, Italian restaurant we found and have been there alot lately. Atmosphere of an Italian kitchen with pots hanging and shelves of stacked wood and flowers, bottles etc..., one very important thing, they speak English, very reasonable prices and great food. Tonight, grilled cheese at home. I could use a beer, one of about a thousand choices, it is not considered alcohol here. There are "kids" walking around with big bottles of beer I see in hand all day. Young teenagers! Big alcoholic population here, with 40 kinds of vodkas made here in the Ukraine and the age at which they start drinking, it is a big problem, average life of a man is 62. Lots of pubs, lots of drinking. mmmm

Getting alot more comfortable getting around city, I think I will try to find the museums next week. There is alot of art here. Quite exciting!

"In the Moment"
Drawing of Main Street in Ukraine from Cafe House
black marker on napkin

Thoughts.......great meals with new friends...blogging, painting, drawing, discovering, sympathy, empathy, creating, loving, writing, journaling, photographing, discussing, traveling, wishing & learning.

Kyiv Walking Tour

Bubushka Flowers (detail), watercolor by Lorraine Bromley 2009

Finicular (Tram) up the hill, parks, mansions, monuments, monasteries, cathedrals, palaces, dramatic skies, artists, musicians, folk crafts, babushkas, lots of beers, cafes, embroidered shirts, scarfs, potatoes, crepes, flower shops, river, spectacular views of Kyiv and the most wonderful guide, Vlad.

I am having the most difficult time deciding what to paint!
(I know poor me.)

Thinking of you Aja, hoping you are feeling better today after your surgery.)

Trinity

The Museum of Folk Architecture and Rural Life was really quite amazing. This beautiful museum is set on over 150 acres of beautiful countryside on the outskirts of Kyiv in a small town named Pyrogove. It shows the spiritual and cultural life along paths, fields, cottages, gardens.Cal's friend Olga took us there with her son, we had a nice sunny day and a lunch where we tried all the traditional dishes, marinated vegetables, borcht, sweets, a drink made from fermented bread, hard to describe, non-alcoholic, supposed to be very good for you. I describe it as a bread tea.

Of course I took too many photos and edited for you to see the beautiful cottages and gardens. Spring was a great time to see this place when flowers are in bloom. Artist were painting, music, dancing and many woman were decorating for the "Trinity" holiday here with leaves tucked in every corner of the inside of the houses and outside.

Every day I play!

"Every day I play with the light of the universe", I line from a great poem by Pablo Neruda. It happens to be my theme in a class I am in the middle of and I am living it. We play with it everyday!

This is a picture of some really old postcards attached as wallpaper in a restaurant we went into last night. So cool! We ordered one thing and got another. No english on menu, we had to call a friend on the cell phone to order for us and still they got it wrong, that is the way it is here, you think one thing going to happen and yet another...happens.

You know some things in this country do not make any sense like putting all kinds of pastries for dessert on the menu, five pages worth and then having none of them to offer to customers. Just to tease me...I did find the most delicious little cream puffs at the market, thank God, I might turn into one! Now take the pillow cases, they go on the long way here, that makes perfect sense to me, why don't we do that in the states? They are so hard to put on aren't they? We do stupid things sometimes.

Found a really tiny art supply store yesterday. I would not have found it if Vlad did not tell us about it. He walked us over to it, behind some larger buildings, in a courtyard, hole in the wall place, I bought a tool to draw/paint/letter with, it is made of blown glass and has a large well. Anyway, will play with it, it cost 1.30.

Stop and smell the roses?...ok I did, found this wonderful little private rose garden on my walk. And you could actually smell the roses as you passed them, they were all in bloom, every color against this blue house.

Last night after a short walk to the subway, we went to the opera, Tosca, it was wonderful. Would love to go to another, and another, and another. Cal tried to show me how to get around on the subway, there is no way I am going to venture very far out without him. Too confusing! Took a nice walk back along one of the main streets (six lanes) in Kyiv (Kiev), one that they close off every weekend so that millions of people can stroll along it, we will walk it this weekend. Many monuments and beautiful architecture. Street musicians ect...


This is picture of some graffitti under a bridge, colorful huh?

Well, I am settling in, made dinner, caught up news, did laundry, kind of nice to have washing machine in apt. Can't read anything on it, all kinds of dials, but I just put soap in and pressed a button, worked. Amazing! Took a walk around the block, for some air and stopped and bought a ham & cheese sandwich and was short on some change, I think it was .07, I'll pay her tomorrow.

I really want to do some drawing outside but not that comfortable among the "peoples" yet.

Ok I am trying to cook after coming back from the market, I have no idea what I bought, can't read the packages. I thought, I will make pasta and sauce tonight before going to the Opera. I bought linguine, (my favorite), I can see it in the package, I know it is linguine and I bought some gorgonzola and spinach filled raviolis from Italy, I bought a jar of tomato sauce and figured I could doctor it up with garlic and spices and olives. It tastes terrible! And the olives I bought in a can happenend to still have the pits in them, geez....The tomato sauce does not even taste like tomatoes, what is with that? How can you screw up tomatoe? I should've bought fresh tomatoes, but I did not want to wait in the long line to weigh them first. I learned my lesson, and the garlic came out of a jar, tastes awful, I will buy fresh again of garlic and wait in the damn line. I hope I can make something of the pasta meal, Oh yea I thought I bought butter for garlic bread, but no I bought cream cheese. Bring on the bagels? I will stick to potatoe "anything" now, Smoked Salmon looks good though. More from the Ukrainian kitchen tomorrow.

Another Wet Day

Wow, got up so late today, 9:30 AM, still adjusting, I thought I was doing pretty good, but this morning proved it does take a few days to get used to time difference.

Tonight we are going to see an Italian Opera, "Tosca" about love, lust and deceit, you know a soap opera. My first opera.

Staying in today, need to paint my flowers I bought yesterday.

Domes of Kiev