I'mmmm back!

Yes, back in sunny Costa Rica. There is a most intoxicating perfume in the air tonight as soon as the sun went down. I am enjoying this night ....so much....I am always a bit reluctant when packing to come here, leaving family at the holidays, leaving Cal, leaving my little cottage by the sea and the gardens too. Tonight was a really nice welcoming of tapas at Pat & Willy's "hacienda" (I love the layout of their home, open one side to the gardens and green vistas), anyway, nice get-together of artists and long term residents (12). The weather of course today was glorious, and I succeeded to unpack and find a place for everything, realizing what I have forgotten to pack as well, I thought I packed so much stuff, but now less than I thought and still overweight and carrying an extra suitcase. I'll make do for 3 months...I think I brought the things I can use in my art, and excited to start this year's series of art making.. I am sooooo hooked up with technology too this year, the Iphone, the computer, the (gift) of my BOSE wireless speakers (awesome), a printer, the tablet, the x hard drive, do ya think I have enough to play with? Along with all my works to do on paper....OMG wish me luck...The speakers are soooo cool, and now have to recharge it, I played it so much today, and I forgot the charger in RI...shit! I finally got the colony printer to work to, it's been a troubleshooting day. I also went to do grocery shopping and at the counter I did not have any money, ya, I forgot money! I had to borrow some from Carlos, friend from colony here, geesh. A bit mixed up today and I will blame it on the altitude (4000 ft), not atittude...lol, I am on a mountain high, what can I say!  December 6th- February 28th, 2011

London Series 2011

London, England has inspired these photographs while my stay here of two months, September 2011, feelings of delight, magic and the whimsical. These are only the start of this enchanting depiction of merry ole England series, I hope to exhibit these soon back home in RI, USA.

Magic of Brighton...photograph from London Series

Many Cups of Tea on Camden Passage...photograph from London Series

Exhibiting in Oslo, Norway

A friend that I met in Cost Rica, Irene Christensen has invited me to show my B&W drawings with her in her native country of Norway. She still operates a studio in Oslo and has a studio in New York City also. I have been making art along with other artists in the Julia and David White Artist Colony in Dec-Jan-Feb for the last 6 winters... now. Irene and Charles have been great friends while there and they were also our guests at our wedding this past July..so nice. They are both incredible artists and are truly an inspiration to me always. Whether coffee in the morning or in our studios working, they provide support, encouragement and demonstrate that living an artist life is still so very special and unique. I love them...thank you Irene & Charles for being a muse, and my friends.

Wedding Website

Wedding@Edgemere

Wedding was lovely, beautiful day, smiles, friends, family, lots of food, cello music, songs of love, cupcakes, candy, flowers, roses. Love was definitely in the air. "food for the soul". Looks like no one came though...hee hee...no but wait....

Wedding Bliss

July 9th, 2011 we begin our new journey as Mr.and Mrs. We could surely use your advice and well wishes. Share with us your wisdom about marriage, love & life. Let us in on the secret to being a loving husband and wife. Email us a few words with insight we could use on our way. Long after this day, whatever you write, we're sure to treasure. Sometime in the future we will take your advice with....great measure!

Please share your prayers and thoughts and wishes!

Me

The Waterfall of Peace (La Paz de Catarata)

Costa Rica

Breathtaking, not me the waterfall!

Happy Valentine's Day

PURA VIDA

Esta Manana

I finally got this printer to work with just the black ink, yippee! Experimenting with B&W photos for inspiration for paintings. Nest Series is turning into "Nest-Scapes", so we will see where it takes me. Fun!

Had 12 people in my studio for dinner last night, "pot-luck", (my kitchen sink has been clogged since until Carlos got some draino to unclog it just a little while ago. yahooooo...)it was great time. Set up long table, everyone sat around it. Soups, chicken, rice, fish, salad, fruit salad, apple pie with vanilla chip ice cream, oh yea and wine....and Cacique (one of the national liquers here in Costa Rica), kind of like vodka, smooth made from sugar cane. Linda and Tom joined us artists last night for dinner too. They were working at the National Reserve Chirripo, both artists but working in reserve on taking care of, pruning, planting trees, etc.... Linda & I met last December as artists in the colony here. I forgot to take a picture of us...geesh...what's wrong with me.... for the blog.

Beginning of week I went to Manuel Antonio Parque on the Pacific, it was really great, swimming in the ocean riding the waves, sunning myself, it's hard work, but somebody has to do it. Seven of us went, wonderful time, except I had white knuckles coming home, the driver was not as good a driver as me...heehee. Anyway we got home safe. Working on lots of ideas today, feeling like a good "art day".

I went for a swim today in the pool here and on the way I saw a large bird lying still/dead on the grass, yellow, blue, spotted feathers. it was a Quetzal bird, I felt so bad, who knows how it got there. but I went and got my scissors and I cut some feathers off it, I know disgusting, but I gave the feathers another life and glued them on to a small metal bird I bought at a junk shop the other day. This little metal plain shiny clip-on bird was just waiting for some feathers to find him. So, here it is. Rather serendipitis, that I am working on the "nest-scapes" series right now. mmm...my muse is speaking to me.

Creepy

Melon Market

The Colors of El Parajo

We went to ZooAvi, which is where they have rescued birds and animals and then let them return to the wild after they have recovered. I thought these close ups of the parrot made interesting abstracts. Can you believe these colors. Yummy!

My RI Study Group Mystery Project

 The Magical Mystery Tour

This is a link to a project (click on this title above and turn up the volume), I just finished for my Lettering Arts Study Group in RI due today. It is not perfect, but a challenge non-the-less.

MYSTERY-something that arouses curiosity or
suspense, obscure, or of enigmatic
quality, the inexplicable, or a story, film,
which arouses suspense.

This is a pananoramic view of the Volcano Arenal in the northern part of Costa Rica. I used a "photostitch"  software method after taking these 7 different shots in my camera. The volcano did not want to show us her colors this day, but it was still an awesome experience being so close to one of the 7 active volcanos here. They say you can see the lava at night coming from the top sometimes at special observatory lookouts. This picture shows some steam coming from various places along the side near top of cone. But, very often the top is in the clouds. This is not a bad day, the last time it really threw lava was in 1963.

 

"What induces you, oh man, to depart from your home in town, to leave family and friends, and go to the country-side over mountains and valleys, if it is not the beauty of the world of nature which, on considering, you can only enjoy through the sense of sight; and as the poet in this also wants to compete with the painter, why do you not take the poet's descriptions of such landscapes and stay at home without exposing yourself to the excessive heat of the sun? Would that not be more expedient and less fatiguing, since you could stay in a cool place without moving about and exposing yourself to illness? But your soul could not enjoy the pleasures that come to it through the eyes, the windows of its habitation, it could not receive the reflections of bright places, it could not see the many flowers which with their various colours compose harmonies for the eye, nor all the other things which may present themselves to the eye."  ...... Leonardo da Vinci, The 'Paragone

Tres las amigas de artistas

Me...Carol...Nina...

@ Casa Conde, Playa Panama, Costa Rica, January 2011

Update

Amarillo

watercolor 10x7

Playa Panama in Guanacaste on the pacific, parrots, Palo Verde, jungle cruise, blue herons, crocadiles, feeding the capuchin monkeys, sunshine, Cesa, tipico lunch, cas, frijoiles, pool, vistas, islands, green hills, heleconias, Lankester gardens, orchids, rain, waterfalls, wind, red macaws, cafe con leche, iguanas, one creepy snake, hilltops, painting, photographing, cooking, sculpting, sharing, palm trees, the most unusual flora, drawing patterns...oropendulars, University of Peace, Cal, Carol, Nina, .....bananas & yellow flowers...

And Life Itself is on the Wing

"And Life Itself is on the Wing"

(work in progress)

7 x 11 watercolor, white ink, and gold leaf 

This is the beginning of a series of paintings I have started themed "Nesting". It came from thoughts of comforting places, encompassing the need for peace, and then letting go to imagination. I was drawing with some sticks & stones in my sketchbook, practicing some writing excersises with the actual word as well, then went for a walk and found this little nest on the ground, and this is what came out of that afternoon, I feel it is still a work in progress. Other paintings in this series have been started too. It a slow moving series of paintings, but I am throughly enjoying this process of finding a subject that found me and then developing it into more un-traditonal ways using my watercolor and mixed media techniques. Sticks, nests, natural elements, colors, poetry have new meaning when I combine them.

Este es el Caballo

by Cathal Brown

6" x 10" wire sculpture

Is this cool or what, Cal is preparing his materials for a metal sculpture in the residency here in Cuidad Colon, Costa Rica 2010. Tools, metal and other natural materials are being collected as we speak. So inspiring!

Christmas Horse Parade

Bernarda & Isabella took us to the fabulous horse parade in San Jose, it was truly amazing, 5000 horses, 5000 drunk cowboys (some of them, ok most of them). Every kind of horse imaginable.

Buenas Dias

The weather has finally changed, the winds have died down and the sun is shining warmer. On my way out the door to paint with Patricia. We went for a short walk late yesterday afternoon and found the most beautiful flowers to paint today. So exciting...green, red and purple..will post later.

Cal finding that sculpting wire and metal into horse is his new calling, will post that too later.

Lunch today with Bernarda & Isabella at the hotel she works at up on the hill (oh the hill...steep walk)...lots of activity here in colony..getting ready for newcomers this weekend. Carol coming on Sunday, Nina on Tuesday..yippeee!