Domes of Kiev

In the Ukraine!

What a beautiful city this is! The architecture and the colors are glorious. The skies, today ominous. It was Sunday and after arriving around 2:30 in the afternoon we stopped at the apartment and left the baggage there and went on a drive around the city and got dropped off at an outdoor art show and market, it was about 1 mile long down a big hill and all of a sudden a downpour of rain, the sky opened up and welcomed us, everyone huddled around doorways and plastic sheets being thrown over booths, umbrellas poking people and then a river in the middle of the cobblestone streets carrying away some garbage along with broken pottery, souvenirs and other trinkets. Of course we forgot our umbrellas, we were soaked. The sun came back out and dried us up a bit. We stopped at a market and picked up some fruit and tea, juice, bread and cheese for snacks and breakfast for following day. When we got back to apartment, we both took a hot bath, now I have come to the conclusion we need a hot tub at Edgemere. No question about it. Slept like a baby.

Now we are at Cal's new offices (WorldApp) in Kiev. They just moved from one area to this new place, only been in the new place for a full day. They are still unpacking.

The apartment is in a nice older section of the city and it is quite basic, tub in one room, toilet in another, bedroom, kitchen, living. Windows have beautiful iron decorative bars and it is on a corner and on the first floor.

I love the farmland & patterns from above Paris, so cool!

The Adventure Continues

I will be traveling to Kyiv, Ukraine with Cal this time around for three weeks. He will, of course be working and I will explore the culture, and be inspired to bring the experience into my work, I will blog and hope you get a kick out of viewing photos and sketches.

Costa Rican Inspiration

Bank RI, Turk's Head Bldg,
Providence, Rhode Island

Watercolors by Lorraine Bromley
Reception & Music
May 21, 2009
5-8:30pm
In conjunction with Gallery Night-Providence

Costa Rica Paintings

Spring has Sprung!

Thoughts on this Easter Sunday

Happy Birthday to sis, Gayle.

Kodie (dog sitting) is being so good, no barking at me, just another lazy day for her.

Hudson Jai will be visiting me today, yippee. There is an easter basket waiting for him.

Shrimp Scampi for dinner.

Painting.

Friday trip to NYC.

Visiting Richard & Karen

Talk to Cal sometime today in Kiev.

Coffee with my boys early.

Wickford looks different with trees gone, but all the daffodils are beautiful.

The sun is out and warming everything up.

Flower Power

Have a creative day today.

The Attleboro Museum was wonderful place to be on a rainy day today with my friend Nina. The museum has a colorful show up right now called Flower Power, a throw back from the 6O's, Afros, peace signs, The Fifth Dimension, Cafe A Go-Go, really an interesting day at the museum. It is not a big museum, but I ended spending all afternoon there. Had lunch, viewed the extraordinary paintings and flower designs, and attended a lecture on "Healing Gardens" by Warren Leach. www.tranquil-lake.com

Watercolor On-Location

Hey wake up!
I have seen signs of spring, my daffodils and tulips are breaking through the ground already and my watercolor travel pack is ready for plein-air painting. If there is anyone interested in joining me in painting in the RI area on Mondays or Fridays, send me a quick email or call me. Love to have your company. Lets find some interesting scenes to paint.

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.

Bamboo Drawings

Martez

Lorraine M. and I went to San Jose on Tuesday to the Gallerie Nacional to see Christine's exhibit. And at the same time dropped off a portfolio of my work to the museum and talked to the gallery director. She is quite interested in my work and I will talk more to her about an exhibit at the museum for next year. She will visit our "Open Studio Tour" on Tuesday of next week. The night we came to the opening for Christine's show, Lorraine M. was not feeling well. So I went without her. But we went to the big city today for an adventure, we took the taxi in the city and had a really nice time. Gallery, lunch at the Cafe Mundo, funky restaurant in the historic section of town, then went shopping to the local artisans market and then to the Teatro Nacional to see the ornate theatre of San Jose. We took a taxi back to Cuidad Colon with a delightful taxi driver that lived near Colon. Nice guy. All in all a very nice day.

A Day of Rest

Let's see now, we have running water now...went to dinner at the main house....went on a daytrip with a group from the colony yesterday. Robert had set up appointment with a property developer of an eco-village, made up of farmers, artist, writers, architects that are creating a sustainable ultra eco community. see www.kopalicommunities.com. So we walked around the property, (jungle) and looked at lots, fruit trees (we found star fruit), monkeys, a beautiful river, views in an area called San Mateo, a bit more affluent area of CR. Just beautiful!!! Spent a couple hours there. Then we drove towards Playa Jaco and had some lunch along the way. I had Ceviche (also spelled as cebiche or seviche) is a form of citrus-marinated seafood appetizer, popular in mainly Latin American countries like Costa Rica, Peru, Panama, Ecuador, Mexico, Guatemala, Colombia, and Bolivia. Both finfish and shellfish are used; finfish is typically raw while shellfish is typically cooked. In Costa Rica, the dish includes marinated fish, lime juice, salt, ground black pepper, finely minced onions, cilantro and finely minced peppers. yummy, and of course I had to have dessert, ice cream bar. We went over this very large bridge over a large river, with very large crocodiles below, maybe 30 crocs sunning themselves and swimming, grande el crocs. Then we headed for the black sandy beaches of Jaco and I rode the waves for an hour, watching the surfers glide while I tumbled. It was great, felt like a little kid...then the ride back to the colony was breathtaking, winding roads through the steep mountains of jungle, villages, green farms, horses and Costa Ricans out on a typical Saturday shopping and socializing. The taxi-van (driver was like a tour guide) was the perfect way to go..$150.00 split between all of us was perfect. So, today the plan is to relax after a walk to town to get some tomatoes for lunch. Lorraine M. will go to church and I will go the market. Hasta luego.