29 Thursday Aug 2013
Posted in NATURE, PENCIL DRAWINGS, PEOPLE, TIMEOUT FOR ART - Quotes, TRAVEL: LATIN AMERICA
“Drawing is one of the best ways to meditate, while staying connected to the world around us.” (Elsha Leventis)
After 48-hours of travel, I was happy to reach my friends’ home, sleep until 9 (!) and awaken to enjoy an unhurried visit with them. As we walked part of their property, several woodland scenes held my attention; these trees would make great subjects for pencil studies!
A plan incubated! Continue reading
24 Saturday Aug 2013
Tags
acrylic paintings, copyright lisa brunetti, Hand-painted concrete floors, Lisa Brunetti art, Wordpress photo challenge Focus, z designs, Zeebra Designs
This week’s WordPress Photo Challenge is Focus; “…For this challenge, get out there and take a picture demonstrating the concept of focus.”
Each week I photograph the progress on the compass design (painted on concrete floor) from several vantage points, so with pleasure I present the almost-finished design from many-different angles.
Because this is a floor, I keep asking myself, “Lisa! Are those little bitty details really important?” Continue reading
23 Friday Aug 2013
Posted in TRAVEL: LATIN AMERICA
Tags
ailsa's where's my backpack fun, Ecuador Expat Journeys, happy images, happy shoes, Having Fun, Jonathan Hall, latitude zero, line of the equator, Middle of the World Ecuador, mitad del mundo ecuador, pictures of people having fun, rio colorado lodge, Sarah Dettman, tarpon fishing costa rica, water balls
Festive Ano Viejo – Jama Ecuador
So I was looking for the song, “Flatlands,” by Steve Azar and got distracted by another! (S. Azar is from Greenville Mississippi) This video fits well with Ailsa’s travel theme of “PLAY.”
Maybe some of you can take a three-day weekend and play! Continue reading
21 Wednesday Aug 2013
Tags
Art Quotes, Discipline and drawing, Pastels by Mary Gentle Compassion, Patience and drawing, Patience Quotes, timeout for Art: Discipline and Patience, Timeout for Art: YOU CAN DO THIS
Detail: Gentle Compassion – http://oilpastelsbymary.com/
I felt my energy revive, and said to myself, In spite of everything I shall rise again: I will take up my pencil, which I have forsaken in my great discouragement, and I will go on with my drawing. From that moment everything has seemed transformed for me. (Vincent Van Gogh to Theo)
The TIMEOUT FOR ART posts started in May, and Mary of Pastels by Mary climbed aboard and pledged to devote thirty minutes to drawing each week. (See Thursdays will be for Drawings) Here’s what she said back in May, “…Oh boy – I’m not sure what I got myself into, but I’ve joined in with Z of Playamart to draw for 30 minutes each Thursday. I haven’t been drawing lately and decided it’s a good way to polish my drawing skills and discipline myself to pay attention and concentrate on my subjects – drawing always had a way of doing that for me. …”
What impressed me with Mary’s weekly Timeout for Art posts was that she disciplined herself to STOP after half an hour of drawing, and she set aside the work until the next week.
Having the discipline to stop a work of art when it’s going well is like taking one bite of pizza and saying, ‘That’s enough!’ Having the discipline to resume a week later is like getting motivated to run after eating an entire pizza!
Week after week, Mary devoted half an hour (or slightly more) on her pencil study of a retired racehorse named Pacific Reach. During Week 8, Mary shared the sad news that Pacific Reach had died. How sobering is that? See: Gentle Compassion #7.
The following images show the evolution of Mary’s drawing, “Gentle Compassion.” Continue reading
20 Tuesday Aug 2013
Posted in Ecuador, NATURE, TRAVEL: LATIN AMERICA
Rio Jama Hibiscus
The view from the riverhouse casts a calming almost-magical effect on visitors. The visual embrace rivals prescription medication, and I often find myself soaking in the ever-changing view for hours and hours! Continue reading
19 Monday Aug 2013
Posted in TRAVEL: LATIN AMERICA
Here’s part of an email I sent Silvana this morning: ” i spent gazing at the birds, the river, the quiet setting.. i heard the sound of children’s voices – quite loud, and went to the other window to see a mother, father, two children and a burro heading ‘home’ wherever that was.. i suppose after a weekend in town.
the burro was loaded with bags… the sight humbled me, made me think of the story of mary and joseph traveling thru the landscape…
i drank horchata tea – strong brew with three bags.. i ate an orange that papalito swore to me was a grapefruit… i smiled knowing that i was right – yet knew that i’d not feel superior by telling him that he was wrong! he might be chuckling now and wondering if the gringa discovered the orange amongst the toronjas.
and then i went downstairs, eyed the floor that i stopped painting at ten when i surrendered to sleep… booted up the computer.. read a few emails.. saw the notice for your post… and your email… decided to read your post first…. oh wow. i almost cried before i started reading, because i suspected what you were going to say…
and of course i cried…
BRAVO!!!!
Being without internet connexion at home has not helped me much to catch up some ideas, activities and experiences that I have had lately.
But the sad news I received last Thursday August 15 has forced me to find an internet service to express what I think.
In 2007 President Rafael Correa for whom I voted in every election that he has participated since 2006 announced one of the most extraordinary proposal at The General Assembly of the United Nations, the country’s commitment to maintain indefinitely unexploited reserves of 846 million barrels of oil in the ITT (Ishpingo-Tambococha-Tiputini), equivalent to the 20% of the country’s reserves, located in Yasuní National Park inside Ecuadorian Amazon. Correa proposed the international community contributes financially with at least 3.6 billion U.S., a sum that represents half of the revenue lost to the Ecuadorian state. The money would go into a capital fund to be…
View original post 476 more words
17 Saturday Aug 2013
Posted in Ecuador, PEOPLE, PHOTO CHALLENGES, TRAVEL: LATIN AMERICA
Tags
happy people, Less is More, people in doors, people in windows, smiling people, Wear White for Peace, Wordpress Weekly Photo Challenge, wordpress weekly photo challenge carefree
Carefree Beauty – Front-door Smiles
The art of hammocking in Ecuador rivals another art, that of idyllic gazing from doors and windows! Slow your pace and absorb the surroundings, and most likely you’ll find a set of smiling eyes peering from a window or doorway! Smile, and they return a twice-as-radiant smile!
A Surprise Sonrisa from the Kitchen!
How could I NOT share these door and window moments to compliment the previous post about hammocks? Continue reading
17 Saturday Aug 2013
Posted in Costa Rica, Ecuador, PEOPLE, PHOTO CHALLENGES, TRAVEL: LATIN AMERICA
Who doesn’t enjoy a quick respite in a hammock?!
Time flies when we’re having fun, and the WordPress Weekly Challenge is here again! This post brings you an image theme that represents Carefree.
A pictorial dictionary might use an image of a person in a hammock to illustrate the word, “Carefree.” Wilkipedia describes the hammock as “A sling made of fabric, rope, or netting, suspended between two points, used for swinging, sleeping, or resting.”
Enjoy these carefree hammock photos from my travels in Latin America! Continue reading
15 Thursday Aug 2013
Friends at the Mola Series Exhibition
“I have learnt silence from the talkative, toleration from the intolerant, and kindness from the unkind; yet strange, I am ungrateful to these teachers.” (Kahlil Gibran) Continue reading
14 Wednesday Aug 2013
Posted in PHOTO CHALLENGES, TRAVEL: LATIN AMERICA
How to photograph tadpoles!
Today’s Daily Prompt is: Mirror, Mirror, On the Wall and states, “Photographers, artists, poets: show us REFLECTIONS.”
On the road, I present to you an assortment of images that represent “Reflections.”
(Note: Please do not share any of my images on Pinterest!)
See you in a dozen hours when I return home!
Enjoy!
Z Continue reading
11 Sunday Aug 2013
Tags
ecuador giant worm, giant earthworm, hoppy hopkins, Parque Nacional Sumaco Napo-Galeras, stephen hopkins
(Ecuador) – My friend Stephen Hopkins is forever playing pranks, so I laughed when I saw this image. “Clever use of perspective! You did a great job making a simple earthworm look like a monster worm!”
But wait; I examined the photos and pondered, “This isn’t a joke, is it? You truly found a worm that big? Tell me more!” Here’s Stephen’s story: Continue reading
10 Saturday Aug 2013
Posted in Ecuador, TRAVEL: LATIN AMERICA
Tags
August 10 Ecuador, Ecuador holidays, Ecuador Independence Day, May 24 Ecuador, Perseid Meteors, When is Ecuador's Independence Day? Ecuador Flag
Ecuador’s Flag
Ecuador celebrates Independence Day on May 24th each year. Then August 10th rolls around, and Ecuador celebrates Independence Day again! I always ponder the August 10th notices and ask myself, “Didn’t we already have Independence Day?” Continue reading
10 Saturday Aug 2013
Posted in PEOPLE, PHOTO CHALLENGES
Tags
bingo, jama ecuador, La Division Ecuador, what to use for bingo, Wordpress Weekly Photo Challenge One shot two ways
Eggs are not the only items that stand on end on the equator! (La Division, Manabi-Ecuador)
This week’s PHOTO CHALLENGE is One Shot, Two Ways. I immediately thought of bingo night at the nearby beach village of La Division. Cheri states, “For this challenge, capture two images — a horizontal and a vertical version — of the same scene or subject. ”
Of course, a zeebra has to find a creative approach to playing bingo while practicing Spanish!
Bingo, anyone?
Thanks, Cheri, for the opportunity to share these Bingo images!
Z
08 Thursday Aug 2013
Posted in TIMEOUT FOR ART - Quotes, TRAVEL: LATIN AMERICA
A good drawing is like a compass!
“Without good drawing, the foundation of a painting will collapse.” (Ken Danby)
Timeout for Art is quite tardy! Should I detour to the Principal’s Office for a permission slip to return to class?!
Jama bus stop – straight across from the cyber cafe.
I am writing while riding the bus as I retrace a trip I made yesterday – and the day before! – as I navigate an obstacle course for the final steps of my visa. I think the Devil set a few traps, and I’m trying not to let him get the best of me!
Yesterday, weary and disappointed about a few clipped hurdles, I returned via bus to Jama around sunset. I had left home the day before and hoped that I’d be home that day. Ha! The battery ran down on the mini laptop, and the recharge cable was at home. Suspecting that the Devil had sabotaged the internet cables for a finale of a stumbling block, I stopped for a cybercafe check before going home.
Seeing the gringa walk past, the goats will surely bolt for the riverhouse and strip all of the plant life from the yard and gardens!
Three messages pertaining to red tape for my visa informed me that I should return to Manta to sign more papers! Sigh. Did I mention that the first hour of my trip is a 5K walk to town to catch the first of three buses?!
Layers of paint build to make a richer design, but what happens when there are changes to make?
Meanwhile, the almost-finished compass creeps along as I fine tune the details when time permits. How could I have forgotten to include a marker for NORTH?! Editing a tiny part of the design, I hope to finish when I return from this almost-final trip to my attorney’s office.
Now on my way home after a 6-hour trip, I am typing as a curious fellow passenger hangs over the seat and asks questions as I work! Pushed for time, and with a slight case of motion sickness, I am passing the mike to the images and will let them speak for themselves! (Note how subtle layers of paint help build depth in an image.) Continue reading
07 Wednesday Aug 2013
Completely absorbed, Sonia stepped into the world of art!
“Teachers open the door, but you must enter by yourself.’ (Chinese Proverb)
Nellie switched from pencil to knife!
This afternoon while visiting neighbors at La Division, I volunteered to finish an abandoned Happy Birthday poster that waited for Nely’s attention. (Nely’s hands were busy with kitchen duty for the beach crowd.) Sonia, who had just arrived from a 5-hour drive from Quito, volunteered to help with the poster. Continue reading
07 Wednesday Aug 2013
Posted in TRAVEL: LATIN AMERICA
What will this cost?
Manta Ecuador – August 2013
A Miracle! An ‘amazing and wonderful occurrence’ sprinkled happy dust over me this week!
Was magic dust in the air this past week?
I am typing from a faster-thinking mini laptop, and am happy that my future photo images should not be tainted by cataracts!
The technology gods watched over me in Manta this past week! The two repair shops were within shouting distance, and I easily walked from one to the other in less than one minute! The smiling folks at Radeca summoned the ER doctor, who did several tests and suggested an external keyboard, which he quickly retrieved. He said that it would only cost – brace for the price – Continue reading
04 Sunday Aug 2013
Posted in PHOTO CHALLENGES
THE BURRITO’S KEYBOARD IS RUNAWAY-WILD, SO FROM MANTA EKUADOR THIS KRYPTIK POST ILLUSTRATES MY ATTEMPTS TO LET EVERYONE KNOW THAT I AM ALIVE AND WELL, THOUGH THE BURRITO KOMPUTER IS NOT! NOT READY TO ABANDON THE BURRITO, AND NOT READY TO PUT IT to pasture, I WILL take it to a doktor tomorrow and hope that it will travel with me by the end of the day!
“Wait for me!”
Ailsa’s post prompts us for photos of WILD, AND THe w ILDEST THING I’VE ENKOUTERED this week is BurrIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII][TOOO THE RUNAway
i laptop!
“How much more can a burro handle?”
ZZZZZZZZ
02 Friday Aug 2013
Posted in PAINTINGS: ACRYLIC
Progress! – Faces inspired by a golden museum artifact in Manta Ecuador.
Mystery demons cursed the HP mini laptop today when I awakened it after a ten-day holiday from work. It repeated almost any key or prompt with machine-gun staccato rhythm. Keyboard shortcuts (R to rotate or H to flip) made an image flip round and round and round and round! If I typed a word, it inserted an endless row of lettttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttters until i hit enough keys to confuse and stop it!
Museum Artifact – Manta Ecuador – Here we go ’round in circles!
I ran CCleaner, Malwarebytes, Stinger, restarted, rolled back, removed battery, ran in safe mode — nothing helped! Does anyone have suggestions?!
Burrrrrrrrrrrrito!
I will be meeting a new tour group later today and will be away from home until Sunday. Most likely the little Burrito laptop will be of little use while I’m traveling. (Or maybe it just wanted to get out of the barn and take a road trip!) See you tonight by chance or else when I return home on Sunday night!
Have a great weekend!
Z & Burrito!
01 Thursday Aug 2013
Posted in Ecuador, INSPIRATION, NATURE, PEOPLE
Tags
helping others, jama ecuador, olive ridley sea turtle in ecuador, rural life on ecuador's coast, San Clemente Ecuador
Snowy Egret
(Ecuador) Life on the river often times distracts me from my daily goals. It’s hard to leave scenes like this and focus on my work! – But wait! Part of my work is observing nature! Sigh; it’s a hard job, but someone has to be part of nature’s buddy system!
I enjoy living a tiny slice back from the ocean where the tranquil river mirrors the landscape – or would that be a waterscape?! At high tide, many birds perch in the mangroves and others guard the boulders near the house. At low tide, the pelicans flop flop their wings in the water while the ibis, egrets and herons forage in the shallows.
My neighbors the birds
My neighbors the birds!
Several hours down the coast is the petite community of San Clemente. My friends John and Mary emailed two nights ago with breaking news, “They’re hatching!!!!” The Buddy System is alive and well in that community where the locals gave a rare nest of baby turtles a magical bon voyage party!
See their post HERE: Tortuga Birth Announcement
and Dave’s report HERE:Turtles in Town
There were more global nature sightings this week! See Cindy’s great photo story HERE: Baby Hummer Crashes into Window.
How’s this for a wake-up setting?! Serene Canoe Morning – Rio Jama /Ecuador August 01, 2013
The true purpose of this post is to call attention to a friend’s family in southern Mississippi and activate the Buddy System. Please read Joylene’s post and spread the word; I’m hoping there are some groups out there that might help through fundraisers.
Read Joylene’s story about her daughter-in-law HERE: Help Heaven Get Her Life Back and help if possible!
We should always savor quiet moments.
Good luck, Joylene. If I were there we’d auction a painting or get those Steel Magnolias to gather ’round and find new options. Z
01 Thursday Aug 2013
Tags
Compass, Hand-painted concrete floors, Interior design, Lisa Brunetti art, Mosaic work, Problem floors, Timeout for Art Compass, Tromp L'oeil on floor, What to do with an ugly floor
“I don’t want technology to take me so far that I don’t have to use my brain anymore. It’s like GPS taking over and losing your internal compass. It’s always got to be tactile, still organic.”
Andrew Bird
Years ago I worked in a design studio for a company that produced custom carpets for hotels, movie theaters, casinos and private businesses. Every so often we received an order for a hand-made rug, and the pattern had to be drawn on a huge canvas that was stretched to correct proportions in the warehouse. To my amusement, most of the younger designers were graphic art whizzes, but their drawing skills were horrid! I quickly became the hand-made rug specialist, and I would leave a note on my desk, “Gone to the briar patch! – ‘Brer Rabbit.’
How I loved the challenge of using my math and drawing skills to transfer a complicated design onto a giant canvas, then color code the areas to be filled in by another person!
I still enjoy using my internal compass to draw a complicated design on a forlorn concrete floor and watching the room slowly transform! These photos illustrate one of several projects that tested my drawing skills this week. Continue reading
