Black Mold, Toxic Tea

hey everyone!
yahoo mail keeps booting me to the ‘sign in’ page every time i open or try to reply. 😦 —- to those who have sent emails, i’ll try again wheni am in town again.
it’s been raining a lot here in mindo, and i’ve realized that my my old ‘cough/asthma/allergy’ has returned w/the cooler/damp weather. when the sun shines, most of my symptoms vanish! that’s a no-brainer, isn’t it?!!!
anyway, debbie at isla ometepe/nicaragua has some interesting food for thought, and i suspect that her post helps explain why my ‘allergies’ are better in the dry climate on the coast!
read on!
(thanks, deb!)
z

Rewired and Retired in Nicaragua

It’s near the end of the rainy season in Nicaragua. Theresa suffered with respiratory problems, a slow heart rate, symptoms of a sluggish thyroid, severe fatigue, insomnia, and a feeling of brain fog. “I just don’t understand what’s wrong with me,” she said. “All I want to do is eat Snickers bars and watch TV. My resting heart rate is 40 beats per minute. Am I going to die? It is so unlike me.”

If you have undiagnosed symptoms like Theresa’s, then you may want to check out Mycotoxicity, or Sick Building Syndrome. Environmental mold, especially black mold, can cause very serious medical and psychological problems. The airborne mold spores take refuge in the body, creating all kinds of havoc. Mycotoxins are also neurotoxins. Simply stated, a poison to the brain. “Controversial evidence suggests that ‘Yellow Rain’ (trichothecene mycotoxins) attacks by U.S. military in Southeast Asia caused thousands of deaths…

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Timeout for Art: Reminders

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art by Lisa Brunetti, frog paintings, Timeout for Art, watercolor, zebra frog paintings

“Keep a bad drawing until by study you have found out why it is bad.”  (Robert Henri)

A watercolor instructor (Tony couch) once stated, “You should frame your worst mistakes and put them where you see them often.  They will remind you to NEVER  do that again.”

This week I’ve resorted to using a flimsy paper that was the best I could find almost a month ago in a basic art supply store almost two hours away.  Fair for pencil, it does not serve well as watercolor paper.   People have often stated that I’m a bit too hard headed at times, and after drawing the PEEPERS  in pencil, I wanted to take it a step more with color.  I KNEW that the paper was going to be difficult to use, but…..

More Butterflies?

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art by Lisa Brunetti, Butterflies, dirk maassen, Mindo Butterfly Gardens, nasturtium watercolor

 

How about a bright happy nasturtium to smile on your day? (watercolor)

Can anyone have too many butterflies or beautiful flowers?   When I am not painting, I sometimes work on the surplus of images and wonder what to do with them!  When in a serious painting focus, I either tap into the sounds of nature that surround me, or I use a very select playlist.

One of my favorite artists is Dirk Maassen – (Thanks always, Argentina Carlos!) – and this video features one of his songs paired with butterfly images from the Mindo (Ecuador) area.

Enjoy!

Z

Timeout for Art: Tapping into your Natural Talent

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inspirtation thru art, Lisa Brunetti art, painting t-shirts, Taping into Natural Talent, Timeout for Art, tinasca wordpress silvana

Silvana pondering her work!

“Talent is like a water table under the earth. You tap into it with your effort and it comes through you, from the bottom of the earth.” (Natalie Goldberg)

After drawing the butterfly design (see previous post) with a black permanent marker, Silvana pondered the colors for her sister’s birthday surprise.   With a thick paper between the front and back of the shirt, she slowly applied the acrylics.

 Watch over my shoulder and enjoy the magic!

Timeout for Art: Natural Talent

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Designing and Painting a Tshirt, Natural Talent, Silvana tinas, Timeout for Art, tinasca wordpress silvana

Guess what?!

“Doing easily what others find difficult is talent;  doing what is impossible for talent is genius.”  (Henri Ferederic Amiel)

Hmmmm…

This week’s Timeout for Art covers an impromptu t-shirt painting project; today’s post illustrates the first stage, and the second half will follow on Thursday.
Silvana (http://tinasca.wordpress.com/) on a short visit to Mindo, squeezed a lot into a three-day visit! After touring the Mindo Butterfly Gardens, she searched for a t-shirt that did not shout ‘Tourist T-Shirt!” She found none; I suggested that we search for a white t-shirt, take it to the house and design a unique surprise for her sister’s birthday!

After perusing several hundred (!) images of hummingbirds and butterflies from my computer files, we both agreed that this butterfly pose might make a dramatic “jump-off-the-shirt” design!

Having witnessed Silvana’s natural drawing and painting talents over the past six months, I nudged her forward with a few suggestions. Enjoy following her progress!

Timeout for Art: Nature’s Beauty

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botanicals in watercolor, coffee art, heliconia paintings, nature's beauty quote, timeout for art natures beauty, waterkolors

Trocitos – Watercolor – Do you think that’s enough?!!!

“Nature has been mastering itself for some time now, and it is an honor to be able to capture its beauty. (Justin eckett)”

In addition to sharing the progress on Trocitos, I thought that a bit of color might jazz up your day!  Here are two attempts of capturing the beauty of nature.

Timeout for Art – Blissful Solitude

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Timeout for Art

Trocitos, detail from watercolor

”Happy are the painters, for they shall not be lonely. Light and colour, peace and hope, will keep them company to the end of the day.” — Winston Churchill.

Although “Trocitos” has not progressed as much as I had hoped, it has a bit more depth this week.  Set up on 2nd floor porch, I encountered a unique problem that forced me to move the table inside.   

Happy Good-Morning Smiles!

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good morning, happy smiles, Smiles, WordPress Photo Challenge

This young lad greeted me with, “Good Morning!”

This week’s Photo Challenge is Good Morning, and with a broad smile I present these early-morning smiles that recently brightened my day.  I hope that they brighten yours as well!

Duds

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ART, Butterflies, duds, Hummingbirds, NATURE, usb modems for internet

  Google Definition of Dud:  “Noun – A thing that fails to work properly or is otherwise unsatisfactory or worthless.”

Ecuador – The claro USB modem internet system is a dud!  It receives no signal at my friends’ property, and in “Mindo Proper” it receives a signal, opens pages slowly, but will not send an email!  Sigh, Paradise DOES have its frustrations!

Timeout for Art: Power

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art by Lisa Brunetti, butterflies in art, paintings of butterflies, studying nature, Timeout for Art, watercolor

“Let whoever may have attained to so much as to have the power of drawing know that he holds a great treasure.”  (Michelangelo)

When I block out all distractions and stay focused on my subject, drawing is like breathing – or like taking a refreshing nap!  After half an hour of drawing, I often trade my pencil for a paintbrush.  I quickly wean into a never-never land, and time seems suspended until something pulls me back into the present.  At times I am painting, and at times I am drawing with my paintbrush.