Tags
Immersion in Nature, Mindo Cloud Forest, natalie merchant where i go, relaxing with nature, Timeout for Art - Periods of Incubation
Across Rio Cinto – An entrance to one’s imagination!
Wherever I go I need a period of incubation so that I may learn the essence of nature, which never wishes to be understood or yield herself. -Paul Gauguin
(Ecuador) Immersed in Mindo’s cloud forest, I spent more time watching and absorbing the beauty of the area than taking timeouts for art this past week. Several ‘exercises’ of art were photographed, and a few slipped by (like a weird armadillo rock!) without a photo! The attempts at serious painting seemed stiff, so I tweaked my attention to the abundance of beauty of the area.
Lunch in the cloud forest comes with lovely feathered surprises!
While we waited on landslides to be cleared, Julie and I enjoyed a leisurely walk along the road that parallels Rio Cinto.
How’s this for an entrance? Rio Cinto/Ecuador
We’ll skip the swing today and will stay close to the road!
Rio Cinto – near Mindo Ecuador
A leisurely walk allows us to discover hidden jewels.
With no particular destination in mind, we ambled down the deserted road and wondered how many landslides were between us and town!
The stroll rewarded us with an endless bounty of beauty!
Mystery flower – surely it’s in the mallow family?
Orchids thrive in the cloud forest!
Shadows often steal the show!
Yum yum! More rain means more green grass! The photo of the dead snake remains in the files!
The lowly wildflowers can be quite elegant!
When the milk truck cannot reach the farmer, the farmer finds a way through the landslides!
There’s no need to walk in search of inspiration when friends have an abundance of flora and fauna on their property!
Yikes! The Bay Wren seems to be missing some tail feathers!
Early-morning breakfast!
Banaquit and rufous-tailed hummingbird
Every so often there’s a casualty, and the paints and brushes record the details.
DOA from crash with window.
Field notes when uncertain of the species…
Returning to the dry rain forest almost due west on the Pacific coast, I continued my immersion in nature.
Immature ibis and properly-attired stilts – Shrimp pond /Jama Ecuador
Gulls, pintails and ibis gobble tidbits in shrimp pond.
Just past noon, these ibis feasted on the just-drained pond!
Blue-eyed ibis
Birds coming home to roost – Rio Jama near Ecuador’s Pacific Coast.
The sunset presides over the flyway as thousands of birds roost each evening in the mangroves. Sometimes we race through life, and other times we cherish the option to brake slowly, absorb the surroundings and coddle a period of incubation.
I look forward to capturing (soon!) some of the inspirations from this incubation period!
Nice finale!
Have a nice weekend, everyone, and don’t forget to gaze skyward Friday night and early Saturday morning for a possible new meteor shower!
Z
Zeebra Designs & Destinations 
Ah, Liza – a Garden of Eden – just stunning, and so intimate, with the birds. I must say the gate, beside the river is inviting me to explore further. (I won’t think of leeches and bugs, or snakes …!). Gorgeous, my dear. I’m sure your cloud forest sojourn will yield many artistic secrets. 🙂
si.. that gate could inspire lots of short stories from the people who view that scene! each person would have an entirely-different tale and mood, that’s what makes life so interesting – we’re all wired in unique ways!
as ‘quiet’ as my life is, it’s been hard to claim stretches of quality painting periods where i can focus 100 percent on the work. i think there’s a great spotlight at the end of the tunnel, and it’s shining on white canvas waiting for pigment! thanks!
lovely – thanks so much for sharing
thank you! it’s easy to share glimpses of the beauty of nature!
Flora and fauna is the biggest luxury in life. And your blog posts, Z.
you are so great! thank you! i’ll be visiting your blog soon and know that you have some wonderful images patiently waiting! am about to be in transit mode for the day…
z
OH, a very nice finale!
ah yes! i had been working in the yard and looked up to see the colors coming to a grand finale!
Beautiful pictures… All are great…
thank you! z
Z, the rope bridge, fauna, wildflowers, Bay Wren and hummingbirds and the sunset. Ah, what I nice trek in the woods. Thanks for sharing it with us. Have a grand weekend, BTG
you are so welcome! that rope bridge was quite tempting, though the rio bravo reminded me that it might not be so fun!
perhaps another day, next time in the cloud forest!
love all the moments captured by your camera.
i am so thrilled to have the new camera, but i do need a ‘normal’ lens! it’s great for birds and nature, and it’s been fun to capture my feathered friends!
Such beautiful images! What a treat to see the flowers and trees that surround you! I also love the idea of incubation…we are always taking in and processing, it seems, even when we can’t be making art. It contributes, in the end, to the art that surfaces from it. Thank you!
yes we are.. always processing.. right now there’s a television blaring in the hotel restaurant.. i am the only one here and should ask them to turn it off!
am about to be on the road for the rest of the day. have a good weekend, and maybe you’ll get to see some meteors tonight?@
Lovely. We could all stand to take a page from your book and pause to look around us to see the beauty.
i think that most people drive way too much, and many times a walk reveals hidden treasures — it might also help one realize the need for more walks, if not for physical health but for mental health as well!
What a beautiful walk! I cannot believe the flowers. Some day I would love a leisurely walk through a jungle area near a river. The sights, the sounds. M-m-m-m. Delicious.
i can picture you gathering flowers along the way! we retrieved some large rocks from a friend’s property to paint later… but i soon abandoned mine, though julie surely walked for almost an hour before trading her rock/rocks for floral material! we retrieved our rocks by car a few days later!
Love the inquisitive cow in the sun peering over the fence!
I find my ‘creativity muscle’ is sometimes much stronger after periods of being away and not using it. Maybe it’s an energy-gathering thing!
i think you’re right; it’s hard to explain to those who aren’t wired that way! after total immersion/saturation, one is ready to move forward with new energy and inspiration.
Your posts are intimately real to me now that we’re in Ecuador. I’d love to take a peek at your field notes. We’re on our way to find the ancient tortoise this morning. Can’t wait to see you this afternoon. I am incredibly excited!! A meteor shower! Lisa and a meteor shower!! This day can’t get any better. 🙂
i hope that miguelito was in his best social behavior!
you are so funny, and yes, i hope that we’re able to see some meteors!
it will be great to see you this afternoon! z
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Awe! So beautiful views of nature, wish i was there ^_^ 🙂
I loved your photography 🙂 ❤
Keep it up! 🙂
You're great 🙂 🙂
what a fun comment! thanks for the surplus of smiles!!!
lisa/z :))
I love this post, & I’m right there with you! Today I traveled to Equator, & meditated while on a nature walk. Thank you Z, you are giving us a really great reminder of how important it is to take time to nurture ourselves!
You have me humming Natalie Merchant’s song…perfect for your walk along the river. I love your words…” Sometimes we race through life, and other times we cherish the option to brake slowly, absorb the surroundings and coddle a period of incubation.” A great mantra. Enjoy the weekend and Debbie’s visit. I hope to see the meteor shower here. 🙂
you are so great! yes, i’ve always loved that song, and it suits me so well. most of my life, i’ve lived on a stream or river or very close to quiet bodies of water…
seeing debbie and ron was a great way-too-fast chapter, but we had a lovely visit.
enjoy your weekend as well!
No meteors here — too many clouds, and if no clouds, too much light pollution to the north. Ah, well. I can bask in your photos and watch my own sunset!
it was cloudy here as well.. i was staying in bahia de caraquez, and once during the night i heard dogs barking, and i raced to teh window in case they were barking at the meteors! no such luck!
And this is only what you camera have captured!!! I’m sure the best are in your memory!!
hey amiga
you’ve been there and have seen that lovely area!
thanks! i’m typing from a sunny table at rest. exclusivo!
Sometimes we just have let art be and enjoy the creation of Mother Nature. Such abundance and versatility of flora and fauna. Thanks for taking us along on this little trip through these amazing picture. Very inspiring.
thanks! that area creates a visual overload – there’s an amazing amount of diverse material to note, even the dramatic light on buildings/vegetable-stand displays, etc.
Your second photo of the Toucan (?) almost looks like one of your paintings!! Thank you for sharing the abundant beauty around you Lisa. You are truly blessed.
I think I might just get sensory overload if you plopped me down in such a paradise of flowers and animals and birds and color and… Such a place has to recharge the batteries. I love your photographs and I am just as taken with your field note sketches. Do you post them? Fascinating talent, you are, Zeeb!