Timeout for Art: Color the World with Imagination

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el matal aguaji, end of year customs, Imaginiation, Mearsuring the sun's shadow, old furniture, Rycardo Alcivar, Solstice, spring tides, Timeout for Art- Color the World

King Kong Sighted in Jama Ecuador! December 2014 Bamboo and Palm Sculpture by Rycardo Alcivar.

Maybe we should develop a Crayola bomb as our next secret weapon. A happiness weapon. A beauty bomb. And every time a crisis developed, we would launch one. It would explode high in the air – explode softly – and send thousands, millions, of little parachutes into the air. Floating down to earth – boxes of Crayolas. And we wouldn’t go cheap, either – not little boxes of eight. Boxes of sixty-four, with the sharpener built right in. With silver and gold and copper, magenta and peach and lime, amber and umber and all the rest. And people would smile and get a little funny look on their faces and cover the world with imagination. ~Robert Fulghum

We all rejoice in watching children opening presents with wild abandon, and today while basking in whatever way you’re spending Christmas, glimpse your surroundings as if first seeing them as a child. I’ll be watching the ocean’s waves as they rip along the shoreline at dawn. Wouldn’t it be fun if all beaches and lakesides were littered with crayolas today instead of remnants of man’s discarded plastics?

All children (and young-at-heart adults) should be reminded to watch the shadows as they change throughout the year. High noon is an easy time to experiment with shadows; I enjoyed photographing these shadows with props that were close at hand!

High noon on the December Solstice – Ecuador

Aligning the compass (poster) with a guesstimate of the east/west direction, I was surprised to see the shadow point directly to the north. It’s time I stopped for a refresher course in basic directions!  James (and Terri) at Gallivance keep track of the earth’s pulse, and their recent post mentions not only sun dials and solstices, but also Poseidon.  Let the Celebrations Begin (More on Poseidon at the end of this post.)

The candle holder doubles as a little nosegay vase; it came from nearby Playamart and quickly transformed with a few coats of acrylic paint.

The abandoned chairs are a bit happier, but they are patiently awaiting more attention. Here’s the progress:

The simple design echoes the one used on the old headboard/bench.

The malinche (royal poinciana) trees exploded into bloom this week, in honor of the festive season.

While I was photographing the flowers, the sun thought it best to puff out some of the same hues!

So would you like to see a few more images of King Kong? Rycardo Alcivar built an equally-stunning sculpture last year; See End Of Year Customs.

One hour from daylight, I am sitting on the balcony of my friends’ home as the surf approaches high ebb. At times the waves thunder, and the foundation trembles as if Poseiden’s trident just speared the sand bags. Most likely he’ll inspect the line of bags to be sure they’re intact, then he’ll retreat and sleep for the rest of the day.

December 23, 2014 El Matal Ecuador end-of-day high tide. The waves splashed over the top once in front of my friends’ property. There will be high tide at sunrise, and another at sunset, and I’ll be back tonight or tomorrow with photos of other areas of the beach.

Thanks, everyone from around the world for your support throughout the year! Love, Z