June Solstice – from the Equator

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cloud forest ecuador, Mindo Ecuador, property for sale ecuador, Solstice on the Equator

Sunrise over the Ridge – Mindo (Rio Cinto) Ecuador

Have you done anything special for your Monday Solstice? Hop over and enjoy the morning with me at the A Little Blue Bird Told Me site! It’s been a great day, starting with sunshine and finishing with gentle rains.

SUNLIGHT & SHADOWS – JUNE SOLSTICE FROM THE EQUATOR

Thank you so much for such entertaining feedback on the Smiles, Mirror and Serendipidy posts… Your comments warm my heart, and hopefully soon you’re due a worthy reply! For now, I need to return before dark catches me on the muddy roads!

See you later this week!
Z

Timeout for Art: Mirror Mirror on the Wall!

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painting mirrors, Timeout for Art Mirror Mirror on the wall, using mirrors

Mosaic Mirror for Palo Santo Cafe – before the earthquake…

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” Looking outside ourselves for our lives to change is like looking into a mirror and waiting for the mirror to make the first move” – Christen Lynn – Sourcing the Life you Love…

Pairing art with mirrors is a fun and rewarding way to inject personality into your home and gardens.  When Barbara and I painted signs for the trails,  the entire process was fun, from discussing possible names for different areas to tossing around ideas for signs.

We had ideas for many more signs, but we were far from the nearest Playamart and scrap pieces of wood for more signs!

Water is the mirror of nature… St. Francis of Assisi

Painted by Barbara!

Mirror design doesn’t have to be whimsical.   After studying the ceramic designs in the bathroom, I added this border to the mirror. (below)

Mirror mirror on the wall…

Tromp l’oeil design… Which is real and which is paint?

The above mirror frame was painted last year when I visited Jim and Julie at their property where I am now living. Not only does the mirror enhance the bathroom area, but I am also transported via memories to our time together.  Julie is still in the hospital in Nebraska and will see this post.  (Hi Julie!  Get well Pronto!)

The following photos represent diverse options for using mirrors in your home and gardens. Enjoy!

Timeout for Smiles

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Timeout for Art, timeout for smiles

Before the Earthquake: Double smiles – He had new boots AND was thrilled to watch over his cousin’s new motorcycle!

“If my heart can become pure and simple like that of a child, I think there probably can be no greater happiness than this” Kitaro Nishida (From The Little Zen Companion)

The birds daily designs are drawn with cracked corn, and the birds slowly erase the designs! The frog usually hides behind the rain gauge.

The first hours of the morning are sacred to me, and I perfer to spend them in silence as I wean from an active dreamworld to the expectations of the day. An always-changing cast of winged performers flit through the living stage.  This morning, as I write from the comfort of the front balcony, a cheerful wren forages along the branches of a Pico-Pico tree just long enough to have its image caught on camera.

Hello Wren!

A dozen or more swallows perform an aerial ballet across the pure-blue skies. One crisp-yellow butterfly inspects the landscaped area near the ponnd. At times the butterflies move with such precision that I think they are birds! Scanning the vista below, I spot a Rufous-tailed Hummingbird perusing the morning’s floral department while deciding which will provide the prized nectar for the day.

Rufous-tailed Hummingbird takes a timeout from the flowers!

While admiring the hummingbird, I spot a large bird streak past the house and realize it was a Collared Aracari!

Serendipity

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Alejandro Arteago, Atractus paucidens, Rio Cinto Mindo Ecuador, Tropical Herping Ecuador

Moon over Cinto Ridge

“Serendipity is the faculty of finding things we did not know we were looking for.” -Glauco Ortolano

( Mindo Ecuador )   –  Just before dusk last Monday, I drove to town to make a very-special telephone call.    Alejandro had urged me to contact him, but until this moment, our communications had only been via internet.

I stepped into the phone ‘cabina’ and placed a call that would greatly alter the rest of my evening.

“Hello Alejandro?   This is Lisa from Mindo-Cinto.”   I wondered if he would remember me, and then I added, “I have a snake in a bucket for you.   Black above and white below.  I just emailed the photos.”

Timeout for Art – Intense Concentration

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painting birds in watercolor, painting toucans, Timeout for Art

“Hi!  Remember me?” (See Timeout- Let’s Draw a Toucan)

“It takes 100 per cent of your attention and focus, backed up with years of drawing experience, to train yourself to paint what you see.” Steve Childs

Mindo Ecuador –

Simple washes of color… Remember when using watercolor to let one area (yellow) to dry before beginning another (black) or they’ll run together and make a big mess!

Sometimes several washes of color are more effective for building texture and depth.   The cecropria limb started with light washes of blues and greens, and the lightest areas were saved while darker pigments brought form and texture to the painting.  The tree limb needs another session when I can work from life and apply the subtle details.

The second application of yellow, applied after the first had dried overnight, brings more life into the toucan.

Toucans are quite social, so the study has a few support characters!   The next image shows the small painting.   With watercolor, one tries to save the whites, as in the spots of light on the eyes.   One mistake many people make is to try to rush the painting, and they are rewarded with a dark color running into a lighter one.   Placing the dark pigment (Paynes gray + burnt sienna + ultramarine blue) in the eye area would be a fatal mistake if the green pigment had not dried.    Moving to the tree limbs – or even to a different painting is the best option.   Taking a break or putting the painting in the sun or waiting until the next day are other options.