Inauguración Exposición: Entra a mi mundo

 

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Big feet seem to be everywhere!

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“What we’re doing hasn’t worked; we have to find new ways to move forward.  Nature is worth the effort.”  Lisa Brunetti

…Step into My World…   28/October/2021 – April 2022

Portoviejo-Manabi Province – Ecuador Inauguración Exposición:

Entra a mi mundo – Museo Portoviejo y Archivo Histórico

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The tree trunk goes HERE:

This tree was my friend; it offered shade and visual gifts to me. It offered refuge to many species. It was felled to join other comrades to be sent across the Pacific – destroying Ecuador’s rapidly vanishing forests – to be used in the wind turbine industry. This was a sobering realization for me.

Bamboo seems to be one of few choices that has a lighter impact, but some landowners whack back every cane in order to harvest the mature ones.   Can our species remember to spare the habitat for those neighbors that thrive in the wild?

Enter the museo and follow the yellow-brick yellow-track trail….

In the gallery space adjacent to the auditorium, Daniel Arias displayed a collection of bird photographs.  Visitors were able to view the images and visit with Daniel before and after the inauguration. 

Photo by Museo Portoviejo/ shared by Carlos Wellington

The inauguration began with a classical ballet performance by Daniel’s brother, Elías Arias- true grace and beauty and strength – poetry for the eyes.

(Starting around minute 19.)

“Danza de un Cisne Herido en sus últimos momentos de agonía”  – 
Coreografía: Elías Arias sobre la original de Ricardo Cue
Música: El Lago de los Cisnes        Autor: Camille Saint Saëns

The Dance of the Dying Swan – performed by Elias several weeks ago at Casa de la Cultura.  (Images from the 28th were not too clear.)

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At 1 hour 33 in the video: Martha Terán

“El ave que se atreve a caer, es el ave que aprender a volar”

Alzando el vuelo, intervención performatica de Martha Terán. Música : Antara, instrumentos autóctonos. Edición : Diego Camacho. 

Vestuario : Layne Uquillas.

Chal: Pintado por Lisa Brunetti.

 

And then in groups of twenty and following the trail of yellow tracks,  the visitors moved one floor higher.

After reaching that floor, I took very few photos.   The museo will be closed from now until Thursday for holiday, and when it reopens, I will photograph the entrance where these big feet preside:

I cannot close without sharing a few test samples!  I invite you to step into my world:    1.  Using either Google Play or Apple, download the Artivive app.  

  2.  After the app downloads, aim your phone at this iguana, which wishes it lived the high limbs of a real forest:

“I wish I were a horse… or maybe a bird.. but I would be happy to live in a big tree in the forest…”  (All credit goes to Giovanni Ruiz, who showed me this technology and helped implement it into my work.)

Or maybe the little masked cartoon bird wishes to be a bird in the wild:

What do  you think this mask critter would like to be?

Monkey Mask – acrylic

Thanks for visiting, and I hope that you enjoyed the peek behind the scenes!  Happy Halloween! Lisa

Photo by Museo Portoviejo, shared by Carlos Wellington.  (Can you spot two creatives who worked through the night?!)

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A special thanks goes to Andres, Dady y Gigi for their tireless help and cheerful spirits.  

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and a finale of a sobering and thought-provoking video, shared today by Peter Sinclair/ClimateCrocks

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Can you hear me Major Tom?

(Portoviejo Ecuador)

My dear WordPress Family,

You must feel that I am as far above the world  as Major Tom.

(His Vincent cover is fantastic)

While the computer and wifi are catching the signal between Jupiter and Mars, I lassoed my scattered thoughts, stories and photographs to bounce off the back side of Mercury – and hopefully their trajectory will reach Earth.  Earth looks pretty scary from up here, and I am told that many species are asking what have the humans done to their paradise.

A surprise Friday protest near the museum about three weeks ago. (Portoviejo Ecuador)

I told my friend Giovanni that these young activists (in the above image) need mentors.  Anger reaches no one in positive ways. He replied and said, ‘I know a lot of those people.’

It makes people react in defensive mode.

This group might be equally willing to pick up trash along the rio while waving those same posters.   A grounded and sensitive leader can help them find an effective voice.

There is hope; a growing number of amazing people are crossing paths, moving forward in quiet ways in behalf of the planet.

There seems to be an uptick of positive young leaders – quietly making a difference.   I witnessed many people – young and old – who burn with the desire to learn and do more.

There have been World Environment and Global Big Day events. The municipality has showered these quiet activists with good publicity and opportunities for events.

One museum show ends.. and a brief one-day show the next week.

Giovanni Ruiz gave scholarships to 200 participants for a weekly climate class. He had just arrived from his ‘Ambiente’ job in Mindo (5-plus hours away) and set up just in time to start the class. Whew!

Giovanni peering skyward at a ceibo tree at ‘Jaboncillo’ archaeological site near Portoviejo.

‘The Tree of Life’ Arbol de la Vida/Esperanza – Various people in the park and municipality departments were shocked that my bird list for Parque las Vegas was around 90 species, and that I had photographed over 40 species of birds in this one forlorn Frutilla tree.

July 5, 2021 – 21 birds dropped in while I worked on the drawing.

Members of the municipality were rapt with interest about the birds. Daniel Arias, a bird guide/eBird moderator, specializes in Urban Birding.

Another meeting later that week. Alexandra Cevallos Castro (far right with mike)  deserves much credit for her networking – calling attention and arranging meetings between interested parties.  The wetland area of the park has reclaimed a healthier setting for the local and migratory birds.  I hope that the Soras return, and two weeks ago the Eastern Kingbirds were spotted near the pond.

Remembering…

“The intense focus of art often transports me through a magic portal; time seems to stop as if I’ve stepped into another realm. Sometimes after a long session I am surprised to find that the day has weaned to night – or the night has weaned to morning.  Emerging from a painting trance is like awakening from a deep sleep.” Lisa B.

I have always painted best at night, especially in the city when late-night hours are even more silent than the natural forest!  The ongoing Covid risks have altered the rhythms of the city, and for that I am grateful.  After ten o’clock at night, the city slumbers.

October Big Day Night – Pacific Pygmy Owl – Poza Honda

Barn Owl – Portoviejo (at the back of the apartment there’s an abandoned building, and the owl often sleeps there in the daytime.)

In Poza Honda, three species of owls,  random frogs, insects and the faraway calls of the Limpkins provided a soothing nocturnal soundtrack.  When I paint in the apartment, I often play recordings made at Poza Honda.  Many times I emerge from my painting trance and am surprised to find that I’m in the city!

A Peregrine Falcon often perches on that tower.

In progress – “The Friendship Tree of Life.”

Friday night while painting I thought of two brothers who were classmates of mine. Flashing back in time, I pictured them taking turns skiing behind their boat. The vision was as strong as if it were yesterday, and it made me smile. I recalled their zest for life and how much they loved the outdoors -as did I.

The Mississippi River at Memphis – (Lake Whittington is an oxbow lake that connects to the Mississippi River.)

On Saturday a friend shared the sad news that one of those brothers had died while in the woods. (most likely a heart attack.) Steve was a good man – a very good man, and he will be missed.

Steve and his family were on my mind for the rest of the day – and night. Painting had no appeal, but my lifelong pal the pencil served me well. The pencil study seemed to absorb my numbness, and a pair of Variable Seedeaters slowly came to life.

Below is ‘stage one’ of the drawing, “Remembering Steve.”

“Remembering Steve” – 4B Pencil

(Because I am online in short and random sessions, Comments are off.   One day/week/month I’ll be able to catch up on comments.   Thanks to all of you for your support – you’re the best!   Love, Lisa)

 

Tropical Sampler

Tags

acrylic paintings, toucans, whooping motmot

Whooping Motmot

“For most of history, man has had to fight nature to survive; in this century he is beginning to realize that, in order to survive, he must protect it.” – Jacques-Yves Cousteau

Poza Honda-Manabi Province-Ecuador –  The handsome Whooping Motmot is often the early bird of each day, though instead of getting worms, it enjoys eating bananas at the breakfast bar!  It – and the Brown Wood Rails – are usually the last birds to visit as dusk fades into night.  One of the Motmots has lost its ‘tip feathers’ on its unique tail!  Even with a short tail, it’s a lovely bird!

The Brown Wood Rails make almost-daily appearances in the yard;  they’re pretty predictable when ripe bananas are available!

The Brown Wood Rails have competition for bananas… see below!

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You coffee lovers out there – how’s this for ‘pick your own’ coffee?  This particular ‘escaped’ coffee tree is growing beside my home!

Upcoming events in Z’s life:

Nomadas en Manabi – a group show at Museo Portoviejo – June 29, 2018 (Portoviejo/Manabi/Ecuador)

Birds, Butterflies and Botanicals – solo show at Museo Portoviejo – October 24, 2018 – date has not been confirmed.

Whooping Motmot – Acrylic

Two Cans – Acrylic – 24″ x 36″

That’s all for this week’s smoke signal!

What Happened to Google Earth?

Tags

ecuador butterflies, google map where are the images in google maps, Lisa Brunetti art, Museo Portoviejo

Google Earth has sent ‘congratulations’ notices to say that a few of my images – like this one of Poza Honda – were very popular.

Poza Honda/ManabiProvince Ecuador – Have any of you ever added images to Google Earth-Maps?   It’s always been interesting to peruse those images and explore areas that we know well or to ‘cyber travel’ to new destinations without leaving home!  The Satellite Image option helped me fine-tune my search for a new place to live, and reference images were very helpful.

This past week on Google Earth, I entered some GPS points for where I live –  before passing them along for scientific reasons; almost immediately I hit a glitch.  I could not find a place to type the coordinates.  Perhaps that option is somewhere on the page, but I did not find it.     Next I looked for my pinned images, and they were gone!  In fact, there were no pinned images to anything on the map.  Towns and places of interest were marked by name only.  The letters were small and difficult to see – and my laptop has a large screen!

Google Chrome browser… note how tiny the bottom right options appear. That’s where one finds the photo options.

Eventually I found the image option, which on my windows browser showed in a long horizontal strip at the bottom of the page.   There were photos from different areas, and mine could not be accessed until scrolling east on the map, leaving the house site out of view.  After I selected and enlarged one of my ‘popular’ images, a little arrow-type bar zipped from the photo and pointed into the middle of the lake!  Ha, I had to laugh – it was several kilometers from the right location and was obviously submerged at the bottom of the reservoir!

Opera browser provided slightly-easier to view options.

The Dec 3rd earthquake, which rattled the house for almost a minute, must have nudged this particular GPS point into the lake!

Unable to drag it back in place via the old system that worked well, I opened a new window and did a search which took me to a Google Earth/Maps forum.  Oh my, demons must have firmly attached themselves to those who make decisions for Google Earth/Maps, and they have made a lovely mess of what was once a well-managed site.

I moved to another quadrant that I know well – the area around Jama, and I remembered that someone had posted a picture of a Royal Poinciana/Flamboyant.  I was curious to see if it still marked the correct spot.  In real life, the tree was within view of where I once lived near the mouth of Rio Jama.

Royal Poinciana (Delonix regia)still stands, though the nearby farmhouse was destroyed in the April 16, 2016 earthquake.

Flamboyant/Royal Poinciana paired with the Green Kingfisher for a great photo op –  The rear balcony of Casa Loca. 2013

There were zero photos of that area, but there were new ones from 2018 of the community of La Division.   Checking various photos in the town a few kilometers inland, I discovered that the lovely flaming Poinciana tree had been magically transplanted to Jama!  (Jama, still recovering from the earthquake, could actually use several dozen of those lovely trees!)

Inward Reflections and Retrospections

Tags

"The Muir Tree", deforestation, incubation time for growth, our sick planet, retrospection

Costa Rica aerial image from 2012 – View of Playas San Miguel, Bejuco, Corazalito and Islita.

“TO go into solitude, a man needs to retire as much from his chamber as from society. I am not solitary whilst I read and write, though nobody is with me. But if a man would be alone, let him look at the stars. The rays that come from those heavenly worlds, will separate between him and what he touches.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson – from Nature

Today a friend shared news of a New-Year’s Day airline commuter crash in Costa Rica. The Corazalito airstrip was near where I once lived, and there are many great memories of that unique little welcome center, complete with thatched-roof ‘reception shack’ with original art on its facade. I’ve experienced those turbulent winds that often announce the change of the seasons, winds that grasp a pilot’s attention as well as the passengers’ attentions.   Although I did not know any of the 12 people who died this past week, the news makes me reflect on the shattered lives of the families and loved ones – while reminding us that we only have this moment.

That news put me in a deeper reflective mood than normal, one that prompted this poor attempt to explain what’s been percolating in my psyche over the past few months.

(You have the right to excuse yourself from this reading room; those who choose to hang with me, I hope that the following makes sense…)
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About those Spirals…

Tags

drawing spirals, painting spirals, Spirals, whirlpools

Nicolas critiques the energy of the swirl…

Inspired by an artifact in Casa del Alabado/Quito Ecuador

Creative Ops with Corn – Feed the Birds!

“We are not going in circles, we are going upwards. The path is a spiral; we have already climbed many steps.” -Hermann Hesse

The spiral design is one we’ve all drawn or doodled at one time or another.  When I share with others the joy of drawing, we often start with drawing ‘tornadoes’ – a repetitive round and round and round type motion that helps us adjust to the pencil as well as slowing down our thoughts in an almost-hypnotic approach.   After going around and round countless times, it’s almost effortless to then – with the same light touch –  draw an ellipse.

Many times I find myself drawing spirals in that same easy-going style; not thinking of anything, I draw those flowing lines that spiral from outside to in – or inside to out. It’s like a form of meditation – no thought involved, just relaxed and soothing lines, a bit like watching a ballet or tapping into the natural flow of music.  Sometimes a second set of lines wraps inside the other.  There are times when my mood or life is less relaxed, and the fluid movements are replaced by geometric grids and cross hatching, as if my internal computer is analyzing every pixel while searching for the ones that need attention! 

Now You See It; Now You Don’t

Tags

decorative ways to conceal cracks in a wall, Timeout for Art, timeout for art now you see it

“Often, we try to repair broken things in such a way as to conceal the repair and make it “good as new.” But the tea masters understood that by repairing the broken bowl with the distinct beauty of radiant gold, they could create an alternative to “good as new” and instead employ a “better than new” aesthetic. They understood that a conspicuous, artful repair actually adds value. Because after mending, the bowl’s unique fault lines were transformed into little rivers of gold that post repair were even more special because the bowl could then resemble nothing but itself.” – Teresita Fernandez

Panama City-PANAMA –   Like a stepchild that it is not, an impromptu project at Barb’s condo in Panama has been waiting in the queue of stories to share.   After receiving another two-year nonresident visa to work in the arts, I was free to leave Ecuador without a lot of red tape to return.    I first visited Costa Rica for a week, took care of personal business, visited with friends, and then on the return trip to Ecuador, bailed out in Panama to spend a week with Barbara.

Barbara is my amazing and tireless friend who is selfless when it comes to helping others.  Here are images from some of her past visits, starting with when she helped create the Magic Carpet at Casa Loca.

Barb preps border with fresh layer of Agua Stop.

Barbara brushes white over white!

Inventory from PlayaMart

This is surely the most lovingly-painted bodega door in the country!

Postscript:  Last year’s earthquake altered that Casa Loca chapter.  But let’s move on….

Recycled cans!  Why is Barb chuckling as she sits on the bench?

When the ocean advanced, Barb witnessed the changes.

Barb and I enjoyed a 30-minute detour* through the “Women’s Art Exhibit” in Museo Bahia de Caraquez. – *before the earthquake…

Thanks to Efrain’s visit to the property, Barb was officially infected with the birding bug!

Barbara has helped me with SO MANY projects, and even if it were just a week, it was time to spend time with her.   “I’ll be bringing my paint brushes,” I stated, “so be thinking of a project.”

Timeout for Art – Doing Your Own Thing

Tags

creative painting, decorative ideas for kitchen counters, Painting on concrete

We started with a forlorn counter top in need of cosmetic improvements.

“The joy in life comes from doing your own thing.” — Bob Ross

Near Playa San Miguel/Pueblo Nuevo de Bejuco – Costa Rica.

A counter top makeover quickly morphed into a totally-different style for a guest house outdoor-style kitchen.  The original was painted about six or seven years ago and had seen much use.  It deserved a renaissance treatment with fresh paint!  It was easy to spot the areas of heavy use, and we tossed around ideas for dodging similar problems in the future. Hank and Marie have decided to put this part of their property on the market, and the counter top was one of few things that needed attention.   See: “A Little Monkey Told Me” for a sneak peek.

We enjoyed passing many tranquil hours – in the zen of painting in harmony and at times making room for others to help as well.   Thanks Patty and Wendy for your help!

With great teamwork, we nudged those painted pieces of ‘mosaic’ beneath the leaves – but the leaves looked lifeless…. ah, but shadows! Shadows would bring them to life!

Ambling Along —

Tags

azul plata cumbia, brown wood rail, costa rica, Ecuador, living with nature, Panama, Slow Internet

A frustrated Long-tailed Mockingbird – near Portoviejo, Ecuador

A very contented Toucan in Panama…

A deer in my friends’ yard in Costa Rica…

A very-rare Brown Wood Rail in the yard at the Poza Honda Ecuador house!

From Dictionary.com : Amble “verb (used without object), ambled, ambling.
1.    to go at a slow, easy pace; stroll; saunter:
He ambled around the town.

2.   (of a horse) to go at a slow pace with the legs moving in lateral pairs and usually having a four-beat rhythm.
noun
3.an ambling gait.
4.a slow, easy walk or gentle pace.
5.a stroll.

Ambling along a shady road with Marie in Costa Rica….

“We ought to take outdoor walks, to refresh and raise our spirits by deep breathing in the open air.” — Seneca

Don’t forget to look up when walking! – Costa Rica

Variegated Squirrel in the park near the Municipality Office – Nandayure Costa Rica

In the past three weeks I’ve been from Ecuador to Costa Rica and back via a stopover in Panama to visit my friend Barb.   These were quick-but-very rewarding  visits that combined ‘business’ with pleasure.  Comparing the three countries, I definitely give Costa Rica and Panama the top scores for quality of internet!

Panama wins on shopping opportunities as well as the dramatic skyline contest…