Timeout for Art: Be Yourself

Tags

Acrylic Painting, be yourself, mirrors in art, seahorse, Timeout for Art Open up and Be Yourself

“Don’t be afraid to be yourself; because people are waiting for you to be yourself… its your responsibility to be all you can be…”  Keb Mo (from video clip below)

While waiting for power to be restored at Casa Loca, I painted this sea horse with the intention of pairing the little mirrors against the dark blue swirls of color. Am writing this while a drama worthy of ‘sitcom’ viewing swirls around me concerning the electricity problems at Casa Loca…  Will schedule this to post on Thursday morning! Tune in later for updates on the drama!

Ah.. I need a bit of soothing music to offset the drama;  enjoy this Keb Mo song as a finale!

Z

Timeout for Art: Careful Study

Tags

Acrylic Painting, Painting Murals, Punta Ballena El Matal Ecuador, Timeout for Art: Careful Study

Detail: Magnificent Frigates – Acrylic

Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.
Albert Einstein

This week finds me working on a nine-foot wide painting to be used as a mural on a restaurant wall.  The owner showed me several photos of picturesque palm-lined beaches with tropical water in the background.  I suggested that we dress up the view of the local landscape which is equally as beautiful as the images he provided.  (A week later I questioned my decision, as the seascape required accuracy — or risk every “local” pointing out the mistakes!)

A Blue & Yellow Sort of Day

Tags

Acrylic Painting, Painting on old wood, Paintings of the moon

Posts from other WordPress friends have been zero (to my inbox) today. This is a first!  I’m wondering if it’s a WP glitch or if many of you are battling winter storms. Watching via internet for stories about the ice and snow reminds me of watching Katrina inch toward the Gulf Coast.

Here on the river, I’ve been working (in short sleeves, cropped pants and barefooted) on a not-so-serious painting.  Every so often one should paint just for the joy of painting and have fun!

This could be plate; maybe it’s a painting of an egg?

No…

Timeout for Art: Looking but not Seeing

Tags

Acrylic Painting, art by Lisa Brunetti, botanical paintings, how to see what's there, i can do this painting workshops, Learning how to see, painting flowers, Timeout for art looking but not seeing

All of us are watchers – of television, of time clocks, of traffic on the freeway – but few are observers. Everyone is looking, not many are seeing. (Peter M. Leschak)

Look over my shoulder and see through my eyes!  The flowers in my friends’ Mindo (Ecuador) gardens were the inspiration for this 38 x 54″ painting in progress.  Drawing and painting from life forces us to examine what’s in front of us, and we learn to see instead of guessing what we see!

Helping Hands

Tags

Acrylic Painting, Creative Group Projects, Daily Post, Daily Prompt: Helping Hands, i can do this painting workshops, Images of Hands, Lisa Brunetti art

Today’s Daily Prompt states:  
Tell us about the most surprising helping hand you’ve ever received.
Photographers, show us HANDS.

Hands?  Do I ever have an assortment of images of hands!

Enjoy!

Color? Me? Color? Yes!

Tags

Acrylic Painting, art by Lisa Brunetti, hand-paint, hand-painted floors, Lisa Brunetti, The Mola Series, Weekly Photo Challenge COLOR

Did someone ask for COLOR?!!!

While working on the painting of the magic carpet on the bodega floor, I dashed upstairs to send a quick email.  There in the inbox was the WordPress challenge for ‘Color.’

I smiled and pondered,”Color?  Me?” and then I smiled.

‘Zeebra Rocks” on an explosion of red/orange – (Bookmark)

Hurriedly, I  rejoice that my eyes see in full glorious color, and I am pleased to share a few splashes from paintings that color my life!

While scrolling through  glimpses of some of my more-colorful works, enjoy a song by Don McClean that is often on my painting playlist.

Progress: Bodega Floor

Tags

Acrylic Painting, hand-painted floors, magic carpet ride bodega floor, painting concrete floors, what to do to an ugly room

Two days of hard work equals amazing progress!

A long day of painting can be quite exhausting, and Barbara clocked out and went to sleep hours ago!  Her batteries will be recharged in the morning, and mine will be dragging!    I think you’ll be pleased with the progress on the bodega floor.  Enjoy the photos!

Esta Casa Es Loca!

Tags

Acrylic Painting, Children's Art, Group Painting Projects, Hostal Palo Santo Jama Ecuador, I Can Do This Workshop, Lisa Brunetti art, Lodging Jama Ecuador, Spirals

Manabi Ecuador

Last weekend, my friends from the port city of Manta visited this rural farming area of Jama for the first time. Taking a day off from responsibilities, I joined them at Hostal Palo Santo, where we rented three cabanas and enjoyed a leisurely visit in the serene garden setting. With wide-eyed wonder, young Nicolas and Natalia tested the see-saw, touched their toes to the sky from the swing set and befriended a young kitten/gatito.

Natalia: Sugar and Spice and Everything Nice!
Nicolas: Snips and Snails and Kitty Cat Tails!

I suggested that we drive to my house to watch the sunset, and the seven of us drove the five kilometers for a comfortable end-of-day visit.   We weren’t prepared for Nicolas’ reaction!   From the moment he entered the house, he uttered this sentence of disbelief:

“If Fish Could Fly” Receives an Injection of Energy!

Tags

Acrylic Painting, Gonzalo de la Fuente Manta Ecuador, I can do this painting projects, Lisa Brunetti art, Painting with Children, Window Treatments

Gonzalo and Nicolas absorb the visual whimsy of the riverhouse!

The riverhouse received an injection of energy this weekend! Gonzalo de la Fuente and his beautiful family crammed many memories into their short break from the port city of Manta Ecuador.  Gonzalo is quite the Renaissance Man, and his graphic arts skills keep his dance card full.  I am grateful for his tireles help whenever I need posters, invitations, a press release, catalog, book marks, business cards –  he transforms and improves the concepts.   Although I often visit Gonzalo and his family on their turf,  this was their first trip to the Jama area. These photos reflect one of many great memories from their two-day visit.

Enjoy!

Z

Mano de la Paz Finds A New Home

Tags

Acrylic Painting, El Matal Ecuador, Jama Coaque, Jama Coaque Art, Lisa Brunetti Paintings, Mano de la Paz Painting, museo bahia de caraquez, The Mola Series

Pottery Shards

The mystery painting that held my attention for many weeks finally reached its new home!  Patricia Adams Farmer gave readers a sneak peek in her amazing feature, “The Totalmente Zen Art of Lisa Brunetti”  Thanks again, Patricia, and thanks to all of you who visited her column and left such thoughtful comments.

Detail Mano Swirl – collection of Museo Bahia de Caraquez – 2012

New clients from the Jama area especially liked my graphic six-foot tall painting, Mano Swirl,  that belongs to the Museo Bahia de Caraquez (Ecuador) and depicts a pre-Columbian relic from the area.   Anyone who walks the beaches of the Jama area, will come away with pottery fragments from the Jama Coaque culture.

Museo Bahia de Caraquez (Ecuador) – Jama Coaque Culture

Detail/Artifact/Jama Coaque Culture – Museo Bahia de Caraquez

The  Jama Coaque Indians left behind a legacy of amazing artifacts. The  hand and the swirl patterns are often associated with their culture.

Sellos were most likely used for rolling designs on textiles and skin.

The inspiration for the current painting came from a small  “sello” artifact from the Casa del Alabado Museum collection in Quito Ecuador.   The Indians most likely used sellos to stamp patterns onto bodies and textiles.    We decided to go with a scientific likeness for this  “Jama Coaque” painting.

Jama Coaque SelloCasa Alabado/Quito Ecuador

I often placed the painting on the floor and my computer on the painting for easy reference of the museum image.

Using watercolor techniques with acrylic paints, I slowly added layers of color and shadow.