Timeout for Art: A Magical Room

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art studios, creative artistic spaces, Lisa Brunetti, painted concrete floors, transforming an ugly room into a happy one, ways to remodel an old room, wordpress challenge ROOM

“I step into my studio and nothing will be the same ever again.” (Franco Paisio)

This week’s WordPress Challenge is ‘Room,’ and these photos show how a farm bodega transformed into a unique studio space.  Enjoy the pictorial!  Z

August 2008; the fixer-upper challenge begins!

Let’s peer inside the bodega!

It Started With One Light Pole & Kept Going!

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Attracting customers, Custom Designs, custom interiors, Lisa Brunetti, Luchy Cevallos Sabando, Palo Santo Cafe Jama Ecuador

Palo Santo Cafe – Before

Jama Ecuador

Last year’s  It Started With One Lightpole opened with a story about my friend Luchy Cevallos Sabando.  The post was one of the most popular for the entire year.

It Started With One Light Pole

Multi-talented Luchy tapped into his creative genius and opened a cybercafe with emphasis on cafe and not cyber!  He wondered what he could do to attract more business, and before our afternoon painting session was finished, people were slowing down and taking note!

Looking better!

Luchy’s artistic touches throughout his Palo Santo Cafe and his nearby hostal leave little room for improvement!  Several times I volunteered to help with a new project, but there was no obvious space for custom art.

Hostal Entrance

(One year later)  At night, the lights come on, tables are moved outside, and the regulars drop by to say, “Hi!”

Popular with all ages, Palo Santo has a relaxed vibe.

Last week while visiting Luchy’s Palo Santo, I reminded him that I’d love to help with a new project.   He pondered for a few minutes, then showed me an area in the VIP room that might make a fun backdrop for group photos. We did a bit of brainstorming, then started on Wednesday and finished on Saturday!

Timeout for Art: Bones

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Group Painting Projects, I can do this painting projects, Lisa Brunetti, Signs for Hostals B&Bs, Timeout for Art: Bones, Where to stay in Mindo Ecuador

Using $1.00 film-canister sized containers of acrylics and very cheap paper, I painted these one afternoon while at Hostal Charito in Mindo Ecuador. The bones of the studies had been drawn the night before, so filling in the color was a joy.

“Drawing is the backbone.  It is no good having a lovely sense of light and color if there isn’t the firm foundation underneath.”  (Alexander Creswell)

Iliana and Hostal Charito

This past week found me in the cloud-forest community of Mindo Ecuador. The hostal where I normally stay was closed, and someone pointed me down the street to a flower-draped hostal beyond “Hostal Charito.” The owner of Hostal Charito and I shared eye contact, and there was something in her posture or her eyes that nudged me to her door.

Timeout for Art: Happy in Nature

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Lisa Brunetti, Painting birds, Painting butterflies, Rufous naped wrens, Timeout for Art: Nature

“The aspect of Nature is devout.  Like the figure of Jesus, she stands with bended head, and hands folded.  The happiest man is he who learns from nature the lesson of worship.”  (Emerson)

“…and not, when it came my time to die, find I had not lived…” Thoreau

Pencil 24″ x 36″

Today’s Timeout for Art addresses nature, and my artist’s statement from a show in the year 2000 stated, “I am at my best when alone with nature.”

Timeout for Art: Pencils

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Drawing lessons, Drawing tips, Lisa Brunetti, Pencil drawing, Secrets to drawing well

My friend the pencil! (Drawn with dominant/right hand)

“A pencil is quiet, clean, odorless, inexpensive, and lightweight.  I can slip it in my pocket and take it with me everywhere – my secret friend.”  (Sherry Camby)

Years ago I taught art to elementary school students, and I reminded them that they were ‘safe’ from ridicule from their peers. All that I expected from them was that they try their best, and they were not to laugh at anyone’s attempts. How rewarding it was to witness the improvement from all levels! Awkward with their early drawings, some students worked on mastering their pencils, which were foreign in their hands. Other “naturally-talented” students had many more hours of drawing than the others and had found solace in their pencils and crayons. Aristotle said, “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.”

The most important ingredient in being a good artist is practice! Practice, practice, practice! I was reminded of this last week, when Ruth, with her dominant hand in a cast, said that she’d try drawing with her left hand! I volunteered to include an additional sketch with my left hand each week in her honor. It was much more difficult than I realized! Although I draw well with my dominant hand, I am again at beginner status with the other!

Holy Piso, Batman, The Bodega Floor is Finished!

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Hand-painted concrete floors, hangar doors, Lisa Brunetti, magic carpet, the magic carpet floor, what to do with an ugly room

Holy Piso, Batman, The Bodega Floor is Finished!

Yes, ‘Stage One” of the bodega floor is finished! The first coat of a non-yellowing “laca poliuretano para pisos” is now drying, and the floor will be ready for its first inspection tomorrow! My friend Sarah Dettman and her tour group of 20 will stop by the house to for a sample of my life here on the river.

It’s not fair to let them see this floor before all of you in the cheering section!     The only problem is that Barb is not here for a celebratory test drive on the magic carpet!

Color? Me? Color? Yes!

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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.

Zeebra’s 2012 In Pictures

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2012 in Pictures, Don Koen, Flooding in Manabi Ecuador, Hand-painted concrete floors, Light Post Painting in Jama El Matal, Lisa Brunetti, museo bahia de caraquez, Museo Cancebi, Museo Portoviejo, Peace March, The Mola Series, Wear White for Peace, WordPress Photo Challeng My 2012 in Pictures, zeebra art

Reflecting on a twelve-month journey through WordPress.

WordPress tossed us a tempting challenge for this end-of-the year photo challenge.   With pleasure, I present some of the highlights of 2012.

This amazing tree was felled this past year.

The Magnificent Ceibos  Read about Ecuador’s amazing ceibo trees, cousins to the ceiba that grows in other parts of the tropical world.

Story Challenge: W is for Watercolor

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Frizztext STory Challenge W, Lisa Brunetti, Saving Whites in Watercolor, The Mola Series, Watercolors

Frizztext’s Story Challenge brings us to the final letters of the alphabet.  “Watercolor” shoves out other options for this week’s selection from my tag stats!

Water water everywhere… Many times I remind struggling watercolorists to remember that it’s ‘WATER’color.  One wants the white of the paper to enhance the painting and make the colors glow!

Hindsight: WordPress Daily Prompt

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concrete floors, Custom Painted Floors, hand-painted floors, Lisa Brunetti, mirrors, Wordpress Daily Prompt Hindsight, Zeebra Designs

“That Zeebra Lady has so much to learn!”

WordPress asks us to rewrite our first post.  I enjoyed this challenge, pulled up my first post about custom floors and interiors, hit ‘edit’ and reworked it by changing the title.

After revising it, I searched for the publish button, and woe is me!  It remained under the original’s format as an update.

Alas, the best way to point you to the revised post is by this method!

https://playamart.wordpress.com/2011/12/06/custom-floors/

Thanks for following the dots to the revised post, and I hope that other bloggers learn from my mistake!

Z

Counting Blessings

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art therapy, Lisa Brunetti, Museo Portoviejo, working with troubled teens

On Wednesday, a group of teen/preteen girls visited the museum;  Jacqueline, the director of the museum, warned me that the girls were ‘troubled,’ and she was unsure what to expect.

Sunday Post: SILENCE (Shhhhhh!)

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costa rica, Guayaquil Botanical Garden, Guayaquill Malacon, Howler Monkeys, Jake's Sunday Post Challenge Silence, Lisa Brunetti, NATURE, PENCIL DRAWINGS, Playa San Miguel Costa Rica, Silence, Solitude

Guayaquil (Ecuador) Botanical Gardens/Malecon

Ah! To bask in silence!     A serene setting wraps its loving arms around us and cocoons us in delicious silence!  Libraries offer comforting slices of silence, as do museums; parks and botanical gardens provide visual balms for the soul and reconnect us with nature.  Silence allows our minds to grow quiet, and our senses awaken.   

For Jake’s Sunday Post Challenge of “Silence,”  here is an essay that I wrote when I lived “immersed in nature” in Costa Rica.

Showtime: Museo Portoviejo

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Acrylics, Lisa Brunetti, Museo Portoviejo, Series de Mola, The Mola Series, Watercolors

Paparazzi!

(PORTOVIEJO ECUADOR)  Preparing for this second show of the Mola Series should have been a simple task, but—!  It’s not that things went wrong; just that things didn’t flow the way they were planned!

Without Borders – “Sin Fronteras”

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Border Crossing, Ivo Uquillas, Lisa B, Lisa Brunetti, Manabi Museum, Museo Portoviejo Ecuador, Seria de Mola, The Mola Series

Nicaragua – Costa Rica Border/Frontera

(ECUADOR)   At this past week’s inauguration of the Mola Series in Portoviejo,  I was honored to be introduced to the audience by sculptor/artist/poet Ivo Uquillas.  Part of his speech addressed a subject he and I stumbled upon while viewing the paintings earlier that day.

Showtime: The Mola Series – Portoviejo Ecuador

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Lisa Brunetti, Museo Portoviejo, The Mola Series

Enclosed are random images from the past week.  Tonight’s showtime #2 for the Mola Series!  Z

Weekly Photo Challenge: CREATE

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Art in Ecuador, costa rica, Cruzita, Ecuador, El Matal, i can do this painting workshops, Jama, Lisa Brunetti, Post-Painting Competition, Weekly Photo Challenge, Weekly Photo Challenge: Creative, WordPress Post a Day

As I prepared to leave Cruzita for a long weekend at home (aka to build a goat-proof fence!) I saw this week’s Photo Challenge:  Create.

The query asked, “Have you snapped a picture of something you’ve created, or something someone else has created? ‘

I chuckled! What have I NOT photographed lately that wasn’t related to being creative?   I smiled, decided that the ‘next’ bus out of Cruzita would be just fine, and I began the arduous task of deciding which photos to share! (Or deciding which ones NOT to share!)

Thanks, Fairy Godmother!

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Beautiful blogger award, Cruzita Ecuador, Lisa Brunetti, Mary McDonald art, Mrs. Sparkly's Ten Commandments Award

An astrologist might have warned me of a mystical alignment of stars and planets that would sprinkle magic stardust across this Cancer-the-Crab’s Saturday! The early-morning inbox confirmed that my European friends had been slaying the day’s dragons while I was still in dreamland.   I pondered the humor of asking them, ‘Is it going to be a good day?’ as remnants of REM sleep evaporated from my dream-fogged brain.

My Cup Runneth Over

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Bolon, Bolones from Plantains, Cancebi Museum, Chiva Bus, Cruzita Ecuador, Ecuador, Experience Ecuador, Hostal Cruzita, Jacqueline Simon, Lisa Brunetti, Manabi, Manta Ecuador, Museo Cancebi, Sarah Dettman, Semester at Sea, The Mola Series

This modest house transforms into a work of art beneath the street light!

Tipping out of Hostal Cruzita during the pre-dawn hours,  I stopped  for several photos on my way to the corner bus stop.  A full day awaited me at the Cancebi Museo in Manta, Ecuador, where The Mola Series Exhibition entered its third week.

A lone rooster broke the serene stillness of the morning  as he announced the arrival of the 5:20 bus to Manta.     Although I anticipated meeting the Experience Ecuador group at the Manta airport in less than two hours, I would never have dreamed that the next two days would bring such an amazing and diverse group of people into my life!

From Airport to Playa Tarqui to Museo Cancebi

The Mola Series –

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Cancebi Museum, Lisa Brunetti, Mantba Museum, Mola Art, Mola Paintings, Museo Cancebi, The Zeebra

Click Butterfly to go to Zeebra Mola page!

THE MOLA SERIES – Then & Now (Ayer y Hoy)

Opening Reception 18 May 2012 7:00 P.M. (19:00)
Museo Cancebi – Manta, Ecuador 

Avenida 2 y Calle 9 (Frente al Palacio de Justicia)
(05) 2624411

Although most of you will not be able to attend, please sign the online guestbook!  http://zeebramolas.wordpress.com

(The above site shows details for the show.)

(For those who have asked, I am still gathering information on lodging recommendations)

Detail “Twin Smiles” – click to see more images on Museum Show page.

Click image to go to Zeebra Mola page –

“Happy Shoes” detail – click shoes to go to Zeebra Mola Exhibition page!

(“I’m painting as fast as I can!”- :)) Z)

It Started with One Light Pole

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art community, jama coaque sello art, jama coaque sellos, jama ecuador, Lisa Brunetti, luchy cevallos, manabi art, manabi artists, precolumbian art, route of the jama sellos, rycardo aclivar, sergio

The small town of Jama Ecuador has many multi-talented artists, and most of them dodge the spotlight.  How can they get more recognition if someone doesn’t prod them forward from time to time?!

An Artist’s Eyes Never Rest!

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ART, Ecuador, Lisa Brunetti, Watercolors, Z, Zeebra Designs

“All artists are a little bit crazy!”   “Artists are different.”

Over the years, I’ve chuckled when someone looked at  my whimsical works and noted the difference in our personalities.

Yes, artists are programmed differently, and most of us rejoice that every waking moment is a gift!  Whether soaking in a sun-drenched street scene or admiring an alignment of  overhead pelicans or noting subtle color differences in a landscape, an artist’s eyes never rest!

When living in Costa Rica, I lived immersed in nature and marveled at the beauty that surrounded me.  I was also intrigued that most of the handmade products I bought were made in Ecuador.  Hammocks, pottery, linens, masks – Ecuador, Ecuador, Ecuador.   From my first exploratory visit,  Ecuador stole my heart!  I now divide my time between Ecuador and Central America, and I look forward to exploring more of South America.

Although you cannot step inside my studio from your vantage point, this site will give you a glimpse into the life of the zeebra.  Hopefully you’ll emerge with a lighter heart!

Thanks for stopping by!  Z

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Misc. Watercolors

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Lisa Brunetti, watercolor paintings

When the mola series rests, the traditional watercolors step forward!

Doc often exclaimed, “But it doesn’t look like yours!” With a sensitive reply, I countered, “It shouldn’t!”

Acrylic Paintings

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acrylic painting workshops, acrylic paintings, Lisa Brunetti

 Applying watercolor techniques to acrylic paintings marries the freshness of washes with the strength of acrylics.

The paper’s unforgiving properties dictate a need for  precise planning before the first stroke of color floats across the paper.   With a good map in place, the painting  flows effortlessly – for a seasoned artist!

(Right:  “Tu-Can Do It”  Acrylic on Paper 11″ x 16″

"Congrejo Loco" - Acrylic on Paper - 11" x 16"

From the initial sketch until the final application of black, the above painting accepted the artist’s direction. There were no struggles; the image remained compliant and accepted the artist’s vision.    “Van Gogh Ceibo” (below) quickly found its own voice and dictated the direction of the painting.

The Mola Series continues to spawn paintings that often step forward and seize control!     Enjoy, Z