Timeout for Art – Impromptu Art Class – Museo Bahia de Caraquez, Ecuador

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museo bahia de caraquez, Painting Artifacts, Student Art Cllasses, The Mola Series

Opening Inauguration for Legado de Colores

“Tell me and I forget, teach me and I may remember, involve me and I learn.”
― Benjamin Franklin

(Ecuador 2015)  Back in February, I dropped by Museo Bahia de Caraquez and enjoyed reminiscing with the staff about the Mola Series Exhibition the museum sponsored back in 2012.  Ready to work on a new series of museum artifacts, I asked permission to take a few photos.  With a bit of red-tape, the director Sixtina Ureta authorized me to photograph a few of my favorite pieces.  She also told me that my “Spiral” painting in their collection would be included in an upcoming show.

From 2013: Imagine my surprise when the guide at the Bahia de Caraquez Museum told me that my painting was in a new exhibit upstairs!

After a few delays, the museum’s most-recent show opened this morning for the viewing pleasure of a group of students.  I knew there would be students, but I did not realize that they were students of art!    Many wanted their photos taken with me in front of the spiral painting, and we had several laughs – especially when I crouched down with my back against the wall to be the same height as Sixtina.  Several other artists and supporters of the arts attended the formal presentation – it’s always a special honor to witness extranjeros who attend the local events.

There were young artists and older students, so I sat on the floor to be closer in height with the younger ones.

Sixtina discusses the museum’s colorful paintings for the Legado de Colores exposition at Museo Bahia de Caraquez

from 2012 “The Mola Series” – Painting pictured at Portoviejo Museum before it reached its permanent home at Museo Bahia de Caraquez.

“My teacher would like for you to come downstairs,” one student said as the gathering ended.  I followed Sixtina and others down the stairs to a level below the main floor.  A second art event was about to begin!

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.

Mano de la Paz Finds A New Home

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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.  

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!

M for Mola! Story Challenge – Letter M

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Frizztext Story Challenge M, Kuna Indians, M for Mola, Mola, Panama, The Mola Series

Mola Textiles made by the Kuna Indians of Panama

Frizztext/Flickr Comments asked this week, “ Hi Bloggers! Do you have to share a story or a short reflection tagged with the letter “M”?”

I chuckled at the thought of presenting M for Mola!  Are you ready for more molas?!!!

The Kuna Indians of Panama inspired this past year’s Mola Series of Paintings.

Weekly Image of Life: Summertime Blast

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Manabi Museums, Museo Bahia De Caraquez Ecuador, Museo Cancebi Ecuador, Museo Portoviejo Ecuador, The Mola Series, Weekly Image of Life: Summertime Blast

Lovely Gabby, of Museo Cancebi/Manta, Ecuador adds her special touch to the group “I CAN DO THIS” painting.

This Man’s Journey’s theme for the week is Summertime Blast.  Through a beautifully-narrated photo post, he shares the high points of his family’s summertime memories.   Because I live on the equator, the past three months did not represent long days of summer vacation time, but exhibiting in three museums provided a blast of memories…

Monkey see, monkey do, I see a monkey just like YOU! (Museo Bahia de Caraquez)

Each museum offered different experiences, and visitors quickly transformed into new and dear friends.

Many tour groups visited Museo Cancebi in Manta

Senorita Valdivia watercolor in progress for Museo Bahia de Caraquez(Above:  Museo Portoviejo)

Museo Cancebi/Manta, Ecuador – Francess and Angel take a time out for painting HAPPY SHOES!

Spanish Lessons, Museum Openings and a Tuna Soup Breakfast

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encebollado, museo bahia de caraquez, The Mola Series

BAHIA DE CARAQUEZ, ECUADOR

While learning a new language, we all have moments that burn in our memories when we mistakenly insert a similar-sounding word in place of the correct one.   The locals in Costa Rica still reminisce (with chuckles) when I stated that I was a man, instead of stating that I was hungry!  Hombre – hambre; oh the difference one vowel makes!  They also laughed when I bluntly stated with strong emphasis, “I NEED A MAN” (to help shovel truckloads of gravel!)  

My most-recent Spanish-speaking blunder arrived last night, when University students joined locals and  extranjeros at Museo Bahia de Caraques’s opening reception  of  the Mola Series.  While explaining that the preColumbian Kuna Indians painted the designs on their bodies, I used the word for breakfast instead of naked!  

Desayuno.  Desnudo.  Come on, I was close!    

Several generous souls in the audience helped me through a few other stumbling blocks, but everyone seemed quite patient and forgiving!  

The public reaction to the paintings continues to surprise me!  Color certainly has a positive effect on people, and as Kate Murphy said at the Manta opening, “The paintings smile at you and make you smile back!”  

YOU ARE INVITED!

Tags

Museo Bahia De Caraquez Ecuador, The Mola Series

THURSDAY, 26 JULIO – 2012 7:30 PM

ECUADOR

Although most of you will not be present at Thursday night’s opening, you will be here in spirit!

We’re moving the exhibit from Portoviejo to Bahia today!

Out the door!

Z 😀

Showtime: Museo Portoviejo

Tags

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!