Thinking About Laos

I had the opportunity to visit Vietnam in 2005, and it was a life- changing experience that opened my eyes to other world cultures. It was during this time that I first began to be interested in Laos.

Laos has been described to me as “the sleeping beauty of Indochina, slowly emerging from the mist.” It is a small, mountainous landlocked country with many ethic minorities living in the mountains. There are beautiful cities and world heritage sites, such as Luang Prabang, and the mysterious Plain of Jars, a remnant of an ancient unknown culture. It is only recently that Laos has emerged on the international scene, which has kept her different cultures intact.

I am interested in studying art in Laos, and recently have made many contacts in Southeast Asia. All of the artists I have been in contact with in Southeast Asia have been extremely helpful and courteous, and I hope that studying there becomes a reality. Studying in Laos would increase my cultural understanding and would give me a different outlook on my own art. I would also hope to get involved with the community, and complete a project that would give back to the culture.

About the photo- graphs: These images were pulled from the internet. If you are the owner of the photograph, please contact me and I will give you the appropriate credit or remove the image.

A Daytrip to Rockport

Last weekend a friend and I decided to take a daytrip to Rockport. Rockport is a charming New England town located on Cape Ann, a peninsula about 35 miles north of Boston.

The town originally thrived as a fishing village and a quarry town, and also was known for the many artists that lived in the area. The small red fishing shack that appears in the first photograph is reported to be one of the most painted and photographed structures in the world. The colorful history of the area includes the 1856 revolt against rum, in which 200 women swept through the town and destroyed anything with alcohol in it, effectively banning alcohol in the town until 2005.

Today the town is a residential tourist town, with many specialty shops and lots of ice cream stands. The harbor is still very active and there are still a number of artists living in the area.

When my friend and I arrived in Rockport, we set off for a place to chill. It was a beautiful day and we could think of no better way to be spending our time. I was armed with my painting easel and a canvas and she with a couple of recent issues of Architectural Digest. We didn’t have to walk far, as soon we came to a rocky bluff that overlooked the harbor.

There is a long history of painters in New England, and I wanted to complete a painting in this tradition. The waters we were looking at were perhaps the same waters that Winslow Homer and Edward Hopper painted, but instead of being burdened by this history, it actually made painting that day quite light-hearted.

The first two images are of Rockport and the last image is of the completed painting, titled A Daytrip to Rockport. While this is far from my favorite painting, and may even border on kitsch, it was great fun to paint, and we had a beautiful and relaxing day in the sun.

Back in Boston

I’ll admit that the first few days back in the States weren’t easy. I exper- ienced culture shock my first few days in Costa Rica, and I also went through culture shock coming home. It’s not all bad – this country has many opportunities, and I have resettled back into my daily life, although I do miss Costa Rica already.

My experiences leaving the US and leaving Costa Rica were significantly different. While in the airport in Boston en route to Costa Rica, I was informed my luggage was “overweight” and that in addition to paying an overweight fee of $25 per piece, I would need to remove some of the contents of my luggage. Anything over fifty pounds is considered overweight, with a maximum weight of seventy pounds, and I had two pieces that were about seventy-five pounds each. While I learned a valuable lesson to pack lighter for the next residency, at the time it became an inconvenience as I was carrying some of the contents of my luggage in my arms, in addition to my travel easel and laptop bag.

On the return trip, immediately after being dropped off at the Juan Santamaría airport in Costa Rica an airport attendant helped me with my bags and assisted me with paying the exit tax, and even filled out the required forms for travel back to the US. He then led me to the line at the ticket counter where I could drop off the checked luggage and get my boarding pass.

When I was next in line at the ticket counter, the luggage attendant there smiled and greeted me with “Pura vida.”

“Pura vida,” I replied and also smiled. He eyed my two pieces of luggage to be checked, which still had the bright red “overweight” tags on them from the flight leaving the US. He lifted one of the bags and motioned that it was very heavy. “Muchas pinturas de Costa Rica,” I explained.

He then began speaking to me quietly in Spanish, words that were obviously meant to only be heard by me. While at first I didn’t understand what he was saying, his intentions soon became clear. With one swift movement he ripped the red “overweight” tags from my luggage. He began making eye contact with a friend of his behind the ticket counter, all the while speaking quietly to me in Spanish.

When it was my turn to go to the ticket counter, the luggage attendant lifted my bags directly over the scales to his waiting friend. While my boarding pass was printing, I looked back at the luggage attendant, who made a calming motion with his hands. Tranquilo, I heard in my head, the Spanish equivalent of chill.

After my boarding pass had printed and I was on the way to the gate, I realized the luggage attendant had saved me $50 by avoiding the overweight fees. As I walked by him to slip him $5, he smiled and again said “Pura vida.”

“Pura vida,” I smiled.

Después de la Tormenta

Not long ago we encountered the worst tropical storm to date, with lighting and thunder crashing seemingly directly overhead. The storm was quite frightening, and caused severe damage in parts of the country, but was also exhilarating. The Spanish word for storm is tormenta, which definitely seemed like an appropriate term that evening.

Water is extremely important to Costa Rica, from the daily tropical storms in the rainy season to the rivers that were the country’s original highways. Water brings life to this country, and can also bring destruction. But mostly life, as this is a country very much alive with innumerable plant and animal species, a vibrant culture and 4 million people.

The next morning the skies were a clear, cloudless blue and everything was once again calm. Butterflies were floating outside and birds were chirping. When stepping outside for the first time that morning, I noticed the hillside had collapsed behind my casita from the weight of the rain, and there it was: the next painting, and the last painting to be completed in Costa Rica. The title of this painting is Después de la Tormenta, Spanish for After the Storm.

Los Colores de Costa Rica II

A little over a week ago Carlos drove a few of the artists at the colony into San Jose to see an art exhibit. The show was titled Dos Trópicos, un solo Quilt, which in English means Two Tropics, One Quilt, and was a display of quilts, some made by Costa Rican artists with others by Hawaiian artists. While the two quilting styles were very different, they complimented each other and the show was surprisingly beautiful. The quilts were hung on temporary walls in the space and created a distinct colorful and delightful environment.

These images are of the quilts made by Costa Rican artists, which tend to have a narrative quality. The quilts have a distinct Costa Rican feel to them and reflect the rich colors of the animal and plant life that abounds in the country.

The exhibit took place at the Sophia Wanamaker Gallery, part of the Centro Cultural Costarricense Norteamericano in San Jose, a cultural center. The curator of the show was Stephen Robert Johns, an American artist that has spent much time in Costa Rica. For more information about the show, visit http://www.srjart.com/Curated_Exhibitions/Dos_Tropicos.html .

Mariposas de Costa Rica

Una Aventura con Carlos

Carlos lives here at the colony with his wife Nancy, and is the brother of Francisco, the proprietor since the colony founder died a few years ago. He is one of our go-to persons – if we need a ride to the market, or need anything for our casitas, we look for Carlos. He is a great person and loved by everyone at the colony.

Trips with Carlos are never dull. Carlos took us horseback riding through the Costa Rican countryside, which was an incredible trip, riding and galloping through the jungle, the country and crossing small rivers near waterfalls. He also organized a trip to the Butterfly Farm, a lovely place that houses amazing species of butterflies native to Costa Rica.

On the way back from the Butterfly Farm, we flew down roads that would not be considered passable in the United States, but we were in a 4 wheel drive vehicle, and the countryside was very beautiful, and it was a lot of fun. He took a side road, and then this amazing tree appeared in view – very tall, rising above the rest of the forest. This image was the inspiration for this painting. The skies were pregnant with water, about to break, and clouds were swirling overhead.

He stopped by a group of plants about the heights of corn, with seeds roughly the size of peas. We picked the seeds of the plant, which are very striking and range in color from pearl to mottled black and white, with endless variances. They form a natural bead with a hole all the way though the center. The seeds are called “The Tears of Saint Peter,” which sounds very lovely in Spanish, and they are made into jewelry and sold at high prices in markets across the country. The whole experience really was an adventure.

When Carlos invited me to join him for a night on the town, how could I resist? And another adventure followed. We started at the local pool hall, which was rowdy, dirty, relaxed and fun. I soon found myself playing a very interesting game, consisting of five kernels of corn with one side painted red, which were rolled on to the surface of a pool table like dice. It was a gambling game, but the stakes were low – 50 colones to buy in, about US 10 cents. It was very fun and the locals included me with warm laughter.

After the pool hall we found ourselves in a neighboring town with several of Carlos’s friends, where an annual city celebration was taking place. The atmosphere was very festive, with live music, food booths, an outdoor bar and fireworks. At one point the amigos were chanting “Eh! Eh! Eh! Eh!” forming a circle around one of they guys who was expected to dance. The guys motioned for me to join in, even though my Gringo dancing skills are lacking, and it was great fun.

Upon arrival from the States, one finds behavior that is slightly alarming. People talk and laugh a little too loud, and drive a little too fast on roads that a little too rough, and play loud music a little too early in the morning. The fireworks at the festival were a little too close to the trees, but after awhile, one realizes that there is no reason to worry. Quite the opposite in fact, as people are simply more relaxed. The smallest daily tasks become a joyous celebration. Perhaps Ticos have a little bit more fun.

Pura Vida. You will hear these words spoken all over Costa Rica. The literal translation means pure life, which seems appropriate for this tiny county that houses an astonishing 3% of the world’s biodiversity, but it means something else to Ticos. It means something like everything is okay. A place can be pura vida, or a person, or a moment. It is an affirmation of life, happiness and tranquility.

Pura Vida.