Asuntos de Familia, after Sofia Ruiz, watercolor

"Asuntos de Familia, after Sofia Ruiz", watercolor in my art-notebook.

Sofia Ruiz is a Costarrican artist. I learned about her in Costa Rica when I was there a couple of months ago. Her solo show: Asuntos de Familia, is a series of family portraits with the common denominator of internal tension within and between each family member. Her theme was: "who am I?" and Who am I for others? Who am I for me?
The question of identity is frequently seen in contemporary art. She affirms that "the loss of memory is the loss of identity", and cultivates her memories of her childhood as the inspiration point for this series.

PUNTARENAS II, COSTA RICA, watercolor on Hungarian paper

PUNTARENAS II, COSTA RICA, 5x7 in. watercolor on Hungarian paper, sold to a lovely lady yesterday afternoon at the Glashaus, studio and gallery, 1815 Main Street, San Diego, California.

I've just finished reading GRAIN BRAIN, by Dr. Perlmutter. I've learned that my brain weighs 3 pounds, and has 100,000 miles of blood vessels, contains more connections than there are stars in the Milky Way, and how apparently there is a direct correlation between the amount of wheat and gluten consumed, and problems in your brain, from headaches to other serious diseases. Amazing book! Very interesting! I recommend it!

Volcan Poas, Costa Rica

VOLCAN POAS, Parque Nacional, Costa Rica.  Watercolor and ink in my art-notebook.

This is one of seven active volcanoes in Costa Rica, a country with hundreds of volcanoes! Poas has an average water temperature of 40 degrees Centigrades (a little over a hundred Farenheit), a depth of 300 meters (over 900 feet) and a diameter of 1320 meters (over 4,000 feet). When you visit volcan Poas, you can see the crater and the lake inside if you are lucky. It is often covered by clouds. When I went last month, I couldn't see it at first, covered by clouds, my friends and I took a one hour walk around Laguna Botos nearby, and when we returned...the clouds opened up! It was beautiful! Being able to see it after after our walk felt like an award for our patience and effort.

LIBRERIA LA PUERTA, San Ramon, Costa Rica

Libreria LA PUERTA, San Ramon, Costa Rica. I walked in with curiosity, walked out an hour later in awe. A tiny garage-like hole in the wall. A smiling woman with no formal education, surrounded by books in several languages, and walls filled with poetry hand-written by customers and visitors. Diana, the owner, is a poet and holds regular meetings there with poets, writers, musicians. Her world keeps expanding. She's a savior of souls.

I was so impressed with her simplicity, lack of formal education and role models in her life, yet SHE LOVES TO READ! When she was younger, her family thought she was crazy to prefer to spend time with books instead of talking, or doing something else. She didn't have cards for her bookstore. So I painted this small watercolor, and had cards made with it, and gave them to her. The original watercolor is also in her bookstore. When you go to San Ramon, visit Libreria LA PUERTA, diagonal from Cafe Delicias.

Unica Mirando Al Mar, watercolor sketch

UNICA MIRANDO AL MAR, watercolor sketch in my art-notebook. This is the title of a novel by Fernando Contreras Castro, published in 2009, which depicts the hard life of homeless people in Costa Rica. It is an ironic denunciation of the courts. Unica is the only support for hope in the garbage dump area where the homeless have made their precarious home. She saves lives...up to a point. Excellent short story.

As usual, I wrote a summary and commentary of the novel, with a ink and watercolor sketch in my art-notebook.

PUNTARENAS FROM THE BALCONY, watercolor on Arches

PUNTARENAS FROM THE BALCONY, watercolor on Arches paper, 9x12 in.

Costa Rica was a wonderful experience! I spent five weeks in San Ramon, traveled to Volcan Poas, Tortuguero, San Jose, Puntarenas, walked to and from downtown San Ramon daily, made friends, ate rice and beans plus a host of delicious treats, laughed, painted in watercolors and pastels, had a solo show: PURA VIDA! at the Museo San Ramon, Universidad de Costa Rica, and most of all: I met the most wonderful people in the world! Costa Rica is good for your health!

UN POQUITO MAS, pastel

UN POQUITO MAS, pastel on Fabriano paper, 20x14in.
In exhibit at Museo  San Ramon, Costa Rica, till Monday 24th. Enjoy!

MUJER COSTARRICENSE, pastel painting

MUJER COSTARRICENSE, pastel painting, 20x14"  , in exhibition at the MUSEO REGIONAL SAN RAMON, COSTA RICA. Artist Reception this Saturday, March 22nd, from 4:00 to 6:00 pm. You are invited to share a glass of wine with me. See you there!

Yolanda Oreamuno, one of the best Costarrican writers of the 20th C. has said: " some (of us) prefer to live of horizons instead of curtains."

PUNTARENAS III, Costa Rica, watercolor

PUNTARENAS III, COSTA RICA, watercolor, 5x7"

Last weekend, was the end of Carnival in Puntarenas, Costa Rica. Lots of noise, lots of people, families, beautiful girls in bathing suits and handsome men, some with motorcycles, were all parading along the main street by the beach. Some "comparsas' passed by with their specific theme, and many vendors of fruits, iced drinks, and food were tempting you along the way. Souvenir shops enticed you with jewelry, postcards, and small knick-knacks. It was fun!

"You can't use up creativity. The more you use, the more you have." Maya Angelou

RELAXING IN SAN RAMON, COSTA RICA, watercolor

RELAXING IN SAN RAMON, COSTA RICA, watercolor, 5x7 "

I've just finished reading Tracy Chevalier's FALLING ANGELS and I liked it very much. It's the story of two young girls' friendship, and their mothers, and their families, at the beginning of the 20th Century in England. The story is told all in the first person, each chapter changes the person, and the point of view. It's the time of the suffragettes, even Mrs. Pankhurst appears! Very interesting, and Ms. Chevalier achieves a "grave success", pun intended, as many of the girls' meetings and much of the story happens...in the town cemetery.

ACARREANDO CAÑA, COSTA RICA, watercolor sketch

ACARREANDO CAÑA, COSTA RICA, watercolor sketch, 5x7"

Costa Rica, a country without army. In 1948, Jose Figueres Ferrer lead the army, and started a fight to defend universal suffrage, and achieve a profound change in the political model of Costa Rica. A few months later, as head of the Junta, he dictated many political reforms, which transformed the country. Among them, he took away his own military status, and abolished the army in the country. This was unique in the world, becoming the only general in the world to resign in this manner, and Costa Rica the first country in the world without an army. Costa Rica transformed military expenses in investments on social causes: literacy, universal health coverage, electricity and communications.

TORTILLAS DE QUESO, COSTA RICA, watercolor

TORTILLAS DE QUESO, COSTA RICA, watercolor, 5x7 "
In the Agriculture Fair in San Ramon, Costa Rica, this young lady was making the dough, the tortillas, flipping them, adding the cheese, flipping and placing them on a plate, all with an incredible speed, efficiency and perfection. A man standing nearby collected the money. She did all the work.

"There is a power-force more powerful than steam, electricity and atomic energy: will power." -- Albert Einstein

PUNTARENAS LADY, watercolor sketch

PUNTARENAS LADY, COSTA RICA, watercolor sketch 5x5"

Puntarenas is a famous beach on the Pacific side of Costa Rica. Visiting there this past weekend for Carnaval, I like to sit, observe and sketch people around me. This lady was taking care of the baby in the stroller, attending the small shop, selling something to the passers-by,   and seemed contented with her lot. The husband was sitting farther away, doing nothing, just watching her work.