Under the Umbrella

Photoshoot: Mini-break staycation #1

Under the Umbrella

#2

#3

San Juan, Puerto Rico: Walking Along the Old City Wall

Enjoying the ocean view from the wall of the Old City
photo credit - Wendell Villanueva

Quality Time 

If you are looking for a way to spend your holiday vacation and you live in Puerto Rico. I recommend that you try an exercise that I assign in my Travel in Literature class called "A Tourist for the Day." In this activity, you decide to role play and pretend to be a visitor to the island. You might be delighted to discover that everything becomes fresh when seen with new eyes. How many of us do not spend time enjoying our very own backyard? Imagine if you live on an island and forget to notice the deep blue of the water, the intense green of the foliage and the rich history of the Old City.

In the day pictured above, I took many photographs of the views as seen from the ancient wall. After a long walk around the entire city, my walking partner (Mr. Wendell) and I ate at Cafe Manolins. I had a substantial portion of Mofongo and salad for an extremely economical price. Later, I found an incredible Fernando Botero sclupture that I still dream of possessing.

"Yoga" Botero - on my wish list and priced at $2,500

It's true that when you live in a tourist destination, you should take time to look around but this is also true wherever you live.

See the beauty around us and make it real.

We should always ask ourselves the question,

"What can I appreciate in my own backyard?" 

Valuing Subtle Shifts - Color and Time

Oasis Exploration: Relationships in Color and Time

One recent Saturday at the Esquela Artes Placticas in Old San Juan, Puerto Rico, I encountered the concept of color gradation. The painting exercise we practiced was to take a color and mix it with white or black until an ever lightening or deepening shade results. While mixing and studying the color change, I reflected on how color represents time and that the subtle color variations are like moments in life. Most of the time we are not aware of subtle shifts in color. Green is green. Red is red. Blue is blue. Time is like that too because we notice that it's the morning, afternoon, and night. However, when a color is mixed with white or black in varying degrees subtle shades become visible. It is clear that green is a myriad of possible greens. Red and blue are potentials of color in which to dive! Our awareness of time is similar to our awareness of color in that we don't usually remember the moment. Anyone who has practiced present moment awareness knows this shift in perception. If you've gone on a mindfulness retreat, you know what I mean. Even the slogan Just Breath is a focusing practice that brings you into yourself so that you become aware of the real moment.

I remember a practice that I learned from reading G. I. Gurdjieff that is called (self) remembering, which is at any moment you turn your attention back on yourself and realize something such as, "Hey, I'm here. I'm alive." It's a practice of noticing that you are in existence. This self-remembering changes your daily experience of time.  I have practiced this technique on and off for years but at one time I consciously dedicated my focus to self-remembering for many daily moments for several months. What I discovered is that it altered my perception of time and my feeling of a solid boundary between my body and the space around it. Most of us experience time and life in chunky ways that are carefully divided by daily (and seasonal) routine.  We break it up every day into pieces such as waking up, eating, going to work, exercising, and  sleeping. The routine defines how we experience time.

For most of us, it is only when an event occurs that breaks our daily pattern do we shift in our awareness of time. Consider an unexpected event to your normal routine; for example, the arrival of an out of town guest. Suddenly you find yourself actively engaged in lively conversation at a restaurant well into the evening. It's past your bedtime!  You're so engaged in the moment that you forget all about your routine and your strategy of life management that organizes life into predictable chunks of experience. These occurrences let you know that time and pattern are constructs that make your life manageable but also invisible.  Unconscious routine can obscure gradations of color. However, a person's ordinary engagement with time can shift by consciously practicing various techniques. To illustrate, the method of periodically focusing on your breath can help you become aware of time and thereby, shift your ability to see, know and engage in more subtle ways. Try the self-awareness exercise below and pace it to your ever slowing and deepening breath.

I am here. I breathe. I am filled. I am empty. Inhale. Exhale. A moment. A string of moments. I am in life. I am life. Breathe.

Certainly the experience of breathing is ordinary but the awareness of breathing is another thing altogether. Conscious breathing can deepen your contact with a non-ordinary experience of life. Just as color has degrees and shades within what is normally classified as GREEN; time has degrees and shades that are made visible by strategies of consciously remembering.

Each moment is a prism of quiet vibrancy.

People have asked me that [what is the experience of inner awareness] before, and I always feel that they expect to hear the dramatic account of some sudden miracle through which I suddenly became one with the universe. Of course nothing of the sort happened. My inner awareness was always there; though it took me time to feel it more and more clearly; and it equally took time to find words that would at all describe it.

~~ Krishnamurti.

Color Gradations with 20 steps:  Complementary, Monochromatic, and Analogous Demonstrations

Feeling Disappointed? Sleep it Off

CAT DREAMING OF FISH in OLD SAN JUAN, PUERTO RICO

 Sculpture by Jorge Zeno: "LA NAVE DE LOS PINGUINOS"

Last Saturday after art class I had an undefinable and unsettled feeling. What is this about? I stopped at Treasures in Old San Juan to talk with the design connoisseur and shop owner, Sonia.  I told her how I felt disappointed with my art work that day and she asked me, "Are you getting a grade or something?" It made me realize that my standard for work has little to do with outside approval but more with inside resonance.
I think I was displeased because I failed to meet my own expectations, i.e., I didn't take risks. We were doing color studies and the idea of form and space was loosely addressed by four exercises.
My inspiration was blocked and I could only think of color rather than form.

Çolor moving all over the page...like water or a forest...

I painted backgrounds rather than a foreground images. What was that about? I worried that I wasn't being brave. Trust the process and not the product...go with it...sigh...

I love that "Bubbly" feeling and childlike sense of wonder that erases all sense of risk.
Here I am back to the page, brush in hand, ...armed with a little inspiration courtesy of Colbie Caillat :

Old San Juan - Escuela de Artes Plasticas

Art for Everyone and Meow!

Just a little note to encourage you to visit this incredible art school. The fact that it was once an insane asylum just makes it all the more interesting!


The official description of the school informs the reader that the school was "once" and insane asylum,

"Our main campus is located in the 19th century Old Insane Asylum on the Moro Castle grounds."I wonder if there was a connection between the former and present clientele- all the cats and myself not excluded!!?  It's true that the cats around the school attend art class. Here's one who is just leaving her Basic Painting class.

Cat in ART Class

This orange kitty is on a break. Painting long hours can be so tiresome!

A tour of the "Escuela de Artes Plasticas,Viejo San Juan" can be viewed here:

See you after class!

Color Wheel: Spinning Wheels Must Go Round

REVISITING EARLY DREAMS

I had my first painting class last Saturday at the Escuela de Artes Plasticas de Puerto Rico. 

It was a class on color theory. I arrived for the first class two weeks ago and the start date was postponed until the next Saturday. I arrived on the next Saturday and discovered that the professor was absent. By the third class, I expected that we might not have class or maybe some other changes could occur. Perhaps the room location would be changed? (Ah, life in Puerto Rico!) It's okay though. I did not mind the changes because they gave me more time to become accustomed to the routine of driving to Old San Juan, which involves finding parking, figuring out how long it takes to walk to the classroom and of course (for me the essential information),  locating the nearest place to have a cup of coffee. More importantly, I had time to deal with the stress of revisiting the old dream of studying art. 

I'm in a period of life called "the redo" as in the common expression, "I want a do-over!" This "redo" does not include everything done in life (meaning regrets) but rather what was not done, which could also, but not necessarily, mean regrets. This understanding signifies that I realize that it's hard (if not impossible) to do everything in one life.

I highly recommend that you revisit your early dreams. At some point in life, I think everyone should take a look at the remaining memory-bits of their earlier choices (and their consequences) and try to re-construct them. Asking questions such as:

What did I decide? What were the consequences? 

What choices led to the life I am living now?  How would I like to shift the current direction of my life?

Periodically, we should give ourselves permission start again. In order to have a happy and satisifying life, it's essential to avoid heavy regrets about life decisions. It's so easy to say, "It's too late."  How many people look back and say, "I wanted to be an/a __________(artist, singer, dancer, musician, pilot, actor or?) and my __________ (parents, husband, school counselor, children, fear, logic, or?) made me choose _______(business, teaching, homemaking, and so on). We all make decisions that blame circumstances (such as the preceding) or ourselves and we accept that their direct consequences; however, we don't always know that, in fact, many times we did not decide. We delayed our decision so long that the choice no longer was visible.

We don't realize that not deciding is also a decision.

On a personal note, I don't think I'm alone when I say that many artistic people find themselves in non-artistic fields just because they did not choose. Certainly, we can argue that our creativity has been put to use in another "more practical" career; nevertheless, that earlier desire often demands our attention. It can still push retired people, for example, to take dance, voice, pottery, modeling class or to show up for an audition at the local community theater. What I'm suggesting is that this "foolish" behavior is worth it and nudging you to start now. Don't wait until you have the time. Further, this choice to actively engage the remnants of the earlier less encumbered  you, can awaken the memory of wonder, i.e., the ability to appreciate and experience unencumbered joy.

Be warned! Making the choice to revisit your lost dreams causes mental and emotional turmoil. For example, for the last few weeks  my nighttime dreams have been influenced by symbols of that earlier time in life (and the earlier me) where I changed from being a carefree idealist to a "poser" pragmatist. I choose the word "poser" because those who genuinely know me realize that I remain an idealist. You might say that I suffer from  a Pollyanna-ish optimism and try my hardest to keep her under cover. I'm a look for the silver-lining kind of person. Indeed, I force myself to squarely deal with the dreaded practical problems all of us encounter in ordinary life. It's fine. I have no problem with keeping my feet on the ground. However, I know that a real emotional/psychological breakthrough can be made by jumping out of an airplane- of course wearing a parachute! (I did that!) And if that experience was one of your early dreams, you don't actually have to jump out of an airplane but just engage the dream  and at least (below) play with a parachute (photo credit). Or maybe go zip-lining? (I want to do that!)

 

My homework assignment is met with some anxiety. Recreate (with acrylic paints) the color wheel using the three primary colors yellow, red, and blue (photo credit).

It has to be exactly 15 inches in diameter and "look pretty." How do I do that? Below is what the homework assignment should look like...

  Only, a reasoning and/or creative person must be aware that the brushed in and home-mixed colors might not behave! I am a novice but at least I'm choosing how to spin my wheels. I wonder what kind of dreams I will have tonight? 

"Spinning Wheels" by Blood, Sweat and Tears

What goes up must come down
spinning wheel got to go round
Talking about your troubles it's a crying sin
Ride a painted pony
Let the spinning wheel spin...

Oasis Feature (re-post): A Series of Local Views #1

Good morning, friends. Have you ever looked again, with appreciation, at the place you live? Recently, we met with some visitors from California and while we talked, I started to remember the early impressions I had of Puerto Rico, la isla enchanto-the island of enchantment. Won't you be a tourists with me as we take a look around this beautiful island? To start, we are taking a little tour of the beautiful Old City, El Viejo San Juan.

Please sit down and join me with a cafe con leche at El Convento Hotel before we get started on our little walk. Sipping locally grown strong coffee accompanied by hot steamed milk is a must for the beginning of an active day.

El Convento Hotel is one of the oldest hotels in the city and used to be a convent. It is graced with lovely arches, thick cool walls, and remarkable works of art informally placed around. If you ask at the front desk, the bar, or the waiter about the pieces, it is likely you will get this response from the young attractive bilingual employees, "No, I don't know. I should because we get a lot of questions about it from our guests. But I don't really know much about it." After living here for fourteen years, I have a theory about these answers. Puerto Rico is an accessible unpretentious place where art and artistic talent are considered ordinary. Why make a big deal about these mystery musical monks? (Who is the painter???)

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Creative expression is more of a lifestyle here rather than a career path. Of course, I love Puerto Rican people and like bloggers, they all are excessively talented.

Let's go up one level to the Cana restaurant and bar to look at this impressive sculpture created by Botero, a work that is just casually observed as you sip your pina colada on the outdoor patio. The name Cana, has a special significance to me because when moved to Puerto Rico fourteen years ago, we lived in Cana, a community outside of Bayamon. Also, if you have read Jan Karon's Mitford series of books, you probably have come across the the title, Out to Canaan? And have you heard "Camidano haica Cana" (accent on the letter a or else it means white hair)? It's a lively church song here, "Walking Towards Cana", which suggests a pilgrimage to the promised land-maybe a Puerto Rican paradise? This piece was sculpted by the Columbian artist, Fernando Botero Angulo (born April 19, 1932 in Medellín, Antioquia) He is a well known Colombian figurative artist whose work is often on exhibit in the Museo del Arte in Ponce as well as other places around San Juan.

This early piece reflects a gracefully slim young woman but his more popular work focuses on the large curves of voluptuous women-here is Botero's drawing/
painting
The Love Letter (2003).












I cannot resist posting another one, Rosalba (1969):
Actually, the people at El Convento Hotel know who Botero is ...
~~~~

This antique filled hotel also has some beautiful botanical prints and here is one of the Ceiba tree flower by Agustine Stahl ...



Interestingly, he had a leading role in the Independence movement in Puerto Rico. He was remarkably talented in the natural sciences and made important contributions in the fields of archaeology, botany, ethnology, medicine and zoology. Dr. Agustín Stahl (1842-1917) is one of the first celebrated and acknowledge Puerto Rican scientists.
I'm glad I did this bit of research. The next time I go to the El Convento Hotel, I will pay my respects to the series of three accurately rendered botanical watercolors on the external wall leading up to the Cana Resturant and bar...
~~~

Let us step out into the antique cobalt blue cobble stone street.















Oh, what a lovely park just out the door! I just want to sit there and do some light summer reading... maybe one from the Mitford series?Or maybe I could draw this tree? I love the iron work detail, too.
When we walk out the front door and look down beautiful purple flowers grace the entrance.
Such a sunny day for a walk in El Viejo San Juan.

Monet Makes an Impression

Oasis Feature: Books that Matter

~~~~~When I was sixteen years old, I took an art history class with my mother at a local community college (Wayne County Community in Michigan). It was my first college class (I was still in high school!) and I was anxious to do a good job. I carefully took notes, memorized painting names, periods, and styles. I was particularly drawn to the Impressionist Art Movement, and Claude Monet (1840-1926) was my favorite. Since then, I've felt Monet's work was over printed, frequently with poor color quality, so I moved away from his work. Recently, though, I've come back to Monet. (Isn't that how life is?) I'm re-captivated by his life story, gardens, and art. I feel he continues to have so much to offer those of us who appreciate life, light and beauty.









~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Claude Monet's Garden and photo credit



~~~~~The conclusion of the art history course involved an unofficial trip to Chicago to attend a special exhibition of Monet's water lily's at the Art Institute of Chicago. How exciting to take a train with my sister, Pamala, and older classmates, all the way to Chicago! I was excited about the trip. When we arrived in the art gallery's circular room, I sat in the center at a bit of a distance to get the best view. Up close, as you know, it looks like dense color and rough texture. (There are two oval rooms in France at the Musée de l'Orangerie, which were created to show eight of Monet's water lily murals.) I'm still processing that first encounter with Monet's art.

How can something that looks like nothing up close be so clear at a distance?

Similar to life, it seems experience and meaning sharpen with time. Even painful, boring, or muddled periods make some sort of sense after that life epoch passes. Did you know that much of Monet's later work was painted when he was suffering from cataracts? I've noticed that as my own vision declines...(cough), I've started to see how puzzling life pieces and past events might fit more neatly together. I'm beginning to see how I've gotten to where I am in life.


~~The book is a green enchanted vacation into a life rich with experience and bursting with insight.~~


~~~~~Monet came back again when my daughter was young when I discovered the magical and educational book, Linnea in Monet's Garden (by the Swedish writer Christina Bjork and illustrated by Lena Anderson.) (1985/87) This book takes you on a charming visit with a young girl and her grandpa-like neighbor, Mr. Bloom, to visit Giverny and see Monet's gardens. Though this is an easy-to-follow book, it is substantial. It is a way to go into art history with your child and sow the beginnings of a reading garden. The illustrations of Linnea moving around Paris and the gardens, her curiosity and engagement with people, animals and plant life; the accurate biographical information about Monet and his complicated family dynamics, which is supported by old photographs, just enlivens the discovery experience!

~~~~~It's the kind of book you will enjoy reading aloud, if you share it as a picture book but also makes a great gift for a 9-12 year old. I read it to both of my children many times. If you like, you can buy a little Linnea doll who wears a white apron to cover her black outfit and a round straw hat. Cute. There is also a DVD of the story, which I haven't seen but has received great reviews. I recently discovered that there is a new Linnea suitcase puzzle set that I would love to get. What I like about these extensions of the book, is that they continue to bring Monet back into the child's experience.

~~~~~It is so important to absorb the imagination in books while children are still young enough to connect affection from a parent with the words on a page. It teaches them a way to feel comforted at any time, to satisfy their urge to dream, and provides the bonus of literacy-a method to implement their dreams. With five small children, a full-time job and night classes, my own mother didn't have the luxury of time to offer shared reading time. Through some sort of luck, a membership in a Dr. Seuss club that brought books to our house every month, and an aunt who gave them as Christmas presents, I was able to learn to love books. Today as I open the pages of Linnea , I remember my vicarious stays at the Esmeralda Hotel near Notre Dame Cathedral with Linnea, Mr. Bloom and my own children. To know that this hotel is a real place is delightful! It is so enjoyable to travel in a way that might actually be duplicated in the future.

Oh, I do want to go to Monet's garden.

Maybe I should make one here at my land-based Oasis?

~~~~~I am thankful that my mom encouraged me to go forward toward my dreams, to study, and to connect that experience with real life adventure- even if we couldn't read together.

And to all of you writers out there- Sarah Laurence, Beth Kephart, and the painter/illustrator Frances Tyrrell , to name a few, who address the younger audience, thank you for offering your gifts to the reading community. You actively impact and enrich our lives.

~~~~~I like this song. I'm sending it out to all the bygone people who were good, solid and inspirational! Only I add the caveat that good people can be found all around- especially in the land of blog.

Jack Johnson, Good People

Home for the Artist

But there is nobody like Mom...if she were here, she'd tell me something about how red is always chasing yellow. I'll never have another new Mom story. I only have the old ones to keep, which is why I have stayed so quiet since she passed, why I 've been keeping to myself, because if I talk, if I say too much about Mom, I'm thinking that the parts I still have will escape, like bubbles. (Nothing But Ghost 217)

Nothing by Ghost by Beth Kephart is a young adult novel that tells the story of the young girl, Katie, who is prematurely launched into independence because of her mother's unexpected death. Both Katie and her father seem to adapt to this tremendous loss by becoming introspective and work-focused. Set during the summer before Katie enters the 12th grade, it becomes a romance, mystery, and psychological exploration on memory and loss. Kephart writes with such tenderness and care as she touches on the subject of friendship, first love and loss.

Listen to the author read a short segment of the book:



I enjoyed this book for so many reasons; it has a magical touching scene in Barcelona, Spain; the loss of the girl's mother is treated with emotional perceptiveness; and the young girl's insight rings true. Beth has written a young adult novel that is warm and honest. Read this book! It is a one day vacation into the life of a young girl who learns how to live after the death of her mother. For anyone who has experienced a similar loss, you know that we all are children again when we lose our parents. (I wrote about the murder of my own mother- here.) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Another Mother-Daughter Dynamic

Who do I miss?

I was watching the mother-daughter fashion show scene on the Gilmore Girls series tonight. I feel so touched when I see them walking down the catwalk together. Oh, I know it's suppose to be funny but I can't help but see how music and play can bring people together. It's a reconciliation dance performed in Nancy Regan red suits and perkily accompanied by Cyndi Lauper's "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun."



I love the feeling of forgiveness- both giving and getting. Humans are so fallible and inexpert at human relationships.

I feel so much compassion for us.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The father in Nothing but Ghosts spends his time restoring works of art. I was looking for some information about art restoration for those of you who may not know-and then, I remembered this classic quirky movie. Watch the first few minutes of the clip to get an idea of the profession. Keep watching to see the strange kissing scene when Holly Hunter gets fired. Continue on to suffer with the mother when her teenage daughter is compelled to confess that she is going to have sex with her boyfriend, "We're gonna do it. We've talked about it. We'll be safe."

Home for the Holidays is incredible. (Directed by Jodi Foster) It features an intelligent script, an authentic setting, and fair treatment of awkward family dynamics. In the beginning, the song, "Evil Ways" (great performance by Rusted Root) accompanies the viewer while one odd event after another draws us into the confusion of realistic family holiday dynamics.
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While we're on the subject of writing and family, I want to tell you about blogger Sarah Laurence who has just finished her young adult novel, "As U Like it"! Isn't that a great title? Shakespeare and IM-speak! I'm thrilled that she shared some early pages with me and my family. (We were checking the authenticity of her Puerto Rican character's Spanish.) Her own daughter acted as a reader for the book. Isn't that just adorable? And useful!!
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Goodbye dear readers and bloggers!

A final shout out (sorry too much MTV) to my own dear grandmother and mother who have both passed on:

Hey, Mom -cool 50's look- bobby socks with flared out skirt! And Grandma Alice-you're looking good in your 40's style fitted skirt!



Grandma Alice (holding my oldest sister, Linda) and "Mama Sue" (holding my older sister, Pamala -spelled with an "a" !)

Postscript: I messed up on the date of the last post. (I dated it a week in the past! So- you may have missed it. I decided to go ahead and post this now since I have an unexpected "free day"(not a snow day...but a sunny day!) The students are on strike!

Love to you...

Say No to Store-bought Bread?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Oasis Life: Time for Art and Appreciation

I was reading about Alexandra Day (a pseudonym for Sandra Louise Woodward Darling) the author of the Carl picture book series. (Why didn't she use the name Sandra Darling-it's a name and an endearment all in one.) What got me into this subject? Suzanne Casamento (a young adult book writer) at The Question of the DAY was asking for a picture book recommendation. I started to think about all the books I have shared with my children. I had time to read with them because I cleared my schedule (for the most part) during the first five years of their lives. And we read a lot of books!

What a wonderful experience it is to introduce books to young people. I confess I read to and with them long before they understood what books were about- after all they were still infants. You can never start too early! Have you ever read "Carl's Afternoon in the Park?" I love the mood that the images create. I found the author's website and read her artistically inclined family and it influence on her life. Do you remember the expression, "store-bought?" I love how it evokes a time that's past and honors hand made items. She wrote that at 86 year old mother still makes her own bread because "store-bought bread just isn't the same."

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I'm living the store-bought bread lifestyle right now. Are you? There just isn't time (or energy) to do all that I would like to do. Did you notice that I missed a weekly blog post? No time! When will I take painting classes in Old San Juan? When will I finish my writing project? When will I finally create my dream garden? When will I ????

(Painting: "Lady in Boat James Jacques Joseph Tissot
"-aka Pensive Pittmann)

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I want to have time to notice that special visitors have arrived for breakfast. Here is a bowl of acorns offered to the early but patient guests over at Willow Manor. Do visiting Chipmunks like acorns? See! I have no time to explore the mysteries of the animal kingdom and much less time to paint them!

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Did you know that my little family loves art?

Amber and Alex (daughter and son) study art in school.

Drawing and painting create a kind of uplifting deep meditative concentration.

I can get lost in time when I paint. How about you?

Unfortunately, I haven't painted in a few months.

ALEX contemplates his painting...

"Containing Shapes"

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Amber's horse and panda bear were on exhibit at the Baldwin School Art Gallery.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Beautiful bloggers,










~~~~~~~~~~~~~~wishing you (and me) a Homemade Bread life...

Tourist in El Viejo San Juan; First Stop El Convento Hotel

Oasis Feature: A Series of Local Views #1

Good morning, friends. Have you ever looked again, with appreciation, at the place you live? Recently, we met with some visitors from California and while we talked, I started to remember the early impressions I had of Puerto Rico, la isla enchanto-the island of enchantment. Won't you be a tourists with me as we take a look around this beautiful island? To start, we are taking a little tour of the beautiful Old City, El Viejo San Juan.

Please sit down and join me with a cafe con leche at El Convento Hotel before we get started on our little walk. Sipping locally grown strong coffee accompanied by hot steamed milk is a must for the beginning of an active day.

El Convento Hotel is one of the oldest hotels in the city and used to be a convent. It is graced with lovely arches, thick cool walls, and remarkable works of art informally placed around. If you ask at the front desk, the bar, or the waiter about the pieces, it is likely you will get this response from the young attractive bilingual employees, "No, I don't know. I should because we get a lot of questions about it from our guests. But I don't really know much about it." After living here for fourteen years, I have a theory about these answers. Puerto Rico is an accessible unpretentious place where art and artistic talent are considered ordinary. Why make a big deal about these mystery musical monks? (Who is the painter???)

~~~
~~~~~
~~~~~~
~~~~~
~~~


Creative expression is more of a lifestyle here rather than a career path. Of course, I love Puerto Rican people and like bloggers, they all are excessively talented.

Let's go up one level to the Cana restaurant and bar to look at this impressive sculpture created by Botero, a work that is just casually observed as you sip your pina colada on the outdoor patio. The name Cana, has a special significance to me because when moved to Puerto Rico fourteen years ago, we lived in Cana, a community outside of Bayamon. Also, if you have read Jan Karon's Mitford series of books, you probably have come across the the title, Out to Canaan? And have you heard "Camidano haica Cana" (accent on the letter a or else it means white hair)? It's a lively church song here, "Walking Towards Cana", which suggests a pilgrimage to the promised land-maybe a Puerto Rican paradise? This piece was sculpted by the Columbian artist, Fernando Botero Angulo (born April 19, 1932 in Medellín, Antioquia) He is a well known Colombian figurative artist whose work is often on exhibit in the Museo del Arte in Ponce as well as other places around San Juan.

This early piece reflects a gracefully slim young woman but his more popular work focuses on the large curves of voluptuous women-here is Botero's drawing/
painting



The Love Letter (2003).












I cannot resist posting another one, Rosalba (1969):



Actually, the people at El Convento Hotel know who Botero is ...
~~~~







This antique filled hotel also has some beautiful botanical prints and here is one of the Ceiba tree flower by Agustine Stahl ...







Interestingly, he had a leading role in the Independence movement in Puerto Rico. He was remarkably talented in the natural sciences and made important contributions in the fields of archaeology, botany, ethnology, medicine and zoology. Dr. Agustín Stahl (1842-1917) is one of the first celebrated and acknowledge Puerto Rican scientists.





I'm glad I did this bit of research. The next time I go to the El Convento Hotel, I will pay my respects to the series of three accurately rendered botanical watercolors on the external wall leading up to the Cana Resturant and bar...
~~~

Let us step out into the antique cobalt blue cobble stone street.



















Oh, what a lovely park just out the door! I just want to sit there and do some light summer reading... maybe one from the Mitford series?






Or maybe I could draw this tree? I love the iron work detail, too.









When we walk out the front door and look down beautiful purple flowers grace the entrance.


Such a sunny day for a walk in El Viejo San Juan.























And just look at this view of the street! So romantic.








We walk to El Moro in the next post when we continue being a Tourist in El Viejo San Juan.