Scenes from "International Women Celebrate!"

In a January post I wrote about my participation in the show "International Women Celebrate!"  click here.   I received an email from fellow blogger Nicki Ault, with pictures from the show in Ayr, Ontario.  I was thrilled to be able to get a glimpse of the exhibit.  My piece, Circle of Friends, is the lower left painting.

And, I'm pleased to say that the piece has sold to a couple from Ayr.  All of the works can be viewed via the AyrSpace website or here:  http://ayrspace.ca/iwc

 These are shots of AyrSpace Gallery from the front and back.

Here's part of the main wall.  The pieces were hung alphabetically.  If you're not familiar with Nicki's work, check out her blog:  http://nickiault.blogspot.com  Thank you Nicki for sending these to me!

Plein Air Costa Rica Video

I've created a video from our recent trip to Costa Rica.  Hope you enjoy it!
You can also see this video, as well as videos by other members of Daily Painter Originals, on our video blog:  http://dpovideo.blogspot.com

Fresh Spring

Fresh Spring
6" x 8" Oil

This week's Daily Paintworks challenge is the Help Japan Challenge.  All proceeds from the auction of all the works in this challenge go to help the victims in Japan.  Please click here to go to the site to see all of the paintings submitted and available.

Palm Frond Shadows

Palm Frond Shadows
6" x 8" Oil
$100.00 + $10. s/h

After painting aspen shadows last fall and shadows in the snow last month, I had to paint the shadows from the palm fronds.

I loved how so many of the houses and stores in Costa Rica were painted bright, lively colors!

Carrillo Beach

Carrillo Beach, Costa Rica
6" x 8" Oil
$100.00 + $10. s/h

The beaches in Costa Rica were beautiful!  We stayed for several days in Samara. Carrillo Beach was just a few minute drive south and much less crowded.  In fact, there was hardly anyone there at all!

What a great spot to paint!  I also swam, went for a long walk, and read!  

This beach is on the Pacific side of Costa Rica.  I was so surprised that the water was warm!  I expected it to be cool like the water on the Pacific side of Mexico.

Arenal Clouds

Arenal Clouds
6" x 8" oil
$100.00 + $10. s/h

This is another view of the bottom of Arenal Volcano in Costa Rica.  Another day of clouds.  One of the great things about the volcano is that the area is filled with naturally heated thermal springs.  We stayed in a hotel that had it's own thermal springs, thus thermal pools.  It was wonderful to sit in hot springs in the rain!

This shows how our room's porch was sort of open, no door, but glass on 2 sides.  It was great for painting, reading, relaxing.  When traveling I use an 8" x 10" Open BoxM for my palette.  It does have a small mixing area, but the smallness is what I like about it.  Easy to pack, easy to carry.  I usually only paint small pieces on trips, so the size and ease are great.

This sloth lived in a tree near the hotel's restaurant.  Sloths usually only climb down about once each week.  

Our last day in Arenal looked like it was going to clear up.  But, the clouds hung over the volcano.  Some of the rooms at the hotel had hot water solar systems.  But there must have been back up somewhere, because solar needs sun!

Arenal Volcano

Arenal Volcano Costa Rica
6" x 8" Oil
$100.00 + $10. s/h

We spent three days in Arenal and never saw the volcano due to the rain.  The volcano sat in a cloud (the top of this painting) the entire time we were there.  It is said that you have more of a chance to see the volcano in the rainy season, which is the summer, and not the dry season which is what it is now.

Luckily our room had a covered front porch so I could paint despite the weather!  The volcano is supposed to be right in front of us!  But all there was was a cloud!

We took a boat trip on a river near the Nicaragua border.  I loved all (most) of the wildlife.

A cayman; we saw dozens of them!

A group of sleeping bats.  Apparently they sleep in a line so that their predators will think it's a snake and not fly down and grab one of them.

Another cayman, this one basking in the sun.

Monteverde Showers

Monteverde Showers
6" x 8" oil on canvas on board

Due to rains, I was not able to finish this piece.  I set up and put away twice and decided it was just not meant to be.  So, I may finish it from the photo, or leave this one and do a new one from the photo.    That's all part of the joy of plein air painting!  (Especially in the rain forest.)

While I was painting, this agouti strolled through the grass and just sat down right near me.  I wish there was something in the photo to show his actual size, but he was pretty big, about the size of a cat.  Agoutis are in the rodent family and look like a tall, large, long legged guinea pig.  In some parts of Costa Rica they are becoming extremely rare as they've become pray to wild animals, but we saw them everyday in Monteverde.  Apparently they scare easily (although he wasn't scared of me) and when they get scared, they run while emitting a high pitched bark.

The Reserve of Monteverde is called the Biological Cloud Forest Reserve.  And, deservedly so.  This is the dry season, and we had rain and/or clouds everyday.  Although, not the downpours of the rainy season.  

Monteverde Afternoon

Monteverde Afternoon
6" x 8"  oil on canvas on board
$100.00 + $10. s/h

My husband and I just got back from several weeks in Costa Rica.  We spent one week at the beach and one week in the rain forest.  We had an absolutely wonderful time.  Loved every minute of our trip!

Before we left I painted ahead and scheduled posts.  I want to thank everyone for all of your comments while I was gone.  We had sporadic access to the internet and I wasn't able to comment on all of your blogs.  I'll try to catch up now.

This plein air piece was done in the rain forest of Monteverde.  Monteverde was founded in the late 1940's by a group of Quakers who left America due to their beliefs.  They refused to serve in the Korean War and consequently spent one year and one day in prison.  At that time this area was very, very rural.  The group brought their own bulldozer to build the roads.  Currently Monteverde is the center of the most developed and maintained part of the rain forests in the country.  We visited the Monteverde Biological Cloud Forest as well as the Children's Eternal Rain Forest, where we did a night tour.  Both were so amazing!

Painting one afternoon at the Mariposa B & B. 

A white faced capuchin monkey in the Cloud Forest Reserve.

Looking up into the canopy.

Fall Waters

Fall Waters
9" x 12" Oil on board
$195.00 + $10. s/h

I painted this last month with my river series, but just realized that I didn't post it.  So, here it is!