Sunday, March 13, 2011

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.

11 comments:

Celeste Bergin said...

whoa! Exotic! thanks for the photos---looks like a divine place to paint. so, you should name this painting the volcano that you can not see. Good work!

Katherine van Schoonhoven said...

Hmmm. I think that the caymans rank up with bears in my list of wildlife I'd prefer at a distance. Great shot of your set up and a super painting!

martinealison said...

Je vous envie pour ce séjour très exotique... Il est vrai que très souvent les montagnes sont cachées lorsqu'il pleut...
Très jolie peinture...
Gros bisous... et attention aux caïmans !

Autumn Leaves said...

But I sure am loving that gorgeous tree, Pam. Do you know what kind of tree it is? What an exciting trip you are having! And what is the difference between an alligator, a crocodile, or a cayman? They all look the same to me...

Kelley Carey MacDonald said...

Pam, you are one brave girl.. caymans, bats and volcanoes? Eeeeeeeks! Thanks for the shot of your setup, too!

Crystal said...

Such lovely paintings from your trip! What an inspiration it must have been! :-)

Pam Holnback said...

Celeste, Thank you. I know, funny about the title. But, that was what I wanted to paint!

Thank you Katherine. I would definately put grizzlies as scarier than caymans. Especially since we were in a boat. Although I would never swim in that river. And, probably would have had a heart attack if the boat had tipped over.

Martine, Merci beaucoup. Oui. Le sejour est tres exotique!

Sherry, thank you. I'll explain the difference in my next post. Great idea!

Thank you Kelley, It's not really as scary as it looks. Just different from our environment.

Crystal. Thank you. Inspirational...yes! The main problem for me was that I loved seeing all the nature and wildlife, which didn't leave quite enough time for painting. So, that means I'll just have to go again!

Jerry Stocks said...

I took this same trip two years ago, and we never saw the volcano either. We were supposedly there in the dry season, and it rained seven of the ten days we were there. But I did love the country and your painting is beautiful.

Carrie said...

What an experience! And that was a great spot to paint plein air. Beautiful painting, I'm sure it's a great memory of your trip.

Lori Bonanni said...

Enjoyed reading about your time in Costa Rica and seeing your plein air pieces! (Met your former neighbor Elizabeth at the Studio Incamminati workshop) Hope to see more of your work from this trip!

Pam Holnback said...

Jerry, Thank you! Someone at out B&B in Monteverde showed us his photos of Arenal (he'd just been there) and it was blue sky and beautiful!

Thank you Carrie. I was lucky to always find a great plein air spot.

Lori, Thanks so much! It was a great trip. And yes, there are a few more!