Arts and Crafts the Nica Way

“Art enables us to find ourselves and lose ourselves at the same time.”
~Thomas Merton, No Man Is an Island

Creativity is a must for most people living on a small tropical island with few resources. I am no exception. When the creative spirit stirs, I turn to arts and crafts. The art of creativity animates my desire to fulfill my dreams, while taking me to a place where I get lost and found at the same time…a real Zen moment. No matter how fleeting, I look forward to the comfort and solace these Zen moments bring.

After remodeling our beach shack, we were left with a 15 foot long space above our kitchen. I hired my artist friend, Sue, to help me make a frame, cover and stretch it with canvas, and we painted deliriously lost in our private Zen moments. The Nica Artist Way

I am an avid collector of the Pre-Columbian pottery shards that wash up on our beach daily. The piles of pottery shards on my porch were collecting scorpions and other creepy crawlies. So, I made wrapped wire necklaces for gifts, Christmas ornaments, and a pottery shard turtle above our new guest house addition.

The Jicaro tree fascinated me. Known as the tropical prosperity fruit tree, it has a variety of economic uses in Nicaragua. The Jicaro Tree  Yet, all I could picture were beautifully painted bowls, masks, and lamp shades. Two years ago, I planted bottle gourds with seeds I brought from the states. They dried in our bodega for two years, until I decided to do something with them. The shells were too thin to carve, so I created painted bird houses. I’m anxious to try my carving and wood burning skills on the think-skinned Jicaro gourds..after I perfect my painting skills. The Jicaro Artist

I collect vines and palm leaves for weaving and basket making. My first attempts were a disaster, so no pictures. But, when I needed a hanging lamp for my porch, I collected heavy vines and wove them into a ball, added some twinkle lights..and voila..new lighting for my porch.

My only regret is that there is not more time in my day for arts and crafts. The mangoes are starting to drop AGAIN! My only consolation is that when I’m raking up the tiny mangoes scattered throughout our yard, my creative juices are flowing and I’m lost in thoughts of palm leaves, gourds, and pottery shards dancing through my head.

The Ometepe Tourist Fair

Last weekend, Moyogalpa held a tourist fair showcasing activities, traditional dances, bands, products, hostels, and hotels for tourists visiting Ometepe Island. When I think of the county fairs I have attended in the states, I recall wisps of roasted peanuts and pulled pork filtered through barnyard smells of heifers and freshly sheared sheep. I recall the faint chill of sweater weather and goose bumps as I’m stalled on the ferris wheel high above the fair grounds almost touching the twinkling stars. I taste sawdust, hear the shrill calls of the game masters daring one and all to test their strength and tossing skills, and watch the faces of children as they bounce and fly through the air with eyes as big as pumpkins.

The Ometepe tourist fair was unlike any fair I had attended in the states. The smells of sweat and gallo pinto mingled among the fair goers and participants. Hair gel plastered sweat drenched hair, taming it like a wild horse. Tourist booths, decked in tropical fruits and garnished with baskets of vegetables, homemade wine, and miniature garden displays, enticed fair goers. Children waited eagerly for the plastic dog house to inflate…the only ride in the fair. Music boomed from gigantic speakers. Recycled plastic water bottles morphed into flowers, turtles, and garbage cans. Displays of solar panels, water purifiers, and crafts abounded. Professional brochures of hostels and hotels fanned heated guests.

Enjoy my slideshow of the Ometepe Tourist Fair! It is definitely a keeper!

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Weekly Photo Challenge: Happy Masks

“I wish everyday could be Halloween. We could all wear masks all the time. Then we could walk around and get to know each other before we got to see what we looked like under the masks.” ~ R.J. Palacio

Masks fascinate me and make me happy.  They are reflections of unique cultures, worn like bridges from the outer phenomenal world to the inner person. Embossed with bold colors and expressions, masks evoke many reactions to the beholder, but for me, they always make me smile in wonder.  Masks are the poetry of a culture, the exquisite spirits of the past, and entertaining portrayals of our inner emotions.

Enjoy the masks of Nicaragua. I hope they make you smile.

And this just in! Nicaragua is the 8th happiest country in the world! Click here.

A Molotov New Year

The Molotov Scarecrow

You’ve probably heard of the Molotov cocktail, but I doubt that you’ve heard of a Molotov scarecrow. The Molotov cocktail originated in the 1930′s during the Spanish Civil War. General Francisco Franco’s Spanish Nationalist army threw the incendiary weapons at Soviet tanks. Upstaging the Spanish Nationalists, the Nicaraguans devised an ingenious method to usher in the new year.

Munecos

A boisterous tradition is to ‘burn the old’ year. Old men, called muñecos, are crafted and stuffed with gunpowder. The dolls are adorned with vices, such as cigars, cigarettes, and guaron ( homemade moonshine). The old men are hung in the streets, and when the new year arrives, they burn them. All of their vices explode in a flame of glory. It’s a spectacular good riddance to the old year!

Next year, I’m going to slightly alter the tradition. I’m going to design a muñeca ( an old woman doll). I have a year to think about stuffing her with my vices. As Cory says, “No more resolutions, just live the dream.”  It sure sounds easier to blow up my vices immediately, instead of making New Year’s resolutions that I’ll probably never fulfill.

Happy New Year everyone! My hopes and wishes for all are to follow your chosen path, but don’t stop too long to debate on whether you’ve chosen the right direction. Someday, our paths will come to an end. In the meantime, gently tend to the needs of your path, live with passion, explore with love, and let your vices explode into a million tiny pieces.

 

The Christmas Tree: Life’s triumph over death

Our Island Christmas Tree

The winter solstice was a day of reckoning for ancient people. When the Egyptians noticed the nights getting colder, and the days getting shorter, they were afraid that the sun was disappearing and the Earth would freeze. They looked around and noticed that some of the plants and trees remained green. Believing that these evergreens had magical powers and would appease the gods, they brought them into their homes.

Not having evergreen trees, the Egyptians cut green date palm leaves and scattered them throughout their homes to symbolize life’s triumph over death. And…the Christmas tree was born! Now, living on a tropical island presents some problems trying to find a suitable Christmas tree. Like the ancient Egyptians, we have no evergreen trees either.

I was lamenting that there were no Christmas trees on the island, when I saw our young friend, Izzy, carting a strange, yet beautiful pole to our house. “You said you wanted a Christmas tree, so I made you one,” Izzy said as she handed me her amazing creation.

Delicate newspaper cranes, dried mango leaves, and an assortment of tropical bird feathers adorned the tree. “Izzy, it’s perfect!” I said, kind of teary eyed at the thoughtfulness of her gift. “Let’s make some more ornaments.”

I’ve collected Pre-Columbian pottery shards that wash up on my beach for years. With some copper wire and ribbon, we wrapped the ancient shards and hung them on the tree. I returned from the states with one wire of twinkling lights and a star from the Dollar Store. We hung the shining star above the tree, as a symbol of bringing forth the light.

Life’s triumph over death hit close to home on Sunday. A very close friend of ours was involved in a horrific motorcycle crash on the island. Robinson escaped with his life, but one of his friends wasn’t as fortunate. Robinson was transferred to a hospital in Managua, across the lake in a small ponga boat. For two days, he could only speak in English, not understanding his native language. The mind works in mysterious ways.

He’s recovering comfortably at home today. I think I’m going to keep my Christmas tree up year-round to remind me of the precious gifts life has to offer. Life is so short…it can change in an instant. Like the ancient Egyptians, my little handmade Christmas tree will be an everlasting symbol of life’s triumphs over death.

 

 

He’s Baaack!

Marvin finishes another baker's rack for my kitchen.

Marvin, my iron man, returned yesterday with two new pieces for my kitchen. A week ago, he was peddling his bicycle in front of our house and stopped to visit. “I have a new job at the airport,” he commented. “It is much responsibility because I am a contractor for the airport terminal.”  Alarmed, I asked, “Marvin, when do you start your new job?”  He responded, “At the end of December..gracias a dios. (Thanks to God)

Selfishly, I wanted Marvin to make two new pieces for my kitchen before he started his new job. “No problemo,” he replied. That same day, Ron and I  made crude drawings, while Marvin measured the dimensions in my kitchen. “I will complete them in a week,” he said to my utter delight.

My new iron pieces

Ron and I spent the day rearranging our kitchen. Marvin starts his new job next week. When I hear of the unemployment crisis in the states, I remind myself to be grateful for Marvin, the many jobs available to our local craftsmen and craftswomen, and the opportunity to share the goodness, as well as spread the wealth in our local community on Ometepe Island.

What Is This?

Guess correctly and win a prize

Ron showed me a handful of these the other day…and I don’t mean the quarter. If you are the first person to guess correctly, you will win a prize shown below.

Seed dolphins

A ten-year old friend carves little dolphins out of these seeds. He’s very talented. So, guess away!

I will be in the states for three weeks. If you are the winner of the correct guess, I will email you for your address, so I can send you a seed dolphin.

Hang in there with me while I am in travel mode. I won’t be able to post regularly for three weeks. Thanks for your patience.

Tepe Time

Unloading my new furniture

If you have been following my posts, you know that it is very difficult to buy lamps and high quality furniture on Ometepe Island. We hired Marvin to make the iron work for our wrap around porch. It was clear that he was very talented, so I hired him to reproduce a baker’s rack to house my TV. My Iron Man

Marvin arrived yesterday hauling my new projects; four bar stools and a lamp. He carted them to our house from Moyogalpa, a distance of almost two miles….with a sprained ankle! ” I have been very worried,” he said. “I am worried that you will think I am irresponsible because I sprained my ankle and couldn’t deliver your furniture on time.” He continued, “With all of the rain, I couldn’t paint them, and then it took forever for the paint to dry.”

I love this man! I reassured him that time was not important to me. I told him that our son refers to time on the island as Tepe Time…slow, deliberate, and tranquil. But, I was concerned about his sprained ankle. He showed me the high top boots he was wearing and replied, “I laced my boots tightly to prevent more swelling and support my ankle. It feels better now, thanks to the grace of God.” What a man!

My finished lamp. Isn't it incredible?

I was going to cover it in mesh and add my pottery shards I find on the beach, but I think this looks better. I just wrapped it in a beach wrap.

 

 

Wow! It sets off the room!

When I go to Costa Rica, I usually buy a few beach wraps. Now, I can change the lamp to suit my moods. I need to find a place in Nicaragua that sells cheap beach wraps. Costa Rica has them in all the tourist shops.

 

 

 

 

 

My four bar stools

Marvin’s mother chose the fabric and made the cushions for my bar stools. His entire family is talented. Marvin has an eye for color and design. His mother picked a different fabric and Marvin told her it wouldn’t match the colors in my house.

 

 

 

 

My bar stools close up

Now, with all the rain we are having this October, we can set around the kitchen counter, instead of our dining room table on the covered porch.

Looking out my kitchen window...waiting for the rain to stop

We haven’t seen the sun for a week! Looking out my kitchen window this morning, while waiting for the coffee to perk..I feel blessed to know the many talented craftsmen and women on la isla. Life is definitely on Tepe Time! My house is slowly turning into my Tepe Time Home….bit by beautiful bit.

The Front Line of Activity

fisherman and ferry

We have the best seats in the house and the front line of activity on Ometepe Island. At six in the morning, while sipping my coffee, I watch the ferry chug by our front gates and the fisherman haul in the morning catch. Do you see the palm frond obstructing my view to the left of the photo? It’s coming down today and I’m going to make a palm frond basket. The secret to creativity is knowing how to recycle the things that block and hide one’s view. Once the blinders are removed, life is full of surprises.

How do you remove your blinders? We all have them. Are they worth removing? I’d like to hear your thoughts.

The Nica Artist Way

“Creativity lies in paradox: serious art is born from serious play.” ~Julia Cameron

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Retiring abroad has enabled me to look at the same thing as everyone else, yet see something different. It is one of the many creative paradoxes in my life on the island. I alternate between imagination and fantasy, yet living in a third world country, I have a rooted sense of reality. So, when my artist friend, Sue, showed me her hand-painted silk scarves and murals she created to liven the streets and hostels in Nicaragua, I hired her on the spot to help me design a 15 ft mural to hang above my kitchen.

The first suitcase I packed when we moved to Ometepe permanently, was overflowing with my art supplies, paper, brushes, wood burning kit, and art books. I envisioned spending most of my time drawing, painting, and writing from the right side of my brain. However, to create one must work hard, but spend time doing nothing. I was spending a lot of time working hard, yet doing nothing to fulfill my passions in the art world.

Side by side with paint brushes swirling, splashing, dripping, and sliding smoothly across a fuchsia background, we meshed with a zen-like quality. I was feeling life, instead of merely being a participant. Sitting in my purple plastic chair, painting twisted leaves and trailing vines, the clouds parted, exposing a clarity and sense of wonderment…if only for a moment. “Is this heaven?” I wondered.

With Sue’s gentle guidance, I was able to see unexpected connections between life and art. I was learning to develop a sophisticated eye, yet see like a child. Eyes without borders..no preconceived notions, no abstractions, no stereotypes, no biases. Simple freedom without the price of war, like stripping away the armor…becoming butt naked without self-consciousness.

Creative people tend to be smart, yet naïve at the same time. Sue taught me this paradox without saying a word. Playfulness and discipline were our mantras. We shared good humor and laughed until we cried. We were openly vulnerable, sharing our joys and our sorrows.Then, spans of silence shrouded us with peace and comfort, while we joyfully painted our little hearts out.

“There is a road from the eye to the heart that does not go through the intellect.” (G.K.Chesterton) This is art. This is life. I miss Sue. She’s returned to the states. I am so very grateful for her inspiration, her friendship, and her gentle guidance in the learning the Nica artist way.

Stop Leaning Against the Wall…It’s Wet!

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We have returned from our first trip to Northern Nicaragua where we slept snuggled under two heavy blankets, visited coffee farms and cigar factories, hiked through the Black Jungle (Selva Negra), and talked with a lot of cowboys…real cowboys!

I am overflowing with stories of the wild North. Until I compose my tales, enjoy the slideshow of the city of murals in Esteli, Nicaragua. I think Banksy was writing about Esteli in his quote below.

Imagine a city where graffiti wasn’t illegal, a city where everybody could draw wherever they liked. Where every street was awash with a million colors and little phrases. Where standing at a bus stop was never boring. A city that felt like a party where everyone was invited, not just estate agents and barons of big business. Imagine a city like that and stop leaning against the wall- it’s wet.

~Banksy

Road Art

Road Art

I’m tired of looking at the world through grungy glasses. So, I have rewired my boomer brain to only see the beauty in my grungy world. The green and pink plastic bags that litter the roads are Nicaraguan flowers. The cow patties contain unique swirls of colors and patterns. The flip-flops and tattered shoes are creative sculptures. Flattened toads are stepping-stones along my path. Assorted animal bones and coconut husks fill the holes in the washed out roads to make a smooth walking trail. My new world is full of art, it is only a matter of choosing to see the beauty instead of the grunge. Road art is beautiful.