Hey, Hey Jude! Great Art Show

What better thing on a rainy day than - an art show! I had always wanted to meet Jude Maceren, the talented artist who lives and paints right up the road in San Rafael. When we received an invitation to view his art at his home and studio, it was a must go. The rains even receded for a while so we actually got to go without getting soaked! Besides being obviously talented, Jude is also personable. Inspired by his garden and by Costa Rica's generous gifts of nature, Jude paints varied styles and media. Gene the artist and Jude the artist could have talked all afternoon, but I hauled Gene out so that Jude could give his attention to some of his other guests! Unfortunately my photography doesn't approach the quality of Jude's paintings, but hopefully my photos will give you some idea of how beautiful his pieces are. You don't have to wait for the next art show. Jude says you can call anytime to make arrangements to stop by and view his art. Call him at 261-6746. Or email him at jude@judemaceren.com. His place is in central San Rafael and very easy to find. For more about Jude and his art, see his blog here.

Mi Artista

As a person with zero artistic ability or inclination, In am constantly amazed at the number of artists I know. I even live with one! My husband Gene does mostly abstracts. Over the past several years most of his work has been airbrush on canvas. But he has also done some sculpture and mixed media.
Recently a friend presented him with a large piece of scrap wood and challenged him to "do something with it." With my usual I don't get it reaction, it looked like a piece of wood to me. Several days later, I walked into his studio and saw thls relaxing beach scene. This is why we call him the artist in the family!

Many of his abstracts are in black and white. Here's one of my favorites.

And here's some more:

Aunt Kay's Art

Aunt Kay is getting ready for her next art show. She now has a gallery wall in her house. She also has a cozy little studio off the lanai. That’s the lanai which had to be replaced after Hurricane Charley. Recovering from Charley was a long two year process, but the house is now beautiful. Aunt Kay loves her brand new kitchen. The new flooring is nice, too. It’s practically a new house, thanks to Charley. May there never be another hurricane year like 2004. She was teaching art classes but got derailed after Hurricane Charlie and hasn’t found the time and inspiration to start again. Hurricane Charley (and the 3 that followed within a month) changed a lot of people’s lives. But she still takes art classes and displays her art regularly in various venues. Her art is fabulous. Watercolors that are so beautiful. Dewdrops so real you think someone dropped water on it. Roses so soft you want to reach out and touch. After years of incredible still lifes, she is now doing abstracts – fabulous abstracts. What a woman!

Museo de Arte Costarricense

After watching all the ox carts lumber out of Parque La Sabana and down Paseo Colon today, we spent some time in the park at the booths of the annual Rural Tourism Fair. A lot of interesting businesses were represented, with some good ideas for future trips around the country. The booths were spread out behind the Museum in the sculpture garden, one of the really neat places in San Jose.

The beautiful building on the east side of Parque La Sabana which now houses the Museo de Arte Costarricense (Museum of Costa Rican Art) was originally the terminal for the San Jose international airport. Opened in 1940 and closed in 1955 when the new airport was built in nearby Alejuela, it’s hard to envision an airport in this busy downtown location. Photos of the area on the museum’s web site, however, show an area that probably was thought of as “outside of town” at the time it was built. Today Sabana Park is a huge urban park with walking and running paths, basketball, tennis and volleyball courts, baseball diamond, soccer field and a fish-stocked lake. This in addition to the national stadium, national gymnasium, and of course the museum.
There’s a lot of impressive art inside this building. My favorites though, are outdoors, in an area called el Jardín de Esculturas (Sculpture Garden). Among many interesting sculptures are my friends Tres Mujeres Caminando (Three Women Walking).
The natural flow of their dresses, the gracefulness of their strides, the realness of their expressions fascinate me. The artist is Francisco Zúñiga. Besides the fact that they are so beautiful, maybe part of the reason I feel such an attraction to las mujeres is that they, too are recent arrivals, having only found their home in 2003, the year after our move to Costa Rica.

Desfile de Boyeros

The Christmas season is officially here. Not only is our neighborhood already being decorated with lights (including the tiny guard shack) but the house two doors down is sporting a house-sized snow man! So to celebrate the season, this morning we bussed into San Jose with our buddies Jon & Emma to view the 10th annual Desfile de Boyeros (parade of ox cart handlers). What a show!
Originally meant to haul coffee beans, the colorfully decorated carts (carretas) have become a major symbol of Costa Rica. No longer needed to take the coffee crop to the Pacific port of Puntarenas, a 10 – 15 day trek over muddy roads, the decoration of the ox carts and wheels has become a national art form.
It was a fun morning. I didn’t try to keep count, but there must have been way over a hundred carts in all sizes and colors. And the oxen, decked out in beautifully decorated yokes, were as colorful and interesting as the traditional carts.
As always in Costa Rica, the kids stole the show!

Ox Cart Parade

*****CLICK ON THE OX'S FACE FOR MORE PHOTOS*****<