I am officially alone in Rio de Janeiro after my friends have gone back to NYC. Lately I feel as if I am constantly riding the line between soaring, blissful happiness and achy, uncomfortable loneliness. I have started a big, big project and it’s very exciting, but scary too. To paint just 5 boats has already taken a lot of time and there are so many more…(uhm!)…about 60 more. Plus there are all the technicalities: Rain days (It’s rainy season), the ruthless sun (#%&!), accessing boats in the middle of the harbor, storing/transporting paints, getting permissions, getting funding, trying to communicate when speaking only a thimble-full of Portuguese, etc. etc. It makes me nervous sometimes when I think about all the work that is in front of me but I keep reminding myself that when it is finished it will be an incredible thing… to paint this whole harbor of boats, to create a work of art that can be seen from the sky. I am excited to see the impact that it will have with the fishermen as a whole and with the people and other artists who participate in the project.

I also realize when I am focusing on how much work it will be, I am whisked out of the enjoyment I have from simply painting. It doesn’t really matter how long it will take, or even if I will have to return to Rio next winter to finish the project. I want to appreciate every moment of it.

One boat at a time.

It is bliss.

Photo by Doug Koh

Maxine Nienow’s funkadelic seahorse plus two more boats in progress