Time is lost somewhere between midnight and morning as I sit looking out my bedroom window feeling deeply peaceful. The natural beauty around me is breathtaking. Rio de Janeiro abounds with lush plants and beautiful views. I notice the gentle sway of the palm trees as the fresh wind plays on my face. The streetlights cast a blueish glow on the sidewalks that curve along the innermost part of Botafogo Bay. The glow dances across the water and I can feel it inside me, a shimmer of increasing excitement about the 13 Portals project. Perola Bonfanti and I are plotting to install them on the street this summer. Eventually this will be followed by the unveiling of the mystery of the 13th Portal to those who complete the journey.
Botafogo Bay, photo courtesy of National Geographic
Botafogo Bay, photo courtesy of National Geographic
Portal 1 on Ave C and 7th street in the East Village, NYC
Until then, it’s full days for Perola and I at the studio. We’ve just started to paint Portal 3, “The Movement.” Rio, for us provides the perfect environment to focus, plan and create. The weather is amazing, our living situation is comfortable and the air is fresh. We spend most of our time between the place we are staying in Botafogo and Perola’s studio in Centro. We are planning to finish one portal a week. We want to start a new one every Monday and if we can finish by Friday then we’ll take the weekend to explore Rio and/or relax.
Our typical day starts with Chi Gong, coffee and breakfast and then we ride our bikes to the studio. Cruising through Aterro do Flamengo along Guanabara Bay is one of my favorite parts of the day. Giant trees from another land, enveloped in roots and vines shade us, captivating me as we pass. Everything is green and when I look to the right, everything is blue.
These trees!
Our route
Pedaling along windy paths and over bridges, we pass joggers, lovers, skateboarders… a guy peeing next to a palm tree. We tell stories and talk about ideas as we dodge along the coast. After about twenty minutes we dip down an underpass and cut into the city, arriving at the studio with refreshed lungs and flushed cheeks.
Aterro do Flamengo
We light a candle and make a little ceremony before painting. We ask the great mystery for divine inspiration and for the essence of the number three to reveal itselves to us. A couple days ago we started Portal 3. We are learning so much in this process. Each portal presents it’s challenges and gifts. Portal 2, which we just finished, is the portal of duality. We made it black and white, gold and silver. One of the things we noticed as we painted was the contrast between our painting styles. My precise shading and emphasis on detail contrasts her wild, marvelously placed lines. Now, creating Portal 3, we are trying to practice painting like each other. I am trying to be more free and loose with my lines to and Perola is shifting, focusing more on details and smooth lines. It is an interesting and enriching practice and we are learning so much from each other.
I will post photos of Portal 3 soon as well as some pics from Carnival, which officially started today.