Yesterday was a perfect day.  I began the painting of Jon Silver’s (aka Captain Johnny Boy’s) fishing boat with some help from my friends from the Free Art Society.

The Free Art Society is an arts group I started in 2009. We collectively bring art to public spaces by way of multi-media arts events, guerrilla street art interventions, group painting projects etc. Six of us came down to Rio for the month of February to escape the brutal NYC winter and make art. Four will head back to NYC March 1, while Nathan Austin (my Free Art Society co-conspirator) and I will continue on to Columbia from here to work on more painting projects.

We started painting the boat early in the morning and by noon the sun was blistering down on us. Sweaty, salty, and sun-glassed, we worked in the intense heat as many of the fishermen gathered around to watch. Being on the water for me is a dream. The soothing breeze and the smell of ocean water and fish brings me back to my blissful childhood summers spent on my grandparent’s boat. Blazing heat aside, this is an ideal painting situation.

                                                         Captain “Johnny Boy”

The perma-tanned fisherman of the harbor are very curious and are always hanging around watching the painting action. They drink all day and do little tasks around the boats. They are very generous despite having so little and share freely with us, giving us beers and cooking us sardines aboard the boat on their little grill.

We painted in to the afternoon and suddenly, in a matter of minutes, dark and ominous storm clouds rolled in. We assessed our risk… and continued to paint hoping that the storm would pass. Soon we were in a torrential Brazilian downpour! We quickly retreated under the cover of the boat as Yemanja (the Brazilian goddess of the sea) serenaded our unfinished painting with a sky full of water.

                                                         Nathan Austin

Meanwhile Nathan brought out his guitar and serenaded us with Brazilian songs as the rain poured down all around us. Our painting was cut short for the day.

                                 Cleaning off the bleeding paint after the downpour

I adore this harbor, this cozy sanctuary with all of it’s colorful boats. It is becoming a sanctuary for me also. For me these old fishing boats are so romantic. I want to paint more of them. I love how they all go their own way out into the ocean during the day to work and then all meet back up in this harbor to sleep. They look so peaceful here at night with the waves gently lulling them back and forth. They are a family and this is their home~ and I feel at home here with them.

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Exciting news!!! My friend Maxine just told me she has an extra spot for the final parade of Carnival at the Sambodramo, the gargantuan arena in which Carnival is held!

I get to go!!!

This is beyond amazing. I cannot imagine what it will be like to dance, heavily plumed and sequined at the epic party of life that is Carnival.  Well I will find out tonight!

Photos to come!