Sketching the Rich Coast
Itinerary
We recently returned from a trip to Costa Rica. I brought a small journal and some pencils in the off-chance I would be inspired to sketch after such a long hiatus from production. It surprised me just as much as my husband when in the first morning at our AirBnB I broke out my HB.
As an aside, it was on this trip that I articulated to Ryan how being released from the dominion of walls around me and a roof over my head allows for my mind to escape beyond the present circumstances. I'm not sure if it's an INFP, woman, runner, or just Anna thing that my physical freedom has a significant effect on my mental. I dream of taking excursions to nearby Appalachian streams in the golden 8am or 6:30pm hours when the sun is playing all kinds of tricks on the trees and rocks.
Casa Lima
Back to Costa Rica. Our first AirBnB had a garden in the middle of the compound, complete with a water feature and live turtles. The light was complicated, but I thought I'd give it a go. It's vulnerable and scary these days to commit to producing due to a fear of not liking it, but like many other areas of my life, it's time to combat the fears.
After moving on from San Jose we traveled to Monteverde followed by Manuel Antonio, the former being in the mountains and the latter on the coast. There is a strong correlation and likely causation of coast-location with being still. It was at Playa Biesanz, a nearby local beach, that the pencils came out again. To be honest, I wanted to capture the scene, but had opted not to take my phone due to an exaggerated fear that it would get stolen. The substitution of paper for a camera forced me to observe, not just capture.
Playa Biesanz
A great feature of this beach is the wonderful women selling Pipas Frias, ceviche, y empanadas. It's hard to turn down a chilled coconut with a straw for 1000 colones ($1.50).
Halved Coconut
After several more days, we successfully navigated through the unmarked highway exits of San Jose to the airport. It was there that we had a view of airplanes right in that aforementioned golden hour where the balance of shade and light is perfect. A quick sketch later, I have an airplane, jetway, and jetway to remember our trip back to "normal life".
Miami Airport
Gallery
Takeaways
What I takeaway from this trip from an artist's perspective are a few themes:
"Normal life" does not lack inspirational views, I just need to slow down
If all I have is 15 minutes, that is fine. I can't use the excuse of not having several hours available in order to practice
Share work, even when it's not perfect