WATERBABY'S CIRCUS

There's a neighborhood in the old part of Bahia called "2 de Julho". It's old and funky and has a lot of falling down buildings, some inhabited and some not. I finally found a small art supply store here that carries a few watercolor items, like Cotman watercolors. But also some Maimeri. The small supply of Canson paper is ridiculously expensive, and there's a limited selection of poor quality brushes. Everything is imported, so the cost is quite prohibitive for the average Brasilian. I still haven't found any other watercolorists here, and the owners of the store couldn't refer me to any clubs or organizations. So after I bought a few tubes of paint, I wandered down a sidestreet and stopped to do a quickdraw of this old building. The windows are all bricked up, there's no telling how long since it's been lived in. Sad to see all these once-beautiful old mansions. But I can't get carried away feeling bad that there's no one with the desir...

Yesterday I went to visit a very old fort that was built to protect the city of Salvador, Bahia in Brazil. I didn't have my camera and there wasn't an opportunity to sketch. Today I found this old photo of the fort online. Other photos of old Bahia are at this link . There isn't a date but I'm guessing it was taken in the '40s or '50s, judging from the clothes. The fort itself is that oval-shaped structure in the upper righthand corner. It has only been the last couple of years that it has been open for tours, following a major recuperation. The different levels and curves and angles make it a very interesting place to sketch, even if historical landmarks aren't your thing. I hope to get back with more time and my sketchbook.

The house on the left behind the wall is where I've been for the last two months. A lot of work is going on behind that wall: plumbing repairs, patching and plastering walls, cleaning up a huge lot that was badly overrun with weeds, replacing broken and worn out ceiling fans and showers, getting the microwave and TVs repaired, adding a laundry sink in back, and an outside shower in front . . . . The list is endless. It's a great old beach house, but it's suffered from years of neglect. And anyone who's lived close to the sea knows how salt air damages just about everything. So that's my excuse anyway for not painting more often and/or posting. Not that I'm doing it all myself, but still, it's a huge time-suck. Oooh! And doing it all in tropical heat with no car! OMG! The horror! Would I rather be back in the winter of my American discontent? Not freakin' likely!!!

I painted this watercolor a few years ago. If I remember right, the original size is 18"x24". The painting was copied professionally, even so, the camera does not pick up the iridescent paints I used on her crown and mirror and tail. Iemanja' the goddess (or orixa') of salt water, was brought to the so-called New World via the slave trade, and is often addressed in the Yoruba language of west Africa. The next time you go to the beach and put your feet in the water, you can greet her with her customary greeting if you like: Odoia'!

Last week, I took a bus to what used to be a small fishing village north of here named Praia do Forte. There are still fishermen and their boats here, but now it is probably better known as a sanctuary and ecological project where sea turtles are protected. In addition to the project, known as TAMAR, tourism is expanding. Tourists come from all over the world as well as from within Brazil. Several species of turtles were endangered, due to being hunted for food, as well as being caught in nets and otherwise threatened. Find out more about Praia do Forte by clicking here . The above watercolor and ink sketch is of a typical small house there on one of the sidestreets. Many have been replaced by the eco-tourism industry with hotels, restaurants and shops. Not that that's an entirely bad thing, because awareness as well as money is raised to further this work.

The Second of February has come and gone, and images similar to this are, sadly, a common site along the beaches of Bahia. Gifts of flowers to Iemanja, the Queen of the Seas, were sent into the water, along with pretty trinkets, combs, mirrors, in hopes these offerings and petitions, as well as occasional thanks, would be accepted. Sadly for some, not all were. I really wanted to go to the Paciencia beach, the most popular and largest site where the religious and secular celebrations take place. Alas, not to be, I was stuck at home waiting all day for an important phone call, which didn't even come. Oh well, maybe next year.

Tomorrow is the day I catch the plane and fly away. I will go to Brazil where I will spend three months in Salvador, Bahia. I'll be arriving just in time for one of the largest celebrations there, the Festa de Iemanja. This goddess is known in Africa, Cuba, Puerto Rico, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, and other countries, and by various names. She is the Goddess of the Sea, and well-loved in the port city of Salvador. Her image is seen all over, as a sign of devotion, or decoration, even in advertising. I'll be looking for and collecting more images. I'll try to paint a bit while I'm there, but the ocean is close by, and distractions are rampant. So we'll see . . . .