Blog Archives
Travel photo of the month*
*favorite travel photos that have not yet appeared in this blog
Salar de Uyuni, Bolivia
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Travel photo of the month*
*favorite travel photos that have not yet appeared in this blog
In Oruro with Rodrigo Paz, the President of Bolivia
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Q: What’s on the easel today?
26” x 20” pastel painting in progress
A: I’ve just started a new “Bolivianos” pastel painting based on a photo captured at MUSEF La Paz during my February trip to Bolivia.
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Q: How do you think your recent trip to Bolivia will affect your work?
Reference photo from my trip to Bolivia
A: I have been back in the United States for one month and I know from past trips that there is always a long gestation period as I reflect on colorful new experiences, new sights, sounds, etc. My three and a half-weeks in Bolivia were non-stop, intense, and just full of so many high points. Bolivia is a fascinating country with profound cultural riches, and exceptionally warm and welcoming people. I experienced new friendships and events that were way beyond anything I could have imagined. In short, there’s a lot to process!
In the immediate aftermath, back in the studio I am deliberately selecting more vibrant colors and bumping up the contrast and drama in the painting on my easel (“Gatecrasher”) as I attempt to reflect some of what I saw and experienced in Oruro during Carnaval. I have begun to plan a pastel painting based on the mask pictured above, which I photographed in La Paz. We shall see what new work is created over the coming months and years. For now, it’s exciting to be reenergized and to have new subject matter with which to work. And, at this early date, I can barely conceive what our new Bolivia documentary will be like!
Comments are welcome!
Q: What’s on the easel today?
Work in progress
A: I continue working on “Gatecrasher,” soft pastel on sandpaper, 58” x 38.” In February I was privileged to visit this mask on exhibit at MUSEF La Paz in Bolivia. It was my second visit to the museum; the first was in 2017. Even more so this time, I was bowled over with how spectacular this particular mask is in person. Plus, I had forgotten its huge size. So I am absolutely determined to bump up my game and even more inspired to make this painting as strong and powerful as I possibly can!
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Travel photo of the month*
*favorite travel photos that have not yet appeared in this blog
Sucre, Bolivia
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Travel photo of the month*
On the road above Lake Titicaca in Bolivia, May 2017
*favorite travel photos that have not yet appeared in this blog
Lately my thoughts are turning to Bolivia as we continue to plan a research trip to see the Oruro Carnival in February and to make a second documentary!
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Travel photo of the month*
A market somewhere in Bolivia
*favorite travel photos that have not yet appeared in this blog
Comments are welcome!
Travel photo of the month*
Lake Titicaca from Isla de La Luna, Bolivia
*favorite travel photos that have not yet appeared on this blog
What I love about this photo, besides the fact that you can see for miles in clear, gorgeous light at 12,000’, is that cactus and snow-covered Andean peaks are visible in the same image.
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Q: What lies in the future for you? (Question from “Cultured Focus Magazine”)
A: I still have so much to say and share through my work! First, I want to continue creating and adding to the “Boliviano” series of pastel paintings that I began in 2017.
Second, Jennifer Cox, my director, and I are considering making part II of our film, “Barbara Rachko: True Grit,” which will require a return trip to Bolivia – to the Museum of Ethnography and Folklore in La Paz, where I first encountered the masks that are my current subject matter, and to Oruro to see similar masks in action during Carnival celebrations. This will be a complex undertaking and the issue of financing will first need to be resolved. Stay tuned!
Comments are welcome!
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