STUDY ABROAD

Fall 2016 icds costa rica, spring 2017 at Bezalel

A year of self discovery and artistic development

New York - Costa Rica - Tampa - Israel - Tampa

Briana

Oil pastel on paper, 8.5x11” (2016)

Frida Kahlo

Oil pastel on paper, 8.5x11” (2016)

Amy

Oil pastel on paper, 8.5x11” (2016)

Frida Kahlo

Oil pastel on paper, 8.5x11” (2016)

Lady Lilah

Oil pastel on paper, 8.5x11” (2016)

Hannah

Oil pastel on paper, 8.5x11” (2016)

Atara

Gouache on paper, 8.5x11” (2016)

Lilah

Gouache on paper, 8.5x11” (2016)

(Detail)

Oil pastel on paper, 8.5x11” (2016)

Stop 1: summer in New York

The summer before going to Costa Rica, I lived with family in New York, had an internship at NYBC and took a couple classes at Baruch. I bought a nice sketchbook and some oil pastels, and drew sometimes in my spare time. I also painted with gouache. I think I was fueled by the good time I had in upper level painting in the previous semester.

Stop 2: Costa Rica

Talking about the design with the owner of the farm.

Me with the approved mural design.

Mural design chalked onto the designated space.

Me breaking large tile pieces into smaller tile pieces.

Breaking large tile pieces into smaller tile pieces with the help of Helen, one of my ICDS professors.

Helen and I breaking large tile pieces into smaller tile pieces.

Scoring the wall so that the tiles can be applied securely.

Scoring the wall space.

JoseMario, the social media director for La Finca la Flor, helping me score the wall.

The entirely scored wall, before application of ceramic tiles.

Applying cement to a ceramic piece before placement onto the wall.

Eduardo, my project mentor, helping me get the mural started.

Eduardo showing me to wipe off the wet cement from the front face of the tiles with a moist sponge.

Susana, a high school student living on the farm, was a significant help for me in completing the mural.

Susana preparing ceramic tiles for me to lay by applying cement.

Explaining the design to Susana.

Talking with Susana while working on the mural.

Talking to Susana while taking a short break.

Progress photo.

Susana and I smiling for a photo that Helen, my professor, took.

Continuing the process of applying cement and laying ceramic pieces.

Omar, one of our mentor-teachers who works on the farm, helping me lay ceramic pieces.

Helen, my ICDS professor, smiling with me for a photo before the in-progress mural.

Omar, myself, Eduardo, and JoseMario (from left to right) laying ceramic pieces.

Omar, myself, Helen, and JoseMario (from left to right) laying ceramic pieces.

Mural in progress.

Susana and I smiling, feeling accomplished, in front of the finished mural!

Posing in front of the finished mural, the morning of my final presentation.

A volunteer, smiling in front of the finished piece, who helped Omar finalize the mural by filling in the spaces between the tiles!

MURAL PROECT AT FINCA LA FLOR - AUGUST 2016

"Food Security in Rural Costa Rica" is a three week long service-learning course that I took as part of my semester long study abroad with the International Center for Development Studies (ICDS) in Costa Rica. This course took place at Finca la Flor, an educational farm located in La Flor, Costa Rica. I, along with six other students learned from mentors and teachers who live on the farm as well as two teachers from ICDS, Yanina and Helen. As part of the program, we learned about sustainable agriculture and permaculture - weeding, planting, feeding and milking goats, composting and planning our own projects to contribute to this farm that is ever-evolving with each visitor. I was particularly inspired by Eduardo, one of our mentors who has a passion for sustainable architecture. I worked alongside Adrianna, one of the other students, on sustainable architecture projects. We helped build one the walls of a new building at La Finca with a mixture of lime, chopped hay, and clay from nearby. We also worked on a project to make Finca la Flor more accessible with plans for a ramp and installment of a bamboo handrail for an already existing set of stairs.

For my personal project, I wanted to make a mural from ceramic waste. Although ceramic waste is not bad for the environment, it has a lot of potential to be appreciated if transformed into something meaningful. The process of building this mural involved several steps: design, approval, collection of material, acquiring expert advice, and community involvement. After designing, I received approval to move forward from the owner of the farm. I chalked the design into the designated space, and Eduardo showed me how to score the wall and make cement. For material, I used broken leftover pieces of tile and mugs found on the farm. Most of the blue tile pieces used in the mural are scattered scraps that I collected from the extended gravel driveway up to La Finca. This project came together within the last week of of the program. In recognition that I was not part of the permanent community at Finca la Flor, I wanted the more permanent community to help me create my vision. This involvement became a reality, and even a necessity for I would not have been able to finish without the help of others. The photos below document the community effort in completing my project. I've never made a mural before, and there were several times that I did not believe I could finish in such a short time. When I finally finished laying all of the ceramic pieces, I felt extremely accomplished. Omar, one of our mentors who worked on the farm, completed the mural with another volunteer after me by filling in the cracks with grout.

Costa Rica

Blueberry person

Self portrait

Lost tiny notebook

AN ODE TO MY LOST TINY NOTEBOOK - 17 JANUARY 2018

October 2016 - February 2017. Costa Rica, Nicaragua, USA, Israel.

I carried you with me on so many of my adventures. You helped me realize the great value in portability of art making. With you, I learned to choose a small goal - as small as 3x4" - and to commit to it. With you, I learned that painting does not need to be an elaborate ordeal, but rather it could be a short-lived impulse. I'm sad to have lost you on account of my carelessness because you meant so much to me. If I could only turn back time, I would pluck you from inside of my hiking boot sitting on the overhead ledge of that Jerusalem bus. I have a new tiny notebook now, but I still miss you. I hope you are doing well and enjoying hanging out with all your new friends, all of the other beloved items I have lost in my life.

Lost tiny notebook was purchased in Jaco, Costa Rica.

Jaco, Costa Rica - page 1

Glitter pen on paper, 3x4" (2016).

Jaco, Costa Rica - page 2

Glitter pen on paper, 3x4" (2016)

San Pedro, San Jose, Costa Rica - page 3

Glitter pen on paper, 3x4" (2016).

San Pedro, San Jose, Costa Rica - page 4

Gouache on paper, 3x4" (2016).

San Pedro, San Jose, Costa Rica - page 5

Gouache on paper, 3x4" (2016).

San Pedro, San Jose, Costa Rica - page 6

Gouache on paper, 3x4" (2016).

San Pedro, San Jose, Costa Rica - page 7

Gouache on paper, 3x4" (2016).

Erupting Masaya Volcano, Nicaragua - page 9

Glitter pen on paper, 3x4" (2016).

San Pedro, San Jose, Costa Rica - page 10

Gouache on paper, 3x4" (2016).

San Pedro, San Jose, Costa Rica - page 11

Gouache on paper, 3x4" (2016).

San Pedro, San Jose, Costa Rica - page 12

Gouache on paper, 3x4" (2016).

San Pedro, San Jose, Costa Rica - page 13

Gouache on paper, 3x4" (2016).

San Pedro, San Jose, Costa Rica - page 14

Gouache on paper, 3x4" (2016).

La Fortuna, Costa Rica - page 15

Gouache on paper, 3x4" (2016).

La Fortuna, Costa Rica

Gouache on paper, 3x4" (2016).

San Jose, Costa Rica - page 16

Little Frida - San Pedro, San Jose, Costa Rica - page 17

San Pedro, San Jose, Costa Rica - page 18

Gouache on paper, 3x4" (2016).

Costa Rica Colors - Aryeh in New York, NY - page 19

Gouache on paper, 3x4" (2016).

Savyon, Israel - page 20

Oil pastel on paper, 3x4" (2017).

Savyon, Israel - page 21

Oil paste on paper, 3Oil pastel on paper, 3x4" (2017).

Savyon, Israel - page 22

Glitter pen and gouache on paper, 3x4" (2017).

Baha'i Gardens, Haifa, Israel - page 23

Glitter pen and gouache on paper, 3x4" (2017).

Baha'i Gardens, Haifa, Israel - page 24

Glitter pen on paper, 3x4" (2017).

Mouse Girl - Savyon, Israel - page 25

Glitter pen and gouache on paper, 3x4" (2017).

Ruins at Masada, Israel - page 26

Glitter pen and gouache on paper, 3x4" (2017).

Jerusalem, where lost tiny notebook is believed to be lost.

Stop 3: Home for the holidays (tampa)

In between my semester in San Jose and my semester in Jerusalem, I hibernated in Tampa for a bit and spent some quality time with family. I did a lot of art, mostly portraits. I worked with watercolor, gouache and oil pastel for the most part.