¡Feliz Año Nuevo de Perú!/ Happy New Year from Peru!

Mayo River of Chazuta.

New Year’s greetings from Peru! This gallery offers my initial impressions since arriving in mid-December. First stop: the nation’s capitol Lima, where street art and public life captivated me. A few days thereafter, I flew to Tarapoto — a main hub for the northern San Martin province — en route to my “home” destination: the village of San Roque de Cumbaza. My first guided travel was to Chazuta after Christmas, where I met local “artesanas”/ women artisans: papermakers and potters. Do you want to “visit” these places? Checkout this interactive map of Peru from National Geographic!

View from Sachaqa Centro de Arte of San Roque de Cumbaza.

Over the holidays, I’ve settled into Sachaqa Centro de Arte for my artist residency in the upper Amazon. These early weeks are all about exploring captivating surroundings like the Cumbaza River. Native flora are potential resources for creative materials: palm leaves as paper, “cetica” leaves as canvas, and nature’s contours for printmaking. Stay tuned for a future gallery with select experiments!

As expected, my internet access is quite limited from the mountains. So I will keep Dey of the Phoenix readers updated with galleries during periodic “city visits”. Fuller stories certainly will follow my return Stateside, expected mid-February. Meanwhile, your support continues to make an impact while I’m abroad! With helping hands in Michigan, my new Etsy store is open. Also, commissions for limited-edition book art Emergence continue to be scheduled for delivery March onwards. Plus a few editions of Emergence are available through January at MICA Gallery of Lansing!

Mural in the Historic District of Lima.

My deepest thanks to loved ones and supporters who connected at events in Michigan before my departure. Your warmth ever shines across our distance. “Wow thanks” to the generous soul who contacted me on departure day with a $500 donation! And “happy-dance thanks” to Sachaqa’s on-site staff Daniel and Sean for a smooth and personal start to my residency.

In closing, Greater-Lansing folks and those who travel, please note a special one-day exhibition “Eyes Wide Open” takes place January 10, at Red Cedar Meeting House, 1400 Turner Street, from 12:30pm to 4:30pm. This event and the collection memorializes the human cost of war. The occasion also is a time for celebration, connection, honoring, healing, and reflection upon more than ten years of war in Iraq and Afghanistan. Fellowship of Quakers in the Arts (FQA) members Sandra Cade, Elizabeth Warren, and Kathy Ossmann will debut original works made for this exhibition. My mixed-media triptych The Healing (2012) also will be on site, a work inspired by my own experience with EWO in 2010.

: Neighborhood La Victoria, near Lima’s center. An everyday sight for fresh juice to cool the hot days.

: La Victora neighborhood in Lima, near my hostel. A variety of graffiti caught my eye, including this expression.

: Historic District of LIma. “Silencio” signs are common outside certain venues like churches and, apparently, authority quarters.

: Central Lima, a demonstration in a main plaza.

: Inside Museo Larco, with a collection of anciet artifacts including erotica.

: Miraflores (Lima) at Kulcafe. Another captivating mural.

: Tarapoto in the province San Martin. The central plaza is a glow for the holiday.

: On the way “up the hill” to Sachaqa Centro de Arte.

: Same point but the view “down the hill” from the art center and to the village.

: Sunset view from Sachaqa.

: The Cumbaza River of San Roque. The far side is a peaceful lagoon.

: My friend Water Spider at the Cumbaza River.

: Chazuta, visiting the papermakers. Berta is the president of the association with over 25 members. The first step in their 4-day process is cutting the bark. Thanks to Daniel Lerner for the photo!