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THE MOLA SERIES

Fine Arts

THE MOLA SERIES
The Series Continues to Evolve!
Panama's Kuna Indians' Mola textiles inspired a new painting style ! This series of paintings began as watercolors that jumped out of the starting gate and continue to evolve with each painting! After the first few were completed, I realized that my old sketchbooks held a goldmine of drawings based on field and museum studies of precolumbian designs! I could finally tap into my travel sketches and bring them to life!

Enjoy a sneak peek of some of the originals for the opening solo show/reception at Museo Cancebi, Manta Ecuador - Friday, May 18th, 2010 - 7:00 P.M.

All Images: Copyright Lisa Brunetti
"Gecko meets Iguana" - #1 of a fast-evolving series!
"Antigua" #3 - based on an authentic textile in order to study how they are made. Watercolor.
"Museum Guardians" Watercolor - Jama Coaque designs from Jama Ecuador Museum
"Jama Coaque Mano" - From Jama Coaque Sello (Ecuador)
"Perdido" -From Banco Central Museum - Manta Ecuador - pottery/
"SPOOKY" - This one took control and demanded a 3D form! Watercolor (Ecuador pottery)
"Joe!" - Hueso - This was a monochromatic bone carving; All details are authentic, but the colors are from imagination. When finished, I realized that this has the startled look that my musician friend, Joe Bass, often wears!
"Nicaragua Animal" - Pottery from museum in Rivas, Nicaragua - Watercolor
"Froggy" - A happy piece, inspired from an artifact in Costa Rica's gold museum.
"Happy!" (Colors not clear) - Jama Coaque (Ecuador) Watercolor
"Tortuga" - From Costa Rica's gold museum. After finishing this one, my shoulder protested with 'bursitis' and put me on the bench for a month's break from painting!
"Hummingbird/Angel" - Watercolor - After a month, I decided to slowly wean back into painting and stopped every hour. My shoulder bit back, and I visited a kinesiologist, who eliminated all problems and predicted I would not be bothered again unless I re-injured my shoulder!
"Tres Manos" - A month later I tested Doc Tangri's healing powers and tackled the first large mola painting. Tres Manos (acrylic) propelled me into larger paintings, and it combines the Jama Coaque sello designs with a pottery iguana from Guayaquil's Banco Central museum. Whimsical touches of nature add to the tromp l'oeil effect.
"Van Gogh Swirl" quickly followed. This ceibo tree and I argued with each other until I finally gave it free rein! (My shoulder never complained!)
"CEIBO SPRAWL" - Ecuador's Ceibo Trees are magnificent! I could easily devote an entire series to these unique trees!
"RED CAPES" (Guaranda Ecuador) - Watercolor - It was time to get back to my love - watercolors!
"Toucan" - OK.. Every artist has to paint a toucan at some point, right?!!! Acrylic in watercolor style on paper.
"Twin Smiles" Mola -Ecuadorian Pottery- A friend asked, "How did you glue that pottery onto your painting?"
Life is good! Z
"Sea Shell Swirls" - It's often fun to paint the frame to enhance and extend the image of the painting! Acrylic
"KOI" This is one of my favorites, and it was a joy to paint! Acrylic
"Crazy Congrejo" - Acrylic on paper - This one was fun!
"Happy Shoes" - watercolor and acrylic - I always love how most people in the tropics politely remove their shoes before entering one's home. Seeing flip flops by the door always makes me smile. As I pondered which butterfly to work into the design, I discovered this specimen in my garden. How kind of it to die where I would see it, and now it lives forever!
Oversized butterflies in progress; I could have been painting tonight, but I was uploading to catch up on my neglect of my Behance projects!

Thank you for wading through these images! Let me know what you think! Z