From Travel to Art: The Process from Otavalo to Series

How do I interpret the landscapes, people, events of my travel into the art I create when I come home? I take many photographs. I think about the things that had impact on my eyes, my senses. I wait a while to see what stays in my mind's eye. I remember the colors and textures that stand out in my memory.

So the roundness and colors of the fruits and vegetables at the market place

become the colors and textures I use in the art.

The rich volcanic soil that makes this area such perfect farmland

morphs into my interpretation of the patchwork views of farms seen from the Andes' heights.

The indigenous people from Otavalo are famous for weaving textiles, usually made of wool that is sometimes as black as a raven.

The colors and textures of the textiles, the landscape and all my memories become part of the art.

There are 4 more in this series. Visit lindadubingarfield.com to see those and other series inspired by travel.
 

Otavalo Art Series- Mixed Media

Travel to the Ecuadorean Andes in the Otavalo area provided much inspiration for artwork. The colorful clothing and textiles, the lush Andes, farmland patterns, abundant flowers, deep rich soil... all contributed to a vast visual vocabulary transposed into these 8 mixed media pieces.

Otavalo 1- Journey of Discovery

Otavalo 2- Heightened Moments

Otavalo 3- Where To Find Me

Otavalo 4- Traces Within

Otavalo 5- Everything Is Possible

Otavalo 6- Wisdom of the Land

Otavalo 7- Landscape Of Possibility

Otavalo 8-Joyful Intersections

Otavalo, Ecuador: Texture, Textiles and Tradition

--> The indigenous Otavaleños  (people from Otavalo) are famous for weaving textiles, usually made of wool (that is sometimes as black as a raven), which are sold at the famous Saturday market. Although the largest market is on Saturday, there is a very wide range of wares available throughout the week in the Plaza de los Ponchos, and the many local shops. The shops sell textiles such as handmade blankets, tablecloths, and much more.

During the market's peak, almost one third of the town becomes full of stalls selling textiles, tagua nut jewelry, musical instruments, dream catchers, leather goods, fake shrunken heads, indigenous costumes, hand-painted platters and trays, purses, clothing, spices, raw foods and spools of wool.

Otavalo was an area made up principally of farming communities due to the rich volcanic soils in this area, but with the growth of tourism, the town has begun to focus more on the making of handicrafts which have made the Saturday market a popular stop with visitors to Ecuador. Tourism has become the town's main industry. Further, Otavaleño have had notable success selling their goods abroad.

Staying in a hacienda while visiting Ecuador has become a “must do” for any trip to the Ecuadorian Andes. Experience historical farm houses that date back to the 16th century that have been renovated and changed into first class hotels, lodges and inns.

Haciendas in most cases were founded by Spanish settlers who received large gifts of land from the Spanish and then later Ecuadorian government and managed expansive farms using the local indigenous population as laborers. Most haciendas nowadays are reduced to a small area of land around the historical house after centuries of land reforms and selling of land parcels to neighboring farmers. But many of the remaining houses maintain their original architecture, gardens, towering trees and old world ambiance.

Hacienda Cusin is a luxurious country inn amidst eternally blooming gardens and nearly 400 years of colonial history. Located near Otavalo in a spectacular natural setting at the foot of the dormant Imbaburra volcano, activities like horseback riding, mountain biking, and high tea on the balcony are not to be missed.

Dating from the 1600s, Hacienda Zuleta lies at 9,600 feet above sea level in the spectacular Andean mountain range of Ecuador, 2 hours North of Quito. This eco-resort, nature sanctuary and working farm is the home of former Ecuadorian president, Galo Plaza and maintains an authenticity rarely found in modern accommodations. Guests of Hacienda Zuleta have access to our full horse barn and horseback riding trails, prime bird watching areas, mountain bikes, Andean Condor sanctuary, endangered Spectacle bear habitat area, organic gardens, working dairy farm, cheese factory and museum, hiking trails, local community culture and artisans and much more.

I will be posting the art I made based on travel to this wonderful place! I have been working on the series for months and am almost finished and ready to show the 8 pieces! Here are some photos from our trip which inspired my work.

Andes Near Otavalo at Hacienda Zuleta

Farms near Hacienda Zuleta

Beautiful Andes

The Andes are all around

Marketplace at Otavalo

Colorful Vegetables For Sale

Colorful Beans and Rice

Textiles Made by Locals

Potatoes in Many Hues and Shapes

ECUADOR- Traveling 14,000 feet in One Day!

We drove from Quito to Guayaquil and went from 14,000 feet to sea level on the way. We stopped in Cajas National Park and saw the Continental Divide at Three Crosses. We went through cloud forests as well.

Good bye Andes! You are amazing!

ECUADOR- Inca Ruins

Not far from Cuenca are the nearby ruins of Ingapirca (Wall of Inca Stones.) These are the famous ruins that, according to the experts, were used to control the native Cañaris. Stores, bathrooms, a tambo for the Inca, a temple dedicated to the sun, they are part of Ingapirca that was built in the 15th century by orders of Huayna Capac.

ECUADOR- Quito, a very high capital city!

Quito, formally San Francisco de Quito, is the capital of Ecuador and at an elevation of 9,350 feet, it was highest official capital city in the world until La Paz became the capital of Peru. It is located in South America Ecuador on the eastern slopes of Pichincha, an active volcano in the Andes mountains. With a population of 2,671,191 according to the last census (2014), Quito is the second most populous city in Ecuador, after Guayaquil. In 2008, the city was designated as the headquarters of the Union of South American Nations.

The historic center of Quito has one of the largest, least-altered and best-preserved historic centers in the Americas. Quito, along with Kraków, were the first World Cultural Heritage Sites declared by UNESCO in 1978.The central square of Quito is located about 25 kilometres (16 mi) south of the equator; the city itself extends to within about 1 kilometre (0.62 mi) of zero latitude. A monument and museum marking the general location of the equator is known locally as la mitad del mundo (the middle of the world), to avoid confusion, as the word ecuador is Spanish for equator.

ECUADOR- The Galápagos Islands

Pinch me! Here I am in the Galápagos Islands! We are staying on Santa Cruz, a larger island and are taking boat cruises to other islands- Seymour and Plaza. It is now rainy season so we have some rain.

The Galápagos Islands are an archipelago of volcanic islands distributed on either side of the Equator in the Pacific Ocean, 563 miles west of continental Ecuador, of which they are a part.

The Galápagos Islands and their surrounding waters form an Ecuadorian province, a national park and a biological marine reserve. The principal language on the islands is Spanish. The islands have a population of slightly over 25,000.

The islands are famed for their vast number of endemic species (only found here) and were studied by Charles Darwin during the voyage of the Beagle. His observations and collections contributed to the Darwin's theory of evolution by natural selection.

Notice the colors of the water:

Bird caught in flight around boat:

ECUADOR- Cuenca

The city of Cuenca — in full, Santa Ana de los cuatro ríos de Cuenca — is the capital of the Azuay Province. It is located in the highlands of Ecuador at about 2500 meters above sea level. The center of the city is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Trust site because of its many historical buildings.

Most tourists visit the historic area, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, between the river Tomebamba and the street Gran Colombia to the north, General Torres to the west, and Hermano Miguel to the east. This area's compactness, grid-like layout, and numerous readily identifiable monuments make it easy to navigate. Outside this area the city can be confusing, as there are dozens of narrow colonial streets with similar buildings. This city has four rivers and beautiful parks!