Saturday, March 27, 2021

World Inspired Landscapes: Bolivia

Researching this painting I learned a lot about South America for example in Bolivia there is an entire community of people who are descendants of slaves that were brought over from Africa a long time ago. One of the men had special tattoos on him that signified he was taken from a ruling family in his country, and so he became the leader of the Afro-Bolivians, he became their king. Two generations later his descendant is the current king of the community and the president of Bolivia has recognized the man as leader. The area where they live is called the Yungas, a rugged mountainous region rich in natural resources. Farther to the south west of Boliva expansive salt flats are found. They are lakes of salt water, people can even walk in the shallow parts. Mirror-like reflections are created by the salt flats resulting in the most remarkable landscapes. In this painting I show the desert in the foreground, rolling mountains in the middle ground, lush forested mountains in the distant background, and the sky mirrored in the flats. The salt flats have interesting geometric shapes created when the salt dries and cracks but the painting was too small to catch the effect. Flamingos also flock to these areas presumably to feast on brine shrimp. 

World Inspired Landscapes: Bolivia, 3 x 5" cold press, watercolour, March 2021 (No. 2605)

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