Bom dia!

Today was definitely more relaxed than the past have been. We all met for class in the same art building and half of us presented our Brazilian artist we chose to learn about. They ranged from painters to sculptors to graffiti artists (interesting enough, street art is legalized in Rio de Janeiro) and we were able to see the different techniques and impressions varying between all of them. We then talked about the different elements and principles of sketching, including texture, color, form, focal point, etc., and had to draw our hands four different times; once with just looking at our hand and not at the paper at all!

After class, we all enjoyed the city in our own ways. Some of us went to the market and beach in Copacabana and some others went to Ipamena beach and to dinner.  It was nice to enjoy a relaxing day at the beach/city and purchase some souvenirs from the local vendors. More to come tomorrow after our trip to the art museum! 

Ciao! Olivia and Kara

Tres Dia!

 Today was our first day of class at our lovely classroom/park in Escoloa De Artes Visuais Do Parque Lage! We caught cabs after a quick breakfast at the hotel, and after a short drive we arrived at the class.  Although we call it a classroom, in reality we're studying at a beautiful landmark surrounded by nature, perfect for our subject matter! From outside the school you can see the Christ the Redeemer statue looming nearby over head in the mountains.  Besides the beautiful scenery, the school building's architecture itself is gorgeous with an outdoor courtyard and pond in the center.  Once we stopped admiring the view we got down to business and compared our five sketches from Jardim Botanico, both good and bad sketches.  For our first lecture we learned about the world of plants, and we practiced doing warm up sketching exercises to flex our artistic abilities.  We then explored the grounds and practiced really observing and sketching our surroundings in privacy.

After class many of us headed out to the beach to get some sun and relax.  We discovered that because it was a weekday the beach was less crowded, and there was much more space to spread out for our large group.  After getting sun-kissed (and in some cases burnt), we returned to the hotel for more free time until dinner.  We began to really bond and get to know each other better while hanging out!

Our group then cleaned up and met to walk together to the upscale Hotel Othon.  The elevator took us up to the top floor where we were able to get a different perspective of Copacabana beach.  We hung out on the roof top to watch the sun set and take some photographs.  The view was absolutely breathtaking! At this point all of our tummies were rumbling, so we rushed over to an Arabian restaurant a few blocks away for a change from the traditional brazilian food we've been eating.  The food was delicious, but the conversation was even better so we hung out there for awhile.  By the time we got back everyone was full, happy, and tired.  We can't wait for what tomorrow has in store for us!

Tchau!!

Jesse and Gabby

Day 2 in Rio

Half of us spent the morning attending the hippe fair which is local artists and vendors that come to sell handmade crafts and souvenirs. The rest of us caught up on our sleep and met up with the rest of the group at 11:30am to take our first city bus ride to the Jardim Botanico (Botanical Garden). Before exploring the Jardim Botanico, we went to lunch at Couve Flor, a buffet where we paid for our food by weighing it by kilo. You get a ticket upon entry and before sitting down at the table your plate is weighed and it stamps a price based on the weight to your ticket.

After lunch, we walked down the street to the Jardim Botanico. Susan, our instructor, gave us our first sketching assignment to draw five subjects of interest found within the gardens. The Jardim Botanico contains around 65,000 species of plants, some endangered, along with waterfalls and greenhouses. There were also multiple statues and monuments along the paths.

After exploring the gardens for a couple of hours, we took the bus back to the hotel where we then spent the remaining afternoon hours poolside on the top deck. We watched the sunset from the rooftop to take pictures and enjoy the breeze.

Can’t wait for our first day of class tomorrow! Ciao!! 

-Paulina & Lindsay

Welcome to Rio!

WE MADE IT!!! 

We arrived this morning (1/4) at the Rio de Janeiro International Airport. Aft
er almost missing our connecting flight from Miami with 10 minutes to spare, all 18 of us arrived safely and ready to take on the greatest city in the world!

After getting off our 9 hour flight we met with André our new tour guide and hopped a ride to our new home at the Atlantis Copacabana Hotel. The weather went from 10 degrees to 90 in the blink of an eye and we couldn't wait to soak up the sun! We first got acclimated with our new city and headed straight for the bank to withdraw lots of reals (brazeilian currency). Then we got some down time before our first meeting and many of us hit the beach!

Our hotel is located one block from both Ipanema and Copacabana beach a.k.a the best location in Rio. The beach on a Saturday is sight to see with a lot of people who are wearing not a lot of clothing. Vendors sold think beach blankets, umbrellas, beach chairs and various beach snacks all day long. Once the heat got to us we headed back for a much needed shower and to unpack after
all our travels.

Professor Barton called us for a meeting before dinner where we discussed our relationships with plants  and ventured outside to a local park for a few quick writing exercises. Then we flagged down a few cabs (easier said than done) and headed to a restaurant in town for a classic Brazilian buffet.

After our long day it's safe to say we're all very tired but very excited for the adventures yet to come!

-Sarah Coonin and Colleen Coz

At the  airport, so excited to finally begin this adventure to Brazil and escape this blizzard!

checking to make sure this works now

Testing! Finally!