Iguasu Falls

On our first free “weekend, 12 of us and Andre went to Iguasu Falls.  The other 6 held down the fort in Rio.  On our first day we visited the Brazilian side of Area Cataratus.  We were so impressed with the first set of falls we observed, but that was only the beginning.  There are 23 falls in all and the walkway for observation goes on for about one mile, ending in Devil’s throat – our first taste of getting truly wet. 

On day 2 we went to the Argentinian side of the falls (another stamp in our passports!) and visited Parque Nacional Iguazu. We took a tour that included a jeep safari in the jungle; road a large rubber raft up to and under the falls (completely soaking everyone); and hiked on the lower circuit and the upper trail at the top of the falls. 

 

The coatimundi (raccoon relatives), in their quest for food, were great entertainment during our lunch break. It started to rain as we walked on a very slippery 1100m long metal bridge to the very top of Devil’s throat.  We were cold and wet, but it was worth it! We ended the day with dinner at an outdoor restaurant in Foz do Iguasu.

Day 3 began with a great visit to Parque das Aves--a park/aviary devoted to rescue and reproduction of endangered birds.  The toucans hopped along the railing and there were many enclosures where birds flew all around us.  We saw the world’s largest eagle (harpy eagle), stunning pink flamingos and hyacinth macaws to name of few of the fantastic birds.

- Sue and Deanna

Dia Oito

Today we went to the local park near our hotel and learned the techniques of scaling. We first did an exercise by sketching something in the park using our pencils as a comparison to scale. Then we did an exercise where we were told to draw our partners face using the same scaling method. Our professor Sue then took our books and the rest of the class had to guess who the sketches were of. Some of them were easier to guess than others but we had a good time doing it.

We then had a break and met in the afternoon to start our journey to Sugar Loaf Mountain. We had the option to take the gondolas up to the top but instead decided to take the scenic route and hike the entirety of the way. The hike began fairly easy but soon became increasingly difficult as we progressed. Heres a picture of us climbing through one of the tougher trails.

 The end of the hike lead us to a beautiful and incredibly scenic view of Rio. We all stopped to soak it all in but we were shortly informed that this was not the best view yet.

 To our amazement we turned the corner and headed to another gondola leading to the very tip of Sugar Loaf Mountain. The view here was indescribable and really gave us an appreciation of the aesthetics Rio has to offer. We all gathered to take pictures as the sun slowly set in the distance.

 Tomorrow half of the group will be heading to Iguasu Falls while the other half of us will be staying back in Copacabana to soak up the sun on the beach. We are apart of the group not going to the falls and am very much looking forward to seeing the pictures of their experience as I'm sure all of you reading are as well.

- Paul and Liz 

Dia Sete

This morning we made the two hour journey to the home of Roberto Burle Marx, the most revered landscape designer of Brazil. Upon arrival, we were amazed to find a massive forest of tropical plants that had been arranged into a beautiful garden. We even spotted little monkeys high up in the trees, and learned that they are called "Mico"!

We learned that Marx was the first to incorporate native plants into his landscape designs, while discouraging the use of the European plants that had been favored. Marx had to cultivate these tropical plants by hand, and his collection presents about 3,500 cultivated species. We were also able to see Marx's home, now converted into a museum; it is filled with his artwork, including ceramics, paintings, tapestries, and decorative tiles. As we roamed the gardens, we searched for examples of the principles of design, including contrast, repetition, focal point, balance, scale, sequence, and unity. Then we learned about positive and negative space in sketching, and were able to practice some sketches in the garden!

Afterwards, we drove to Grumari Beach where we spent a relaxing afternoon. The beach was a lot less crowded than in Ipanema and had a gorgeous backdrop of tropical plants and cacti!
We are having an amazing time, and are looking forward to everything to come!

Emma S. & Dave W.

Dia Seis

Today we learned different techniques for using a range of tone in our drawings.  From shading to cross hatching, we really developed our abilities to portray 3-dimentionality and experimented with various pencils.  

After that we used viewfinders made from index cards to focus on a specific point of a larger scene.  This allowed us to concentrate more on what we were drawing, and as a result noticed details that we hadn’t before.

We also had our first introductory lesson about the life and works of Roberto Burle Marx.  Tomorrow we will be going to visit his ranch for the day to see some of his landscape designs in person. So exciting!!  We will be paying close attention to his genius use of the principles and elements of design—can’t wait!

We ended our sixth day by watching the sunset over the water from a large rock outcropping in between Ipanema and Copacabana beaches. At this point, we can see the sun rise and set, one of the most breathtaking places in Rio. When the sun finally sunk into the glistening ocean, we applauded alongside locals and visitors alike. Now there’s an example of unity!

Looking forward to the next few weeks, and the adventures that await us!

Ciao! –Kiera C. and Dave C.

Dia Cinco

Today, we embarked on a great adventure into the heart of the city. We awoke early and headed out on the metro for the first time in the study abroad. Then much walking took place as we traveled to where we would catch a ferry to take us to Niterói Contemporary Art Museum in the aforementioned city. This was a super cool museum! It resembled the architecture of a retro spaceship. 
Just outside the museum we took our first group photo in front of Guamabara Bay! Inside we found a gallery arranged with stunning artwork. We explored for a bit and then headed to a much needed lunch underneath the museum. The lunch was full of main dishes with aesthetic properties. After we all had our share of food and conversation, we went straight to work for our assignment of the day. We each chose a piece of artwork that caught our eye and sketched it for about an hour. This really taught us about object and form, plus the artwork was so beautiful; it was fun!
After a very exhausting excursion we finally headed back to good ol' Atlantis Copacabana hotel. 
Ciao!
Laurie & Darrell

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