Tropical Impressions from Costa Rica
David McEown
In December 2019, I returned to Costa Rica to revisit sites i painted many years ago when I began a series of large watercolours involving some of this earth's rare and rapidly changing ecosystems. After painting polar subjects over the last 16 years it was refreshing to change the pallet and bring along new camera and video technologies to record these special places.
Most of this trip focused on painting on location in the tropical rainforest , Corcovado Park, Osa Peninsula. This is one of most bio diverse parts of the planet and the senses are just wonderfully overwhelmed. Polar painting in the cold seems more challenging but the tropics has its own adjustments. Besides dripping sweat on to the paper , the humidity was so saturated overtime it dissolved the papers surface sizing thus causing some funky things on the paper . In this case i worked shape by shape (instead of soaking the whole sheet) and followed the quickly changing interior rainforest shadows. Such is paradise but one has to be mindful of snakes, as we saw earlier in the day a young highly venomous fur de lance. The flanged buttresses of these massive trees are decorated with lichen and moss patchwork. Sleeping bats were nestled in the cracks while butterfly’s would sometime stop and have a taste of the wash in my pallet. On a perfect day one can loose track of the time, which should be noted that once the sun sets it quickly gets incredibly dark and lots of the “fun” stuff comes out to play. So grateful to be back and learn from this place.
Night walks in the tropical rainforest was a real highlight. Having excellent guides also made possible unique sitings of several frog species. I did attempt a few night sketches in the light rain by flashlight, but we focused on photography for reference. I have been working on a series of paintings celebrating these delicate creatures to add to a body of work on rainforests.
During this painting and reference gathering trip in Costa Rica last month we had a wonderful 2 day visit at the Toucan Rescue Ranch in San Jose.
We were so impressed by the professionalism and dedication of the people that work at the clinic and rehab centre. Their mission is to rescue, rehabilitate, and release Costa Rica wildlife while focusing on conservation, education, and research.
During a recent visit to Toronto i was able to revisit a large painting that was commissioned a few years ago. This painting was inspired by a trip to the pacific coast of Costa Rica. From the many studies done on location, i worked out this design and painted on 3 pieces of A’rches, 140 Lb cold press cotton rag paper cut off the roll.
“All the elements participate in the dance of life in the tropics where this planet's life force reaches its utmost expression. From transpiration the water gathers in pools from the dripping lianas and bromeliads and starts to flow among living sculptures, the flanged buttresses of ancient trees. Water then carves its way through clay and volcanic rock downward to the ocean. The water then arrives again to the forest from the rain clouds. The music continues through the symbiosis between flora and fauna. Decay is quickly transformed in the forest floor shadows into nutrients that are then resurrected to the light of the forest canopy.”
The process of painting starts by immersing into the landscape and painting many on site sketches of the area. Then back in the studio the experience is recollected and a synthesis of the various interactions of forms and species experienced are envisioned into a organic whole. The large scale of the painting combines the complex microcosm with the distant macrocosm to celebrate in colour the relationships and patterns; ocean to forest, forest to light.
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2024
- Jun 4, 2024 Galapagos Islands Jun 4, 2024
- May 14, 2024 Workshops and Presentations, April -May 2024 May 14, 2024
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2023
- Sep 15, 2023 Great Bear Rainforest Impressions Sep 15, 2023
- May 15, 2023 Workshop and Presentations 2023 May 15, 2023
- Mar 26, 2023 Great Bear Rainforest Mar 26, 2023
- Jan 9, 2023 Grizzly Bears of Chilko Lake Jan 9, 2023
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2022
- Sep 14, 2022 Svalbard Impressions 2022 Sep 14, 2022
- Mar 28, 2022 Return to Antarctica and South Georgia Mar 28, 2022
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2021
- Sep 22, 2021 Khutzeymateen Grizzly Bear Sanctuary Sep 22, 2021
- Sep 22, 2021 Mt. Assiniboine Impressions in Watercolour Sep 22, 2021
- Jun 6, 2021 Explorers Club Jun 6, 2021
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2020
- Dec 16, 2020 Virtual online workshops by David McEown Dec 16, 2020
- Dec 6, 2020 Polar Adventures Dec 6, 2020
- Oct 12, 2020 Return to the River, Grizzly Bears of Northern British Columbia. Oct 12, 2020
- Mar 31, 2020 Tropical Impressions from Costa Rica Mar 31, 2020
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2019
- Oct 1, 2019 Arctic Impressions Oct 1, 2019
- Jul 10, 2019 Drawn to Water Jul 10, 2019
- May 5, 2019 Arctic Dreaming May 5, 2019
- May 5, 2019 Antarctica , Fire and Ice May 5, 2019
- Jan 3, 2019 Southern Ocean, South Georgia and Falkland Islands Jan 3, 2019
- Jan 3, 2019 A.J Casson Medal and the Royal Canadian Geographical Society Jan 3, 2019
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2018
- Sep 19, 2018 Kamchatka Sep 19, 2018
- Sep 19, 2018 Svalbard and the "Ice Bear" Sep 19, 2018
- Jan 21, 2018 Kings of South Georgia and Icescapes of Antarctica Jan 21, 2018
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2017
- Sep 5, 2017 Drawn to Africa Sep 5, 2017
- Sep 5, 2017 In Svalbard Ice Sep 5, 2017
- Mar 29, 2017 Antarctica Mar 29, 2017
- Mar 29, 2017 South Georgia Mar 29, 2017
- Mar 29, 2017 Falkland Islands Mar 29, 2017
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2016
- Oct 10, 2016 Northwest Passage, Canada and Greenland's Arctic in Watercolour Oct 10, 2016
- Oct 9, 2016 Svalbard 2016 Oct 9, 2016
- May 3, 2016 Mt. Fitz Roy, Patagonia, Argentina May 3, 2016
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2015
- Nov 9, 2015 SOUTH GEORGIA , Falkland Islands, OCT-Nov. 2015 Nov 9, 2015
- Sep 20, 2015 Upcoming Expeditions to South Georgia , Antarctica Sep 20, 2015
- Mar 20, 2015 Polar Wonders at the McMichael Canadian art Collection Mar 20, 2015
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2014
- Jun 18, 2014 Hollyhock Watercolour Workshop Jun 18, 2014
- Jan 13, 2014 Antarctica, South Georgia and the Falkland Islands 2013 painting highlights. Jan 13, 2014
- Jan 10, 2014 McMichael Canadian Art Collection "Art Mentorship Project" Jan 10, 2014
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2012
- Oct 9, 2012 The Northwest Passage Oct 9, 2012
- Aug 5, 2012 Painting In The Great Bear Rainforest Aug 5, 2012
- Aug 4, 2012 2012 Whistler and Gibsons Summer Workshops Aug 4, 2012
- Aug 3, 2012 Pacific Spirit Forest Series Aug 3, 2012
- Feb 22, 2012 Painting in Antarctica Feb 22, 2012
- Feb 20, 2012 Painting South Georgia Feb 20, 2012
- Feb 19, 2012 Commander Frank Wild Returns to South Georgia Feb 19, 2012
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2011
- Nov 3, 2011 Return to Antarctica and South Georgia Nov 3, 2011
- Nov 1, 2011 Pacific Spirit Regional Park Nov 1, 2011
- Sep 25, 2011 Denali, Watercolours from Alaska Sep 25, 2011
- Sep 23, 2011 Lake Superior Paintings Sep 23, 2011
- Jun 5, 2011 Antarctic Peninsula Jun 5, 2011
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2010
- Nov 29, 2010 Remembrance, a journey outward and within. Nov 29, 2010
- Nov 1, 2010 The Sockeye Salmon "Run of the Century", Adams River Nov 1, 2010
- Oct 10, 2010 Painting at Hallo Bay, Katmai National Park, Alaska Oct 10, 2010
- Sep 20, 2010 Federation of Canadian Artists on Gabriola Island Sep 20, 2010
- Aug 29, 2010 Painting along the Canol Heritage Trail Aug 29, 2010
- Jul 10, 2010 Whistler Art Workshops Jul 10, 2010
- Jun 18, 2010 The Hakai Institute Jun 18, 2010
- Jun 2, 2010 Hakai Beach, Great Bear Rainforest Jun 2, 2010
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2009
- Oct 21, 2009 The Canadian Rockies Oct 21, 2009
- Apr 20, 2009 The North Pole Apr 20, 2009
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2008
- Aug 28, 2008 North East Passage, Russian Arctic Aug 28, 2008
- Aug 20, 2008 Svalbard Journey by Sailboat Aug 20, 2008
- Jan 20, 2008 The Far Side of Antarctica and South Georgia Jan 20, 2008
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2007
- Sep 19, 2007 North East Greenland Sep 19, 2007
- Jul 21, 2007 North Pole by Icebreaker Jul 21, 2007
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2006
- Dec 21, 2006 Semi - Circumnavigation of Antarctica Dec 21, 2006
- Nov 21, 2006 Emperor Penguins, Snow Hill Island Nov 21, 2006
- Sep 21, 2006 Northwest Passage, Canadian Arctic, Nunavut, High arctic Sep 21, 2006
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2005
- Sep 16, 2005 High Arctic Journey Sep 16, 2005
- Jul 2, 2005 Welcome to the Art and Journeys blog of David McEown Jul 2, 2005