24 Hours: No English

Its been 24 hours and my brain is kinda freaking out. I'm exhausted and feel like I am a major pain in the ass because people have to explain everything several times and the tension and the frustration and knowing I'm bad at Portuguese is is making it more difficult to understand, speak and recal what I do know...

Por outro lado, eu gosto la experiência porque é unique e eu sai que eu vou crescer mas que todas las otras situações em Brazil. Eu vou aprender mais português. Os pesoas tem muitos patience comigo também. Elles são fantásticos. 

My portuguese is atrocious and its frustrating because I want to connect with people deeper but I can't because the words must be simplified so much. Even my thoughts in English are being dumbed down.

meus pensamentos em português são ideias complexas. Eu adoro la experiência é acredito que eu vou aprender muito coisas sobra la Brazilian cultura so observando. E eles falan que meu português é bom pra dois meses. E eu mais o menos concordo. Tenho muitos feliz e sorrisos quando uma convenção é swave. 

I miss home (mostly my husband) and I miss spicy food, eating with my hands and taking my shoes off indoors. I miss Laramie and am sad that there is a possibility that I may never return. I am sad that I'm not yet in Washington and I'm sad that Jim is stuck there without me.

Saldages é minha palavra favorite en la idioma português. E eu penso que é descritivo de a cultura beleza. Uma cultura com muito emoções linda e sentimental. As pesoas aqui é carinhosos e dulce. Eles pensam com suas emoções. E eu gosto disso. Tenho saldages pra meus amigos en Santa Catarina e eu terei muitos pra pesoas aqui, pierto de Brasília, e todo o país.

Challenges make you stronger.
Viagem é cultivo bonito. 

Looking at Brasilia

*I ended up going 5 days and it was amazing...eu tenho cinco dias sem inglês e é foi muito bom! Obrigada amigos Brasileiros! 

E mais uma coisa. Disculpa meio mal em português...Eu escrevi este no meu diário/jornal, depois de um mês de practca português :p 

For those of you who speak both languages...I didn't intend on the two different tones...it just happened as I journaled and switched languages...

Art Exhibition in Brazil!

I have been blessed with several incredible opportunities while here in Brazil!

One if the most exciting art opportunities I have had is this opportunity to be in an art exhibition with several local, extremely talented artists. The reception will be tonight!

You can see my drawings on the black panels in the background. I drew one a day while in the South of Brazil. Prior to coming to Brazilia, I spent one week in Foz do Iguassu touring and one month in Joinville working with US-Brazil Connect teaching English.

The artwork in the front is from some of the kids 300+ that I had in workshops while here in Brasilia.

I can't wait and will be sure to share more photos!

India Inspired Art+ Trash Installation

Felicia Follum Trash Installation Art

Felicia Follum Trash Installation Art

This installation piece was inspired by my comparison of American methods of dealing with trash and other countries. America tends to hide our trash even though we have way more trash than most countries. I compared this with the crazy amount of trash in the streets in India and other countries I have visited. In addition to the visible differences trash is often upcycled and reused in various ways. The reuse of trash and recycling leads to various jobs as well.

Check out the video below and be sure to subscribe to see my artists statement when I publish that post. Also subscribe to my YouTube channel to see lots of Art videos.
 

Felicia Follum Trash Installation Art

Felicia Follum Trash Installation Art

Felicia Follum Trash Installation Art

13 Beautiful India Moments

I know many of you have seen either my artwork in response to my time spent in India, snipits of my Hindi learning experience or photos from the workshops we participated in while in India. For those of you who have, this will hopefully a wonderful review and for those of you who have not seen, I hope you enjoy and check out my work regularly to see more of what I am creating in response to my time spent in India.

Laughter, Madhya Pradesh, India

I truly believe that laughter is the universal language. It transcends race, culture, religion and almost anything else that separates people. Though these ladies didn't speak any English and I didn't speak any of their languages, having my hair wrapped in a traditional style was a very special moment for me.

There were three of us in our group that had our hair/heads wrapped by a couple of women returning home from a wedding. Though, I am not sure anyone else noticed. The only three from our group that participated in this were all Christian.

I think this is significant as a simple action against the typical, or maybe I should say stereotypical, animosity that people often possess towards those who are different. And regardless of beliefs I was blessed with the opportunity to share life and laughter with this beautiful woman.

I am a huge believe in people from all backgrounds coming together to build meaningful and beautiful relationships and this moment was a symbol of that for me.

Wedding, Village near Santiniketan, West Bengal, India

Not trying to brag or anything, but I think I was the only one from our group that participated in two wedding celebrations while in India. Julia, Ajeesh, Sunil and I went to a village just outside of Santiniketan, West Bengal.

After joining our friend Ajeesh and sharing some home brewed rice beer and some stories in his neighbors village style courtyard. A bit of this strangely sour, yeast, and strong drink went a long ways...next we walked our bikes by all the rickshaw drivers having a party of some sort. This explained why all the rickshaw drivers in the middle of the night in Bishnapur had been completely drunk. It also would have been good to know before bartering with drunken rickshaw drivers...as we walked we began to hear drums in the distance.

Ajeesh stopped "hear that?!?" he asked....of course we did.

Ajeesh asked if we wanted to go to another small village for part of a wedding. Of course we did. So we rode our bikes in the dark with our headlamps. We came to know that this wedding party was at the brides home. The groom and his mother were there. We were served puffed rice and another serving of fresh brewed rice beer....after this we decided it was time to head back as we thought we had completely missed supper. 

Sanchi, Madhya Pradesh, India

Another one of my wandering adventures. I have more of this story on YouTube. 

Madhya Pradesh political rally. 

I think that this was one of the two times I was uncomfortable being a woman and was incredibly glad I had convinced another from our group to join.

Train Station, Madhya Pradesh, India

Wandering the train station at night was another wonderful adventure. Mark, the Printmaking professor at the University of Wyoming and I had fun taking pictures of some old beautifully textured posters.

Train Station, Madhya Pradesh, India

We also slept in the train station for most of the night...Our train was about 4 hours late. I honestly really enjoyed this part of the trip. It was a very unique experience even though I experienced it with hundreds, probably thousands of others.

Khajuraho, Madhya Pradesh, India

The lobby of the Khajuraho hotel was just about the most peaceful experience ever...especially since the bus ride prior had been so miserable. We were greeted with delicious juice. I had never tasted anything so delicious prior, nor have I since. In addition to the juice we were given jasmine and lavender scented moist face towels.

I typically not one for luxury but I had gotten used to that moment quick.

Haha comparing this hotel to our Bishmapur room...

3 people 2 towels 1 bed....ugh zero patience.

Barber Shop, Village in West Bengal, India

I had so much fun joking with these guys as I took their pictures. We were separated from our group for some reason so I was just goofing around as they posed and as our car waited.

This little shop just screams India to me.

Kitchen, Village in Madhya Pradesh, India

Another very special moment was going on a tour of this village home after a morning hike to a lookout area just above.

The tiger preserve was filled with fun, dace party to Punjabi hip hop blaring from car speakers, beedis, village flower wine, village dances, hiking, safaris and this little home.

Wedding Procession, West Bengal, India

Another Bengali wedding party. There were several different wedding marches while we were there.

Boys Playing Cricket, India

Boys playing cricket was a lot of fun to watch, however, I do wish I had understood the game before going.

Hooka, New Delhi, India

One of my sneaky solo adventures in New Delhi. This is the same adventure that I found the McDonalds.

Block Printing, New Delhi, India

Block printing was the first day in India

Devi Goddess Temple, New Delhi, Delhi, India

not sure why no one else in my group would walk through the temples but I found them fascinating from both a religious studies perspective and an art history perspective.

Pooja, West Bengal, India

This photo was taken during another one of those "Oh shoot, I really need to use the restroom moments" though you might not think so. I had asked one of our Bengali friends if there was a restroom nearby and he asked on the the people who lived in the village.

The family led me right to the...family shrine in the middle of a pooja...they invited me in so I took of my shoes and said "hello"...but only for a moment or two as I really needed to use the restroom. I thanked them and went back outside. I asked my friend again "is there a rest room, that was their shrine room" so he asked again and some how there had been translation confusion. So they led me to their restroom.

I hope you enjoyed a snipit of my India trip...What are some beautiful moments from one of your recent travels? Tell me in the comments below.

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Art + India + Trash

My artwork inspired by India has taken on many new forms and new media. A major goal and motivation behind going to India was to learn how to transform an incredible travel experience into a body of artwork. I am proud to say that this goal has already been accomplished. Upon return we were required to have at least two pieces, one for each of two exhibitions.

The first exhibition was a bit more mainstream and located at The Honey Bee Gallery in downtown Laramie, WY. I had a painting in this show. The second group exhibition was titled "An Even Dozen" because 12 students went on the trip. This exhibition was in the Visual Arts Building on the University of Wyoming campus which allowed for a bit more freedom. I included an upcycled trash piece as well as a tryptic playing with the mixing of religion and culture. Though these shows were required, I continued to create artwork on my own.

I am currently preparing for a solo exhibition that will include work from both previous shows and several more pieces.

100 Henna Designs

Create a series of 100 images!

Pre-India Dandia Night Henna

I found this idea in a book called 37 Assignments. The assignment is to create 100 images on a specific topic. The images can be photographs, drawings, digital. 

My Challenge:

As I continue to work on my India inspired art I will create 100 Henna inspired drawings (and as always I do plan to be creative with the definition of drawing). I plan on participating in the Thursday 13, I'm excited to get back into that (you can click the label/link below the post to see my other Thursday 13 posts). I'm sure I will share on some other online venues as well...any suggestions? Let me know below.

You can find my henna images on Twitter and Instagram with the hashtag #FFHenna100

Deadline:

I will have this series completed by my India inspired art exhibition, East Meets West, in March. Some of these designs may even be included in the exhibition.

Why not join me?

Complete this challenge for yourself.

Just a bit of Henna for me. Dandia Night 2013

What could you create 100 of? If you are an artist working on a specific field or topic like me, create 100 sketches on that topic. If you are a stay at home mom, try 100 new recipes this year? Writers, write 100 pages in a given amount of time. What ever it is that you want to do, set some goals, make a time line, and do it.

Let me know in the comments below what you would create if you took on this project or what you plan to create when you take on this project.

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Henna 'n' Sarees

Felicia Follum Sketches and Hand Drawn Greeting Card

The past couple weeks I have been spending a good amount of time looking at henna designs and creating some greeting cards inspired by the women we saw in India. Both the shape on the cards (and several paintings) and the delicate henna patters remind me of the elegant beauty that Indian women possess.

As we traveled on the trains I kept seeing women in saris walking along side the road, in a field, or even thought a pile of trash. The women in their beautifully colored and elaborately detailed fabrics created a unique elegance. The saris, in most settings, stood out from the architectural or prairie landscapes. I absolutely loved the repetition of the shape.

When I came back and found a quick watercolor painting I had in my sketch book I was in awe. I sculpted, I drew, and I painted...and I still am creating more images based on that same idea.

In addition to the Indian Woman shape I love the delicate designs that India was covered in, especially those used to decorate women's hands a feet for weddings and other holidays. The patterns appear to be influenced by old Indian art styles such as miniature paintings of Gods and Goddesses that people use in their homes as a part of their pooja.

Felicia Follum Chalk Pencil Drawings

The begining of our trip was spent in Delhi, Old and New. In the Handi-Crafts Museum I spent a large amount of time in the miniatures section, just looking at the texture and patterns in the gutters and the various repeating shapes and symbols. Some that stood out included the peacock, snake and lotus flower composed of thin lines.

Throughout the trip and even upon returning to the US, I continued to see these shapes repeated on paintings, sculptures and in henna designs. The sketch in the photo above was inspired by henna designs. Though I am not sure what will come out of all these henna and pattern sketches, I am excited to continue designing as I am sure I will know exactly how to use the patterns when the time comes.

Art+ India Exhibitions

If you have kept up with my art and travels via my Facebook page then you already know that I have been creating work inspired by my trip to India and you have been waiting patiently for an opportunity to see this new work.  If you have not been keeping up be sure to like my Art Page on FB and keep reading.

There are currently (I plan to add a third option in the next couple weeks) two chances for you to see my new artwork inspired by my recent trip to North India. Both exhibitions will be up throughout the month of October.

Honey Bee Studio Gallery
Reception: October 4, 6-8 pm

Visual Art Building lobby
Reception: October 25, 6-8 pm

Please visit the Facebook Event Page for more information or if you would like to RSVP.

These two exhibitions will have unique bodies of work from me and several other artists who traveled to India with me through the University of Wyoming Art Department.

Be sure to subscribe so you don't miss the stories inspiring my work. I will post soon with more info and artist statements.