Angeline Kyba invites you to an opening exhibition of paintings celebrating Mexico
at Rosa Mexicano, Avenida Anclote 114, El Anclote, Punta Mita, Nayarit
December 17, 2010 from 6:30 pm.
come and enjoy art, tapas, wine, live music
Paintings, drawings and studio happenings.
Obras Favoritas/Favorite Works
inauguration Feb. 11 from 7-10
Saturday, December 11, 2010
Sunday, February 21, 2010
My Garden or Mi Casa Es Su Casa
The last painting I did for my show Obras Favoritas/ Favorite Works was of my garden and my garden is full of iguanas. They seem to reside primarily on or around my clay tile roof, the highest roof I have. Factoid,; iguanas are cold blooded reptiles who regulate their body temperature by basking in the sun. Then they crash down on my main metal roof. I used to run up thinking a meteor had hit or lightening had struck or a robber had arrived. Dashing up and arriving shocked on the roof top patio, ready for battle, I would meet an equally shocked iguana. I tried to hose them down but it didn´t work, it just seemed to confuse everything. Slowly my heart softened when I understood that the iguanas were not invading but were simply here to eat.
Iguanas walk along the edges of things, the edges of balconies, the edges of iron railings, the edges of roofs, thin branches of trees dip and sway with their weight as they leap about, high risk takers. We carry the high risk gene in my family so it made sense to be more welcoming and accept them into my household. I put them to work as models. They freeze and pose perfectly still when I approach with my brush and canvas , a defensive mechanism, I have read. This bright orange creature pretends to be not really a living thing, just part of a tree. They seem to prefer orange and red flowers and denude my hibiscus both of flowers and leaves. They are entertaining and I laughed to see my orange trumpet vine flowers cascading from he mouth of an iguana. Another fact; iguanas are herbivores, eating fruit, vegetables, flower buds flowers and leaves but they also eat small animals and so are omnivorous. They themselves are eaten by carnivores, humans included. Green iguanas are bred and raised for food in South America and Central America, according to The San Diego Zoo.
Iguanas seem to stop and listen at any sound and when I talk to them and laugh, they make no sound in return, they are mute. An odd fact about the iguanas of Galapagos; although they are mute, they recognize the call of the mockingbird on the island as a warning of approaching danger from hawks. Iguanas have two eyes and a third eye at the top of the head, called the Parietal eye. With this third eye they can sense changes in light and dark and determine seasons as well as see approaching predators such as hawks. They can see above, below, behind and in front and can see higher wave lengths beyond what humans see.
Here in Mexico I am often asked," ¿ Vives sola ? Do you live alone ? " No. I don't know how many iguanas I have living with me. A whole bunch of iguana eggs were found in a tube of PVC up there on the roof while I was house building. They lay their eggs and leave them, usually under ground where the temperature remains warm and there the eggs incubate alone , anywhere from 10 to 30. Alfredo, the gardener principal of Cuauhtemoc, told me he took all the iguanas from his employer's garden down to the river. Not fair, now they have moved in with me. They are said to be solitary creatures but mine seem quite friendly and I especially like the way they hold their heads up high and accompany me wherever I go. During the food prep for opening night of my show, I threw the remains of the eggplant over the side of the railings and soon after, an iguana came right into the center of the studio, quite bold but a babaganouch lover, I presume.
The longest living iguana recorded was a blue iguana of the Cayman Islands named Godzilla who lived to be 69 in Brownsville, Texas. They are much loved as pets and most of the information available about them on the internet is for pet lovers. I have seen people petting them as if their scales were fur and cozy to the touch but my reptilian brain remains in loving defensive mode and I maintain my cool artists observant eyes as I welcome them into my house and they accept me into the neighborhood.
Iguanas walk along the edges of things, the edges of balconies, the edges of iron railings, the edges of roofs, thin branches of trees dip and sway with their weight as they leap about, high risk takers. We carry the high risk gene in my family so it made sense to be more welcoming and accept them into my household. I put them to work as models. They freeze and pose perfectly still when I approach with my brush and canvas , a defensive mechanism, I have read. This bright orange creature pretends to be not really a living thing, just part of a tree. They seem to prefer orange and red flowers and denude my hibiscus both of flowers and leaves. They are entertaining and I laughed to see my orange trumpet vine flowers cascading from he mouth of an iguana. Another fact; iguanas are herbivores, eating fruit, vegetables, flower buds flowers and leaves but they also eat small animals and so are omnivorous. They themselves are eaten by carnivores, humans included. Green iguanas are bred and raised for food in South America and Central America, according to The San Diego Zoo.
Iguanas seem to stop and listen at any sound and when I talk to them and laugh, they make no sound in return, they are mute. An odd fact about the iguanas of Galapagos; although they are mute, they recognize the call of the mockingbird on the island as a warning of approaching danger from hawks. Iguanas have two eyes and a third eye at the top of the head, called the Parietal eye. With this third eye they can sense changes in light and dark and determine seasons as well as see approaching predators such as hawks. They can see above, below, behind and in front and can see higher wave lengths beyond what humans see.
Here in Mexico I am often asked," ¿ Vives sola ? Do you live alone ? " No. I don't know how many iguanas I have living with me. A whole bunch of iguana eggs were found in a tube of PVC up there on the roof while I was house building. They lay their eggs and leave them, usually under ground where the temperature remains warm and there the eggs incubate alone , anywhere from 10 to 30. Alfredo, the gardener principal of Cuauhtemoc, told me he took all the iguanas from his employer's garden down to the river. Not fair, now they have moved in with me. They are said to be solitary creatures but mine seem quite friendly and I especially like the way they hold their heads up high and accompany me wherever I go. During the food prep for opening night of my show, I threw the remains of the eggplant over the side of the railings and soon after, an iguana came right into the center of the studio, quite bold but a babaganouch lover, I presume.
The longest living iguana recorded was a blue iguana of the Cayman Islands named Godzilla who lived to be 69 in Brownsville, Texas. They are much loved as pets and most of the information available about them on the internet is for pet lovers. I have seen people petting them as if their scales were fur and cozy to the touch but my reptilian brain remains in loving defensive mode and I maintain my cool artists observant eyes as I welcome them into my house and they accept me into the neighborhood.
Sunday, February 7, 2010
The Mayans
The Mayan face, the Mayan smile, the Mayan huipils and the Mayan life and beliefs have inspired my work since my arrival in Mexico and Guatemala. We live today near the end of Mayan times. Life of the Maya revolved around time and the readings of the sacred calendar. We approach the end of the last fifth 5,125 cycle which takes place on the solstice of Cecember 21, 2012 when a new cycle begins. On this date the sun will be aligned with the centre of The Milky Way for the first time in 26,000 years.
The Mayan civilization was one of the greatest in the world. Classic Mayan culture flourished from the 3rd to the 9th centurey in Meso America in M exico, Belize, Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador. Ruins of great cities and pyramids and the mystery of the collapse of the Mayan empire remain.
Yet the Mayan people retain their traditions and beliefs and many Mayan languages are still spoken. Today, 50% of the population of Guatemala are descendants of the ancient Mayas and the population is vital and thriving. To be in the midst of the markets, the tianguis, is one of my favorite things, a sense of being a part of something ancient and true. And I feature this in my show opening February 11, 2010- The women weave and wear the huipil, a blouse whose fabric is woven on a back strap loom. The huipil displays the religion and tribal affiliation of each woman as well as her social and marital status and her personality. The Hupil can be seen in carvings on ancient ruins, it has survived, the collapse of the Mayan empire, Spanish and foreign rule. As a form of art, it hasa withsood the test of time and remains an object of beauty.
Come see my show at my studio, Cuauhtemoc 635, Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, opening Feb. 11 from 7 to 9 and the show continues throughout the m onth. Kybas studio is open to visitors weekdays from 11 to 4 and by appointment, call 222 4238
The Mayan civilization was one of the greatest in the world. Classic Mayan culture flourished from the 3rd to the 9th centurey in Meso America in M exico, Belize, Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador. Ruins of great cities and pyramids and the mystery of the collapse of the Mayan empire remain.
Yet the Mayan people retain their traditions and beliefs and many Mayan languages are still spoken. Today, 50% of the population of Guatemala are descendants of the ancient Mayas and the population is vital and thriving. To be in the midst of the markets, the tianguis, is one of my favorite things, a sense of being a part of something ancient and true. And I feature this in my show opening February 11, 2010- The women weave and wear the huipil, a blouse whose fabric is woven on a back strap loom. The huipil displays the religion and tribal affiliation of each woman as well as her social and marital status and her personality. The Hupil can be seen in carvings on ancient ruins, it has survived, the collapse of the Mayan empire, Spanish and foreign rule. As a form of art, it hasa withsood the test of time and remains an object of beauty.
Come see my show at my studio, Cuauhtemoc 635, Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, opening Feb. 11 from 7 to 9 and the show continues throughout the m onth. Kybas studio is open to visitors weekdays from 11 to 4 and by appointment, call 222 4238
Saturday, January 2, 2010
Retrato de Olivia
Here is a portrait of Olivia Ryan, grandchild born in Berlin who I visited for the first time at Xmas and painted, a white christmas in Berlin.
My show " Obras Favoritas " takes place in my studio February 11. Also our group Vallarta Estudios Abiertos will host a second event the weekend of January 23 and 24 with our studios open from 10 to 10. Check us out at our facebook page, Vallartaartistsstudios.
Monday, November 2, 2009
Monday, August 10, 2009
sketches from my brother's garden
My brother's garden, Keats Island in the Gulf Coast, B.C. A few sketches of fireweed, sunflower and sweet peas, all in reverse as they are photographed with a computer camera, ink line drawing not photographing too well. a great time sketching and painting on the island for a week, the most beautiful weather in BCs history, the ocean good for swimming, no deer sighted. and a portrait done of my brother Fred which I will include when I return to Mexico at the end of the week. Connecting and communing here with family, walking in cool weather now, a pleasure after Vallarta's scalp sweating heat and humidity. The fireweed a special treat, a memory of youth in Northern Manitoba. where it was scrubbier and covered hills a rocks with purple pink and lavender, the first growth after the trees were cut, cut, as I recall, to make a fire break in the bush.
Saturday, June 6, 2009
Painting Carmen
Carmen was newly pregnant when I painted her portrait. She was one of the Yelapa beauties and had been wanting a baby for so long, her sisters had already had a few. Even though she was the youngest of all the beautiful sisters, she was eager to have babies just like them. I had been told that her father was very handsome and that is why the girls were so gorgeous. He had taken off to California with all the girls and a new woman, abandoning their mother, Maria, in Chapala. Carmen and her beautiful sisters spent their formative years in California but the father sent them back to Mexico because they had begun to run with a wild crowd up there as they grew older. This seems to have added much to their personalities as Carmen and her sisters were worldly in an unassuming way, they spoke only Spanish in Mexico and had an independent flair and were quite uncontrollable. I remember one night of the full moon, climbing the rocks and mountains of the pueblo with Margo, the aunt, in search of one of Carmen´s cousins who had disappeared while at the disco. Quite caliente, they rushed the cousin back to Chapala the next day, Sunday. The sisters had followed their Aunt Margo to Yelapa when she was released from prison and there they stayed, oblivious to the stir that they caused and the frustration among the young hoods who tried to conquer them, oblivious to the envidia, the outright envy of the pueblo women, free to do what they wanted whenever they felt like it without the least concern for the mores of this small indigenous village by the sea. So when I asked Carmen to pose for a portrait, she was willing and took it all in stride. She was a nervous mother to be. There was no father around and only her sisters to help her and help her they did, when the time came. This is the painting that was chosen by National Geographic to be used in a story they published in their book, The Edge. I last saw Carmen on TV, sitting around her pool with her children, being interviewed about her husband, who is now in jail in Texas for the murder of his first wife. Yes, we had worried about Carmen.
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