Fundraising Completed!

Great news, the Dutch foundation Colour4Kids has rewarded MuralArte Guate a 1,100 Euro grant, which means the funding for the mega-mural in Chimachoy is DONE!

So the actual painting can get started! The wall has been plastered. Next week we’ll conduct more workshops about cultural identity and start painting the first few panels. The first designs are ready, paint has been ordered, now all we need is a bit of collaboration from Chak, the Maya god of rain.

Thanks so much, Colour4Kids as well as The Pollination Project, Uno MásFoundation and private sponsors Diane Morton, Tessa de Goede, Jan and Ineke de Smidt, Willem Meijnckens, Evert Jan Velzing and Rosan Breman. Not that MORE donations are not welcome, I already got a request from the teachers for money to fill up the sidewalk with cement (currently just dirt), to protect the mural when it rains. (And more walls are always looking for more sponsors!

Thank you all for your collaboration, more news is coming up!

Wall is ready to be painted!

How magical to drive to work through a carpet of fluffy clouds flanked by a smoking volcano against a crispy blue sky…. On my way to Chimachoy for yet another round of workshops …

Upon arrival, of course the fist thing I noticed is that the wall IS ALMOST FINISHED!!!! The parents and municipal “albañil” did a great job plastering and finished all but four panels. Now it just needs to dry for a couple of weeks and we’ll be able to start painting!

Last Tuesday it was the high school students’ turn to learn about muralism and to explore their cultural identity. Just as the elementary school kids, they loved seeing pictures of children from different cultures, but defining their own was more challenging. Whatever we do everyday becomes “normal” and it isn’t until we compare our own traditions to others’ that we realize that what is “normal” might actually be quite “special” and part of what defines our cultural identity. Another difficult concept for the students was that culture is not just defined by ancient traditions, but also their own pastimes, their favourite (pop) music or way they dress. But when thy got to draw different aspects of their own culture, they safely stuck to the more traditional. 

A bit more adventurous were the girls who got to document their culture through photography. They took some interesting pictures of their environment and came up with a fun way to show off their “cortes”, the skirts of wrapped around fabric.

The sixth graders learned a bit about journalism: who makes it, why and what components does it contain (articles, interviews, illustration, photos, ads etc.). Then they learned a bit about composition before they got to play around with a camera. Time was running out, so we didn’t get to do our interviews and investigative journalism, so that has to wait till next time. As for now, it was a pretty productive day anyway.

We’re getting ready to start painting! As soon as the “canÍcula” starts, the dry, sunny period within the rainy season, the first colours will go up. The only thing missing is…. DONATIONS!!!!!! So far, 73m² of 143 m² are accounted for, so we’re half way through! You can help too and sponsor a square meter for just $17.50!!!! It would be a pity if we can only paint half the wall…

(You can use the Donate Button on this page or visit the Crowdfunding page at https://www.youcaring.com/the-community-of-the-maya-kaqchikel-village-of-chimachoy-577198. )

Big thanks to: The Pollination Project, Diane Morton, Tessa de Goede, Willem Meijnckens, Evert-jan Velzing, Rosan Breman, Ineke en Jan de Smidt….

Mega-Mural in Chimachoy is in the making!

On April 26^th I went to Chimachoy to conduct the first series of workshops for 19 sixth graders about muralism (its history and socio-cultural importance) and cultural identity. Before discussing their own cultural identity, the children watched a presentation of photos from children from all over the world: their homes, toys, food, pets and games. So many differences, but also so many similarities… The funniest thing? Kids in Holland sprinkling CHOCOLATE on their bread! 

Then the children made drawings of aspects of their own culture, such as domestic animals, transportation, housing and the environment. And while the sixth graders were hard at work, four high school students were a great help to me measuring each panel of the future mural. Good thing too, because each panel (26 in total!) is a bit different in size. After adding up all the measurements, it turns out the wall is a bit smaller than expected, a total of 65.25 meters long and 2.18 meters high (if measured correctly). The total cost for this project will be around $2500, so that comes down to $17.50 per square meter. 

I also handed over almost $400 for the materials for repairing and plastering the wall, a job the parents will be in charge off.

Thanks so much to The Pollination Project, Diane Morton and Tessa de Goede for sponsoring. So far 64 square meters of the 143 are sponsored. You can “own” your own square meter of mural for just $17.50! 

You can use the Paypal “Donate” button on this page or go to the mural’s fundraising page.

For Sale! Van Gogh’s Starry Night for only $250!

Current wall (Left) and with the design projected on it (Right)

Today I visited the Brillo de Sol educational centre where I recently painted two murals on a completely unrelated business when I ran into director Letty López. We talked about the next mural on our wish list, one of the Universe, name of the group of first graders. I suggested we’d start looking for pretty pictures of a nice tranquil Universe that would calm the kids down rather than excite them. So no black hole with blood red planets and ARC-170 Starfighters, but something a little bit more peaceful, maybe with fifty shades of blue or so.

I was just about to hop on my bicycle on my way out when the first grade teacher came running after me. She showed me a picture of a sky she liked very much and asked whether I thought it would look could on the wall. Are you kidding??? She showed me one of my very favourite paintings of one of my very favourite artists, The Starry Night by Vincent van Gogh!!!! OF COURSE that would look good on the wall! Maybe technically not the Universe, but close enough. Now, that would be a fun project!

So the wall is there, the design was already made in 1889, I’m ready to go and I even have help: I can count on, the lovely Sofie van den Bril from Belgium. The only thing missing is some cash towards paint, prints, primer and transportation.

So… looking for a sponsor who for only $250 will be the proud “owner” of a “real” Van Gogh on a wall (2.6 x 3.8 meters) in Guatemala… (Partial donations welcome too!) And that is a bargain, considering what the original would go for these days…

Coming Soon: Mega Mural in Chimachoy!!!

Part of the soon to be painted wall

If you paint murals for a living, you tend to look at walls before anything else. So when I visited the Maya Kaqchikel community of Chimachoy for the first time, it wasn’t the splendid view of the volcano or the women in their brilliant traditional dresses I noticed first, but the ugly cinder block wall leading into the village…If only…

A few months ago I was surfing the web looking for possible sponsors when I found The Pollination Project. Not only did I instantly like the organization and its objectives, it happened that for once, as a small grassroots project in Guatemala run by a foreigner, I was able to apply! The Pollination Project was very honest in stating that it can only reward a small number of all proposals they receive and that it really helps if you have a reference from one of the organization they work with, which I didn’t. So I didn’t have much hope, but was getting excited anyway while writing my proposal and my project getting shape.

Three weeks ago I received the exciting news I was rewarded a $1000 grant! The next day I immediately signed the contract and wrote to Laura, director of the high school in Chimachoy, whom I hadn’t notified about the project yet, as up until then I had no funding and I hate promising something I might not be able to fulfill. Luckily, Laura was as enthusiastic as I am and -unbelievably- within 48 hours I had all the necessary permits, the collaboration of the teachers and students of both schools and the local citizens’ committee. Laura also talked to the mayor and he promised to provide his stonemason for preparing and stuccoing the wall. We’re about to get started!

Within the next few weeks I’ll go to Chimachoy to talk to all people involved, pay for the supplies to plaster the wall and conduct my first introductory workshops for the students of both schools. After a general introduction about the history of muralism and its significance, we’ll be exploring local culture through a series of art, journalism, photography and storytelling in the next few months. The children of the elementary school will determine the theme of each section of the wall (a cultural element of the community), which will be investigated deeper with the students of the high school. Then the students will express all different aspects of their own culture through photography in a week long project directed by Dutch photographer /teacher Sabrina Gaudio. The results of those workshops will be the base for the final design. And then it’s time to get the painting started! We’ll first prime the wall with the help of the younger kids. The older students will then apply a grid in chalk and copy the design before the real work can begin. When exactly is hard to say, it all depends on what the weather will be like, but by the beginning of September I hope to have the whole 75 meter long wall finished for a grand inauguration.

I’m incredibly grateful to The Pollination Project for rewarding me this grant and am looking forward to working with this organization! $1000 is a lot of money and we can get the work started, but in order to conduct all the workshops I’ll need more donations. The more money, the more workshops, the deeper the impact of this project in the community. In order to develop all the activities planned, I figure I’ll need a budget of $2250. Since the wall is 75 x 3 = 225m², that comes down to only $10 per square meter, which is a bargain, don’t you think? So the first 100 square meters are sponsored, looking for 1250 more! So if you want to sponsor a square meter or more, please donate through the Paypal button on this page or contact me at carinsteen@yahoo.com for additional bank info. More news will follow soon!

Behind the Scenes: Painting Kittens and Lots of Lines

Note to self: No more designs with lines on the background! I knew it was going to be a pain in the butt because I’ve done it before, so what was I thinking…. It looks cute, yes, and it’s a good way to paint a partial wall, but on this particular surface with its crumbly texture each line took me almost an hour to finish and there are 15 of those, so that’s a lot of line painting. (And no, masking tape was no option.) They turned out not even that straight! (The walls fault of course, not my painting abilities!).

And after painting many a dog, I didn’t think that four kittens would be a big deal, but they took me much longer than expected. Why? I guess because they are much smaller (just a little taller than my friend Judy) than the figures I usually paint, because of the space’s requirements. The mural is located in a corridor where people pass right by. There is no space to step back and take the painting in as a whole, so too big a design won’t work. Typically a restricted space requires smaller and more detailed images that take longer to paint. That answers the frequently asked question why I generally charge more for a “regular” painting to be framed and hung in the living room than a much bigger mural.

I must admit I’m so naive to think that after having painted dozens of murals I’ll never get surprised, but of course I’m proven wrong each and every time (and I guess that’s one of the reasons I like creating murals so much). This time I thought it would be an easy one, done in two days, not even needing a ladder, but it didn’t work out that way. Not just because of the lines and details but also because it wasn’t easy working with the adorable Kittens (the human variety that occupy the classroom) running around or hanging from my neck, as adorable and inspiring as they are. I even learned to say “cat” in sign language” (Thanks Abner!) and the adorable Melanie was happy to see me back the second day, telling me grammatically incorrectly but very poetically: I saw you tomorrow!

Anyway, mission accomplished, the Gatitos are happy with there kittens on the wall and that’s what matters most. Ready for the next one! The Universe is on our wish list, we only need to find a sponsor and we’re ready to continue! (We only need another $250!)

Thanks a million to my good friends Suzanne and Cita van der Linden who never ever forget about these whereabouts and are always willing to help, this time generously sponsoring the kittens’ mural. Also thanks the staff of Brillo de Sol and of course those kittens in kindergarten.

Los Gatitos mural painted outside the kindergarten classroom at Brill de Sol; San Gaspar Vivar, Antigua Guatemala. 6.5 x 1.6m. March 2016

For more information about Brillo de Sol: www.brillodesol.org

(Foto by Letty López)

(Foto by Letty López)

(Foto by Letty López)

Mural #1 in Brillo de Sol done!

After more than two months without painting a mural, I was itching to get started on a new wall. There’s never a shortage of walls here in Guatemala, but finding financing is another story. The places I paint most of my murals at are usual schools or NGO’s that can barely survive, let alone afford a mural, as much as it is appreciated. So that’s why I’m always looking for people or institutions willing to sponsor a mural. I was lucky to find one for Brillo de Sol, an educational project in San Gaspar Vivar, on the outskirts of Antigua Guatemala. I’ve totally fallen in love with this project; it’s amazing to see all kinds of special needs children receive specialized education, but above all much love and attention. So I was thrilled to be able to start this mural, hopefully the first of many more to come.

When you visit Brillo de Sol, the first to greet you is probably Luna, the adopted dog and mascot of the school. Besides being a lovable presence, thanks to Luna the children learn about responsibility (they take turns feeding her) and how to take care of animals. Being a dog lover myself, it made sense that Luna would have to appear in the first mural, in the stairway leading to the second floor. Another model was quickly found on the Facebook page of Brillo de Sol: the cute little girl (Marcela) holding a rabbit was irresistible.

I found Luna willing to pose for some photos during my last visit to Brillo de Sol and I combined her picture with Marcela’s in a design I made in Photoshop. Then it was time to get the painting started, not an easy job since the wall was no less than 6.05 meters high. Fortunately enough I had help! Jerke Monu, a Belgian teacher in training is going to start his internship art Brillo de Sol in a few weeks and was willing to help me out. While I started the grid and copied the design, Jerke had the ungrateful job to balance on a rickety old ladder, painting the background from top to bottom with a roller attached to a long piece of PVC tube. Not ideal, quite scary actually, but it worked! Once the design was drawn and the background filled in, the rest was pure fun and within two days we were done. The kids and staff love it and are looking forward to the next murals. Since every class has its own name, the plan is to give them each their own mural. Next up are Los Gatitos (The Kittens). So yes, more sponsors are always needed!

Many thanks to Ilene Kradin for sponsoring this mural, Marcela and Luna for modeling, the staff at Brillo de Sol for all the support and of course Jerke for the hard work!

For more information about Brillo de Sol: www.brillodesol.org

The Design

Sketching

Jerke doing his magic

Jerke in front of the result

And this is it! 2.85 x 6.05m