Art for Orphans

"Market Day"

2.5 x 3.5" ACEO

colored pencil drawing

Another ACEO drawing to be sold to the highest bidder in order to raise funds for an orphanage in Bolivia.

This is drawn from my own photo taken last year at a festival when a group of us journied to Cochabamba, Bolivia. I love the hats and the colorful wraps the women wear. They carry EVERYTHING in the wrap, even their children. I think it should catch on here. I have one of these cloths, maybe I'll give it a try.

Art for Orphans

"My Own Crayons"

ACEO 2.5 x 3.5"colored pencil on Stonehenge paper

I will donate 50% of this sale to the K'illallaray Orphanage Project

SOLD

Once again, I am offering an ACEO on eBay to benefit the fund to help build the orphanage home for children in Cochabamba, Bolivia.

And, once again, I have made a commitment to travel to Bolivia to help with the building and to build good relations between the "gringos" and the native people.

The drawing above was taken from a reference photo taken last year of one of the orphans. We had just given them all their own crayons and coloring books; many of them thought we would take them back when we left. This beautiful little girl had just had a bath, found a warm spot of sun, and began her coloring project. I just had to share this in a drawing. She touched my heart.

If you're interested in finding out more info, check the website here or my original post here. Thanks for your help.

Art for Orphans

"The Fisherman"

ACEO Original Colored Pencil Drawing

2.5 x 3.5"

50% of Sale donated to the Bolivian Orphanage Fund

If interested in purchasing, please contact me.

This image is from one taken in Bolivia, where we passed this lake at least twice on some of our journeys. On this particular day, the fishermen (there were many), the sky (which is SO blue), the mountains, and the water all just combined for a strong sense of calm in one extraordinary view.

While I'm sure many of these Bolivian man were fishing to feed their families, it seemed that they were also enjoying themselves. One can only hope.

A Cochabamba Concert

"The Shepardess"

Art for Orphans -

50% of sale will go to benefit the Bolivian Orphanage Project

ACEO Original Colored Pencil Drawing

2.5 x 3.5"

SOLD

Overview: In March, I had a fabulous opportunity to journey to Cochabamba, Bolivia, to work on building an orphanage. While there, I made many new friends: the Americans whom I had travelled with, and many Bolivian people who, because of the great need to raise and shelter the epidemic numbers of abandoned and orphaned children, conceived and began the orphanage project.

In a very short time, I became very enamored of the people, the culture, the land, and the children and came home with the need to do more; hence, "Art for Orphans".

One evening, after working all day at the orphanage site, our new friends and hosts, Felix and Flora, invited us to a "concert" by some local musicians. Needless to say, we were all eager and excited to see and hear any local entertainment - and the real deal, no tourist stuff here.

We were escorted into an open courtyard in a small apartment/home/business place (some confusion on my part here, as it could have been all three). The black "ceiling" in the picture is actually open sky since the weather in Cochabamba is very temperate and lovely (think San Diego-ish).

Before the show, Felix explained the traditional clothing the performers were wearing and what each piece either represented or its purpose. (I believe the small bag is for Coca leaves.) But the colors, oh they are so rich and vibrant and are not adequately reproduced in these photos; but the Bolivian people, even in their daily clothes, do not shy away from color. Also, the men who are wearing fringe on their hats to cover their eyes are traditionally the single men. (I like to think it's so they can peek out at single women without being caught making eye contact - but that's just my idea.)

The performance was wonderful, strange and mesmerizing! They used a collection of flutes (the large items on the table that look like chair legs are actually flutes), pan flutes, drums and stringed instruments. The young woman also sang in a high, quavering and somewhat eerie voice. But it all worked so wonderfully together!

Our translator and leader, Connie, told us that the performers were very excited and nervous to be playing for Americans and that they had been rehearsing for months! That almost made me cry. To be so honored just because of where you were born and to have that fact alone carry such pretige was pretty overwhelming for me. Though I had never taken that fact for granted before, it was enlightening to experience it first hand. It made me realize what a huge responsibility that honor carries with it and that I should always do my best to use it well.

Here are some of the other audience members from that evening's performance. I'm not sure, but I believe they live in the building.

They, too, like the performers were very gracious and greeted us with kisses and then gave us the best seats in the house. But that's just typical Bolivian hospitality.

Art for Orphans - "Young Mother"

"Young Mother"

ACEO Original Colored Pencil Drawing

2.5 x 3.5"

SOLD

50% of the purchase price will be donated to

the K'illallaray Orphanage

Here is a video of some of the children who visited us on a daily basis while we were working on the orphanage. Since we had brought lots of coloring books and crayons with us, we decided to give our new friends a few. They gladly used them but when it came time for us to leave, they thought they had to give everything back! I had to (in my VERY bad Spanish) let them know that I was too old to keep them, and that they were for children only. That convinced them. (No surpise here.) They were happy and so were we.

The next day, being a school day, I saw Gonzolo (the little guy in the yellow shirt) who told me that one of the older boys had taken his book. He looked so sad; and so I promised he'd get a new one. The next day he got the best coloring book/sticker book we had: Diego! His whole face lit up; he was very, very happy and this time, did not refuse our gift.

Unbelievably that adorable little guy is eight years old.

We now have a blog with much more information about the K'illallaray orphanage. There is also an easy donation button. Please check it out: http://boliviaorphanage.blogspot.com/ Then forward it on.