Slow days in San Ignacio

With the heat of the dry season, I really can't be bothered to take the bus to go on many weekend adventures. I've seen most of the Belize destinations on my list and the public bus is pretty unbearable when it's triple digit heat AND humidity. 

So I've been finding other things to keep me busy- mainly drawing & painting. I've been drawing for as long as I can remember. I was never a particularly skilled athlete as a kid, so art became a good way to kill time after school. Now I find myself amusing my host siblings by taking requests for various animals. 

Quash or Coatimundi

Scarlet Macaw- an endangered species due to poaching for the pet trade

Tapir- the national animal of Belize. They have really funky feet.

I've also started drafting for some larger pieces which will be turned into prints for the Etsy shop I started last semester for my art. It went pretty well overall, so I'm looking to restock with some fresh prints when I return to the states. But for there to be new prints, there must be new paintings. 

One of the projects is going to involve a giant spotted eagle ray- easily my favorite animal from my snorkeling trip. Details still need to be hashed out, but I'm thinking this one is going to be quite large- 

The other project I'm working on is going to be two small paintings that will be sold together. Also inspired by the snorkeling trip off of Caye Caulker, I'm painting both a Purkinje neuron and a fan coral. Even while I was swimming around in the ocean, I couldn't help but notice the uncanny similarity of the branching patterns and shapes. I think it's really interesting how nature has engineered similar structures from the microscopic to the macroscopic. 

It feels good to be doing something that is both fun and productive in my free time. Stay tuned for more updates on these mini-projects!