Acrylic on canvas – 12 x 9,5 inch – Unique work

This year, I had the extraordinary opportunity to meet a sloth in its natural habitat in Costa Rica.

I went to Costa Rica on a whim in January to learn abstract painting. In truth, this exceptional week freed my chakras.

I joined a Canadian artist who was organizing an abstract painting workshop in the land of color and nature, Costa Rica. I had never had an experience like this. I met wonderful people. About fifteen Canadian, Quebecois, American, and Brazilian artists, all as talented as they were inspiring.

We were all there to learn, meet, visit, know, laugh, eat, drink, in short, live full life. During this initiatory week, excursions were organized. In particular, walks in the forest with expert guides to find the animals living in their homes. Because, yes, I was in their home and not the other way around. And high up in the trees, in the tropical heat, I saw it… Moving very, very slowly to deceive the sharp eye of predators. I quote the sloth! What emotion went through me at that precise moment. I was overwhelmed.

What a joy to see free, protected animals, obviously used to human presence, but a presence that respects them. No noise, no food allowed, no plastic water bottles. Small details that make a big difference. Thanks to their powerful binoculars and cameras equipped with impressive zooms, the guides delighted us with their knowledge, erudition, kindness, and simplicity.

The sloth is definitely my best animal memory from this trip. This slowness is incredible. It’s as if time has paused. As if life is taking its time to live. It’s a wonderful life lesson.

I know I came back a different person. I dared to try abstract art. When I paint, I’m not the same. Yet I enjoy painting figurative art as much as abstract art. The approach is identical in the search for colors, but completely different in the execution. In figurative art, I control the brush with almost surgical precision to try to capture the soul of my subject. In abstract art, I let the brush do the work, trying to capture my own soul.

The magic works in both cases. Thank you, Costa Rica, for this gift, this new opportunity!