1885 Pueblo Novo

The ruin of an old tower house is fondly recognized by many locals on Bonaire. A friend visiting my studio just a day after I finished this painting said, “Is that the house in Nikiboko?” I was pleased he recognized it so I made a point to research the history of this iconic house to share.

The tower house was probably built in the early 20th century but potentially the inscription found on the building “1885 Pueblo Novo” indicates the year the original house was built. The style of the house is a “Cas di Hadrey” (house with a porch) with a square tower. The painting shows the window on the bottom floor of the tower and the sky can be glimpsed through the upper window casement. Shadows within the lower room suggest stairs and an upper floor but it is not safe to enter it. This house is listed by the government in Historic Monuments of Bonaire in 1987.

The patchy colors in greys, pinks, and peaches seem to be part of the concrete and local limestone wall. It doesn’t appear to be layers of paint but maybe minerals that have leached out of the natural materials over the years.

48×24”
Oil on stretched canvas
Black metal canvas floater
Gallery wrapped – solid neutral grey edges
Original $2189

Signed limited edition print available in 13×6.51″ Large $125

Keywords: building, window, wall
Colors: grey, earth, gray, mauve, peach

Richter Art 2010 Calendar

Linda’s images include:
~ Pristine
~ Flamingo to the Right
~ The Great Blue
~ Grazing Donkeys
~ Purple Water Lily
~ Tiger Lily

Jake’s Images include:
~ Bonaire Sunset
~ Bromeliad Blossoms
~ Green Turtle
~ Brain Coral
~ Cloudy Moon
~ Boy Meets Fish

This year we have added two mini-calendars for January and February 2011 at the back of our calendar for future planning.

The 2010 Richter Art Calendar sells for US$6.95 and is available now at the Richter Art Gallery on Bonaire. The calendar is available via the on-line shopping site at www.CaribbeanArt.com for those in North America and Holland.

Calendar details:
~ Saddle Stitched binding
~ Full Brilliant Color
~ Gloss Varnish to all the artwork
~ Handy 6×6″ folded for easy mailing
~ Full 12×6″ when open, vertical

Pristine

The crash of the waves, the turquoise of the ocean, and the white of the coral beach make it Pristine. Standing at the long abandoned slave hut, a reminder of a cruel past, and yet the scene is almost idyllic. No sounds of people or traffic mar the feeling. Take a deep breath, and breathe…

The simple design and contrasting colors which make up a slave hut has always attracted my eye. Visitors to Bonaire oooh and aaah when they see them. It is hard to imagine how harsh life must have been for workers in the solar salt pans.

24×48”
Oil on stretched canvas
Black metal canvas floater
Gallery wrapped – solid blue-gray edges
Original SOLD

Signed limited edition print available in 6.6×13″ Large $125

Keywords: hut, building, beach, ocean
Colors: white, blue, turquoise, green

Slavehuts #1

The stark structures of the slavehuts glow from the light of the afternoon sun. A single window opposite the door allowed the breeze to pass through.

oil on stretched canvas
24×24″
metal frame
Original SOLD

Signed limited edition prints available in standard $95

Keywords: house, architecture, building
Colors: orange, purple, blue

Abandoned

A one room house stands abandoned in the Bonaire mundi. Slowly decaying, the paint blisters off and the paper peels from the walls. Who might have called this place home?

oil on stretched canvas
22×28″
Weathered gray wood frame
Original SOLD

Signed limited edition prints Large $125

Keywords: house, kunuku, architecture, plantation, cactus
Colors: green, red, brown

Slave Hut’s View

The white slave huts sit on the sea’s edge along the southern end of Bonaire. The slaves sheltered in the huts at night during their workweek in the salt pans. Their families lived in Rincon. They would walk there only on the weekends. Slavery ended on Bonaire in 1863.

Oil on stretched canvas
30×20″
Original SOLD

Signed limited edition prints in Small $50, Medium $75 and Standard $95

Keywords: house, seascape, ocean, landscape
Colors: blue, purple, white