Background...

So here's what's going on:

I went to Nicaragua last March with Forward Edge International, a missions organization. I honestly had no idea I would literally "fall in love" with all the children. I've always loved children, I just didn't know how much. But I promise I won't go into much detail here. I will say that one of the girls I met at Villa Esperanza (please check out the links section!!), Miurel, inspired me more than I ever could have imagined, in several ways. She taught me how to love more, to forgive, and to trust. The Lord continues to bless me through this little girl!

To get to the point, I decided to send her a drawing I did of a monkey (she called me monkey because all the girls said I had hairy armpits... which I most certainly did NOT... it was a long plane ride :p). One of my team members asked me what I do with this "talent". I didn't really know how to answer him.

I began thinking about what I really could do with my art. I soon figured, I love art and I love Nicaragua! Why not find a way to support the kiddos while doing something else I love? Why waste what the Lord has "gifted" me with?

So that's what I'm doing! Everything is inspired by what I saw in Nicaragua. And a portion of the proceeds will be going to FEI (Forward Edge International). Please keep in mind, originals will be given to the first person to buy, but I can always order canvas prints with custom sizes for you! And prices are always negotiable!

It will be a VERY slow process, as I work full time and go to school. I only get a chance to work on the pieces on the weekends. So as of now, I only have three to post!

I started the project a few weeks ago. I kept thinking about the children living (yes, living) in La Chureca, the dump within the city of Managua. Little girls, ultimately abandoned by their parents, are often in charge of their large families. They take care of the babies, and even older siblings. This is my first pastel for this project. Ningunos Niños, depicts one of those little girls. She is holding a baby as she takes care of the "laundry".

I didn't add much detail. I wanted the focus on the girl, the baby, and the laundry. The gray of the background represents the smog from the landfills. She is standing on a cinder block amongst more garbage. Obviously she is too short to reach the laundry, implying she is very young, and responsible for a lot.

I think this one is my favorite so far, simply because I love working with chalk pastels. You can get really messy :]

Many children in La Chureca end up prostituting themselves for the first pick of the trash, or anything else they need. Parents are often times the ones to arrange this. Now the smell of La Chureca is pretty icky and the smog is no bueno for lungs, so people will wear gas masks or handkerchiefs when entering the dump. One of the first things I noticed when entering La Chureca, was the gas masks the truck drivers wore. The truck drivers take advantage of the kiddos. So when I think of gas masks, I now think of truck drivers. And when I think of truck drivers, I now think of the terrible things they do to the children or anyone else they can get their hands on.

This is a drawing of a child walking barefoot through La Chureca. She is stepping on a gas mask (Yes, that's a gas mask... I tried to draw it... turns out I have no idea how to draw them :/) as if stepping on the cruelty of these men. To the left of the girl is a little boy. Is he desperate? Does the truck driver see the desperation? And again, we see the smog from the explosions amongst the trash.

This one doesn't really have a heavy message or anything. Some girls in a Mosquito village in Puerto Cabezas did a dance about soup for us. We joined in, but completely embarrassed ourselves. But that's okay, because we had fun, and were able to share the joy we received from the Lord with them. It was two just before we left Nica, so it was a good ending to our trip.

Nicaragua's national colors are white and blue, so all students (if they even have the opportunity to have an education, which many don't) have to wear these colors. Girls have to wear these skirts. This is embedded in my mind, because some day I hope to teach in Nica. This may be a familiar image for me!

This was my very first oil painting! My dad actually got me all the supplies for my birthday last month (so cute). I think the reason why I like this one, despite the lack of passion, is because it was a way for my dad and I to connect.

So, now we're all caught up! I'll be posting as I work on other pieces, to let you guys know where I'm at as the project continues and explain the background of each piece. Not every post will be this long ;]

Feel free to contact me if you have any questions!

Muchas gracias!