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His visionary paintings reveal ecosystems that are interconnected with the human relationship with effects globally and individually through the air, water, foods, treatments and medicines consumed. He emphasizes that plants are living beings and the roles of the forests and vegetation as presented in his visions. Pablo, who has Lamistra, Cocama and Piro Indian ancestors, s fluent in English, Spanish and Quecha with knowledge of the Cocama, Amahuaca and Shipibo peoples.
After field trips to the jungle where they are taught names and habitat of various species, and through development of capacities for perception and patience the painters recreate the local landscapes and mythological imagery. Many paintings are accompanied by legends identifying flora , fauna and ways of life of the jungle. This work has been critically acclaimed and is in permanent museum as well as private collections. With vibrant colors and meticulous details, the paintings communicate through universal language the beauty of "nuestra Amazonia" (our Amazon: the lungs of the earth and the heart of healing). The paintings are shown publicly around the world in museums, galleries and with conservation programs. The images are reproduced in art, medicine, environmental and news media. Occasionally the teachers participate in lectures, demonstrations and workshops. Over 500 skillfully executed paintings have been shown to mainstream audiences, enlightening and engaging minds, many of which are children's, to learn more about the relationships of humans, plants and their environments. The school provides hope and safe haven for many of the students. Some of them stay with the school and become teachers, some leave to pursue independent artistic development and art careers, or other interests; all have become "Ambassadors of the Amazon" with awareness of the consequences of rainforest destruction. "The Riverain people, riberenos, or caboclos in Brazil, constitute the main population in South American jungle areas. Descendants of different indigenous groups and to a minor extent colonizers, live in riverain settlements and towns and traditionally use the natural resources much in the same way as the native people, without damaging its balance. Their cultural values and religion contains elements of the native cultures but also popular Catholicism and European folklore, but their rich culture has lacked points of reference elsewhere. The colonization policy and an increasing dependency on a currency based economy has contributed to urban poverty, intensified cultural change and increased the extraction of the forests." © 1994 Luis Eduardo Luna & Sirpa Rasmussen. |
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