Ever since the gardeners broke my fragile pottery bird in my garden I have intended to replace it with a more substantial or concrete art and finally did that this week. This particular meditating indigenous man statue is one I’ve seen in some of the lodges I visit and liked, but not available in Atenas or even in the viveros (plant nurseries) of La Garita. My gardener sent me to an outdoor arts business on the outskirts of Naranjo de Alajuela and there I found depictions of the indigenous people of Costa Rica.
I haven’t found out yet if he is intended to be “the thinker” or someone in “some kind of meditation,” but the art style (copied of course) is similar to the Pre-Columbian Diquís Culture statues as a part of the Meso-American Pacific Culture. I like it and think it adds a touch of calm and history or maybe even spirituality to my garden. It is made of concrete, thus not as likely to be broken! 🙂
“If people can’t acknowledge the wisdom of indigenous cultures, then that’s their loss.”
~Jay Griffiths
¡Pura Vida!
The pottery bird was beautiful and a great loss I know but the replacement seems to look and feel right at home. He looks very peaceful in the setting.
Carol, one cannot replace a special artwork made by a close friend, but I felt I needed something in the garden and this was my favorite of what was commercially available. The few birds they had were simply gaudy. 🙂 This is at least thoughtful.
I want one…
Deborah, they have more of this same guy plus a similar one with a built-in planter or flower pot. There is also a life-size naked black woman there! 🙂
On highway 1 coming from Atenas or Alajuela once you pass the cutoff to Naranjo it is the 3rd garden art shop on the left and I forgot the long name and could not find it in a google search. Driving toward San Ramon, the first one had only about 6 ugly concrete mermaids and toucans. The second one was only religious art, Mary & Jesus statues, then as we were about to give up we finally saw it with giant colorful painted toucan and parrot statues near the road (too big & gaudy for me) and then behind that some of these indigenous men, some frogs, and assorted other things including a lot of big flower pots. Not as big a place or with as many options as I expected (my gardener sent me there), but it’s the best of those 3! In La Garita, Vivero Central has almost as many garden art statues but only one indigenous man planter. Theirs are mostly planters and a few religious statues.
What a beautiful garden nook, and the meditative man looks like he found a perfect spot for quiet contemplation. Exquisite!
🙂 Thank you so much Lisa! and I even have a garden bench where I can sit and look at him obliquely as well as other parts of my garden.