SEASON 2015 \ 2016

We are ready for the new season 2015 - 2016, with many new features and lots of information to help you make your trip to Las Galeras, Samanà in the Caribbean!

Looking for information, tips and tricks to better enjoy the Dominican Republic?
Or looking for souvenirs, arts and crafts, cigars, rum or Mamajuana,
beach towels, pareos, jewelery, silver, amber or larimar?

Come visit us, we're expecting you

COLORS AND FACES

n.191 cm.20x150

semi-gloss on canvas

And here's a picture,
where the artist manages to bring out
the expressions of the faces of these wonderful women,
playing with spatula, lights, shadows and bright colors.



Haitianarts-Las Galeras-Samana

THE SHOW OF NATURE

n.32 cm.76x101

semi-gloss on canvas

The colors of nature are combined in a perfect afternoon for a quiet walk of the inhabitants of this dream island, which is Hispaniola.
Even in Las Galeras, to the local people who do not work whit tourism, but agriculture, after a hard day's work, it is wonderful to enjoy the spectacle that nature offers us.

MUSIC IS FEMALE

                           n. 21 cm.50x152
                    semi-gloss on canvas


             This artist has a vision of music very feminine ....
                  and leaves the public free interpretation ....

THE BUCKET

n.52 cm.76x101

semi-gloss on canvas

You do not need a school to paint a picture that!
This artist, with his sensitivity, has simply reproduced what his eyes see every day.
The art of everyday life in the Dominican Republic!

CEREMONY VUDU'

n.17 cm.101x152

semi-gloss on canvas

The Voodoo is a religion.

Like all ancient religions, also has numerous ceremonial vuduismo related to magic and is much criticized by the rest of the world.
In Haiti, as in the Dominican Republic, Cuba, Puerto Rico and how, Candomble in Brazil, is taken very seriously not only by illiterate peasants, but also by many members of intelligent and educated, like the theologians for Christianity.

It has its roots in Africa, Benin, Congo and Nigeria.
The Vodou as we know it today, is the result of pressures from different cultures and ethnic groups who have been uprooted from Africa and imported to Hispaniola during the period of slavery.
A common faith, which could make them feel part of a culture and a community. the Vuduisti, do not find anything strange in practicing Catholicism and Voodoo together, managing to be very devoted to all two. The Voodoo priests, asking for help to the spirits (angels, mysteries or ancestors), as senior members of the family, even offering food and wine
.

This Haitian artist, has painted  the ceremony, using as always all the colors of the rainbow.

LA RANCHETA

n.99 cm.76x101

semi-gloss on canvas

With beautiful naive style, the artist describes any day fields throughout the Dominican Republic, also de Las Galeras, moving away a bit 'from the beaches.
The "ranceta", from which the title to this painting, it is a simple roof with wooden poles and leaves, usually of coconut, which serves as a shelter, both from the sun and rain, in any situation.
The rancheta is used to eat, relax, dance, sell and many other things!
In this field of cotton, while some farmers are reaping flakes of cotton, the ranceta serves the two women that they are picking and cleaning up, and put them away inside the panniers for transportation that will take place with the donkeys.

EL BATEY

n.105 cm.76x101

semi-gloss on canvas

                                In this painting is represented harvesting sugar cane.

In the Dominican Republic, agriculture is one of the major resources.
After the fishing and tourism, are the crops of coffee, cocoa, tobacco and sugar cane.
For these crops, labor used is from Haiti.
Haitians Workers live in villages called batey.
The batey, which are shown to tourists, while hiking, are composed of simple, small houses all alike, equipped with electricity, water, a small vegetable garden and a few chickens.
But unfortunately, the majority, are formed from wood cabins or made with recycled materials, without bathrooms, without water and without schools for children.

In these villages, are born and die without leaving a mark, the children, are not even reported to a registry office!

LA ESTRELLA (Star)

n.50 cm.76x101

semi-gloss on canvas

This beautiful picture reminds me of the magnificent Grace Jones.

KATIE' (the district, in Haitian Creole)

n.186 cm.51x61

semi-gloss on canvas

This image takes us back in time, when Haiti, under the French, was the richest colony in the Caribbean Sea.
Called "The Pearl of the Caribbean", from the export of cocoa and sugar, while Santo Domingo, was Spanish, was poor, sparsely populated and almost abandoned.
                      Although nowadays it is hard to believe, Haiti, had times of splendor!
During the French Revolution, the new ideas, on the rights of peoples, spread also in the French colonies and in Haiti there was a revolt of blacks against the French.
Unfortunately, history has shown that even if every people has the right to independence, but this is achieved when the people are not united and prepared to govern, is harming the people themselves.

 Wars or violence, almost always fail, because violence can only generate violence.

COLORS OF THE MIRROR

n.173 cm.77x145

semi-gloss on canvas

                                      COLORS THAT, THE COLORS OF THE CARIBBEAN !!!
With a perspective altered, leading to exaggerate the proportion of subjects in the foreground, making them appear much larger than those in the background, we see in the background, the mountains, two small houses and some women on the go.
Featured Instead, we see, with a wide-angle lens, two beautiful women, that they may rest in the shadow of their big hats, waiting to sell their wares.

NEVER SAY "IMPOSSIBLE"

These are our home and our gift shop.

In Las Galeras time passes slowly and sometimes it's nice and also helpful, spend a few hours sitting in front of our store to look at who and what goes.

I said also useful, because it can help to know the local mores.

Looking at the video below, you will understand that in the Dominican Republic,

 everything is possible!

..... and if everything is possible, even the vision of this artist, becomes real!

                                                                   n.190 cm.51x61
                                                               semi-gloss on canvas

FLAMINGOS (pink flamingos)

Flamingos are moving at a slow pace to cool off in this classic example of a dream landscape, the art style of the Caribbean.











n.164 cm. 51x170
semi-gloss on canvas

"PROCESSION" A LAS GALERAS

Procession evangelic

The constitution of the Dominican Republic, provides for freedom of worship, but the majority follows the Christian Catholic religion. The remaining minority is made up of community witnessed Jeova, Evangelical, Baptist, Anglican, Mormon.

The video that we offer, I picked two nights ago here in Las Galeras, during a procession evangelical.

As I stated many times, the music and "the party", are part of the Dominicans and every reason is good! ...

               
                                                                  n.180 cm.76x101
                                                                semi-gloss on canvas

FACE AND POTS

n.218 cm.76x101

semi-gloss on canvas

                            Hat, face and pots, mingle in this wonderful play of colors and shadows.

THE DISCO

n.73 cm.76x101

semi-gloss on canvas

In Las Galeras there aren't discos indoors, with air conditioning, but three open-air discos.
One is called INDIANA and is the most popular with locals and tourists.
It is located in the center of the village and is open every night.
Another is called VIP, is on the same street, but a little 'more about (leaving the sea behind).
And 'open every night in high season, if not just weekends.
The third is that of the "Gallera" (where they make cockfighting) and is the most typical.
It is normally open when there are fights and weekends.
The music does not vary much from one club to another, Merengue, Bachata, Reggaeton Salsa and some a little bit of Reggae.
But I assure you that the fun is guaranteed, whether you like dance, is that you stay to watch!
Moreover, in each bar or "cafeteria", there is always music and often ... improvised dance floors where everyone go wild!

VOODOO

n.56 cm.76x101

semi-gloss on canvas 

The Voodoo is a religion.
And 'the dominant religion and culture of primary about 7 million people in Haiti
Like all ancient religions also vuduismo has numerous ceremonial related to magic and is much criticized by the rest of the world.
In Haiti, as in Dominican Rep, is taken very seriously not only by illiterate peasants, but also by many members of intelligent and educated, like the theologians for Christianity.
It has its roots in Africa, Benin, Congo and Nigeria.
The Voodoo exists throughout the island of Hispaniola, Cuba, Puerto Rico and how, Candomble in Brazil.
The Vodou as we know it today, is the result of pressures from different cultures and ethnic groups who have been uprooted from Africa and imported to Hispaniola during the period of slavery.
A common faith, which could make them feel part of a culture and a community.
Vuduisti I believe, as the African tradition, that there is one God, who is the creator of all, called "Bondje", from the French "Bon Dieu" or "Good God."
But it is to the ancestors, or spirits, mysteries or angels, who asks for help, treating them with honor and respect, as older members of a family.
The focus and the key of Voodoo, is healing people from diseases.
Healing with herbs, healing of faith (with the help of rum and spirits) and now also with Western medicine!
The Voodoo priests, are both men (houngan) than women (Mambo).
Can perform religious ceremonies to call or pacify the spirits, holding initiations for new priests (tesses), telling the future and interpret dreams, casting spells, create protections, creating potions for various purposes (from love spells spells death ).
The priests may receive fees, taxes or similar offers paid to the rabbis, mullahs or priests.
As no evidence exists that the effectiveness of these spells, there may be doubts about the taking of these superstitions on the people: many dictators, have taken advantage of this', to strengthen their power, posing as powerful sorcerers.

Catholics

Under the settlers, for the slaves, it was forbidden to practice Voodoo.
Dances were allowed occasional weekends, but these dances were actually services Voodoo!
In this way he could survive.
After the liberation of 1804, all the whites were expelled from Haiti and many were killed, including Catholic priests, so the Vatican broke with Haiti which has not had relations for more than 50 years.
During this period, there has been a strange fusion of the spirit of religion and African Catholicism, virtually all lwa (spirits), they are associated with Catholic saints (Dumballah, the loa snake, is St. Patrick, Erzulie, mother earth, is the Virgin Mary, etc ..).
The most important consequence of this is that the Vuduisti, do not find anything strange in practicing Catholicism and voodoo together, managing to be very devoted to both.
From 1860 to 1940, the Catholic Church has led campaigns against Voodoo without any success.
In 1941-1942 there was the holy war against Voodoo, were burned, shrines, killed houngans and mambo and tried to banish from society.
But they lost, because the Voodoo, one hand went under the ground, but on the other has grown in popularity due to their oppression.
In the early 1950s, the Catholic hierarchy has stopped this war, getting rid of the warriors and priests making peace with Voodoo.
Not being able to defeat them, voodoo drums and melodies were incorporated in religious Catholic.

Protestants

Until 1970, Haiti was almost 100% Catholic.
In 1970 came the evangelical Protestantism.
After that, in the US Reagan came to power, the evangelization hath multiplied.
The evangelical Protestants, are bitter enemies of Voodoo who denounce as devil worship.
Many Protestants claim that the misery of Haiti is a punishment from God for the sins of her serviteurs Voodoo.

Evangelical Protestant groups have 7 of 11 radio stations in Haiti and have made significant gains in conversions.

PICK UP FLOWERS

n.54 cm.76x101

semi-gloss on canvas

This wonderful landscape naive, is the image of an enchanted lake.
Among palm trees, oleanders and swans, women gather colorful flowers, probably at some ceremony.
As always the contrasts of 1000 colors seem to want to get out of the painting to fill the heart of every one of us.

THE MUSIC IS FEMALE

                   n.21 cm.50x152
           semi-gloss on canvas



This artist has a vision of music very feminine ....
and lets the public free interpretation ....

FIGHTING ROOSTERS

n.117 cm.101x152

semi-gloss on canvas

Another representation of fighting roosters.
The Cockfight is still practiced in Las Galeras.
It is known as the sport of "caballeros" (gentlemen), as you bet with another person, but only verbally, small or large sums of money. A challenge without having to sign any documents, committing only on the word of honor.
After the fight, the loser, "very gentleman", pays the winner!

For many, cockfighting should be abolished, because they impose a cruel and violent death of innocent animals and are morally harmful for the many children who attend.
The farmers, in response, usually claim that their business is an art, and that the animals are treated like royalty until they drop in combat.
In many states, these fights are illegal. But in most of Central America, as in Santo Domingo, is a tradition rooted to disappear too.
In Las Galeras, there is a "gallera" (place for fighting), open on Thursday in the afternoon.