Landscape Painting Models for Beginners and Enthusiasts

 Landscape Painting Models for Beginners and Enthusiasts

Dr Abe V Rotor 

The best way to learn painting is through the imagination, 

but simple models may be needed in the beginning. 

Summer in the Woods, acrylic on canvas using paint brush and pallete knife  

 

Nymphaea water lily, acrylic on canvas using stubby 

paint brush to create dubbing and smudge effect.

Birds in the Tree, acrylic on wood using green leaves impressed 

on fresh paint.  Leaves were sprayed with paint of desired shape, 

size and color, before they were laid flat and firm on board.

Convergence, on large canvas (2' x 3')  in thick acrylic applied by hand, 

brush and knife. Spluttered effect created by stubby paint brush. 

Sun in the deep, a reflection, wall mural detail.

Sailboat on rocky shore at a distance, mural detail

  

Waterfalls in two details of a wall mural. Left, misty effect at at the base

 of the fall.  Right, rocks hold on to the force of the fall.

 

Sailboats, a favorite subject for beginners, in two views. ~

Big Bang, acrylic on canvas using paint brush and palm for 

smudging effect. Streaks were made with palette knife. 

Friendly Monster in the Deep

 Friendly Monster in the Deep

Dr Abe V Rotor 

 

                                            Friendly Monster in acrylic by the author

You hide in the dark and deep,
Then come out into the open;
You sail the seas along with ships;
Or stay lurking at the bend.

Seemingly you're tame and kind,
As you roam free in the wild,
Your music from pipe and lyre,
Tempting, lovely and mild.

Sometimes you come to our call
To scare naughty children,
To temper them brave and tall,
In finding you their friend. ~

Lesson on former Paaralang Bayan sa Himpapawid with Ms Melly C Tenorio 738 KHz DZRB AM Band, 8-9 evening class, Monday to Friday

The Seven Pillars of the Joy of New Life challenge us against our own indifference and abuse against Nature

The Seven Pillars of the Joy of New Life

in deference to our love of Nature - but where does Nature come in?

These seven pillars challenge us against our own

indifference and abuse against Nature.

  

Dr Abe V Rotor

Living with Nature School on Blog [avrotor.blogspot.com]

This editorial cartoon, The Joy of New Life, accompanies the editorial Still Poor, 

PDI March 21, 2016, following Easter Sunday. 

What role has environment to The Joy of New Life, 

and to the state of being Still Poor"?

Poverty undermines the pillars of truly a happy life;

it creates its own world apart. 

Anthropocentric regard of human supremacy over

all creatures, itself is an ecological crisis.

Man re-shapes the Earth at will for his needs

and wants disguised as values.

Education for literacy, justice for equality, freedom

as right are licenses to anthropocentrism. 

Dignity sets man on a pedestal, lord and master  

of all creation, rational and supreme.

Who enthroned man with such power, but a god 

he claims the source of his power.   

Self-anointed, he wills as his god wills, acts in his behalf,

in an authoritarian rule.

Collective referendum, consultation, decision are all 

by mankind alone, sans all creatures on earth.    

Who stops him from cutting down whole forests,

dam rivers, level mountains? 

All in pursuit of progress, in the name of civilization,

for wealth, comfort and happiness.

And mankind covers the earth, aims at the universe,

challenges now the god in his mind.

And reasons out, rationality after all justifies

both good and evil, acts as amoral.

Deserts expand, land, air and water foul with waste,

"Tragedy of the commons" breeds war.

Nations break up, millions in exodus to nowhere, 

where there was once progress.

Where there was once a paradise, a golden city

in its place, now also gone. 

 

What role has environment to The Joy of New Life, 

and to the state of being Still Poor"?

These seven pillars challenge us against our own

indifference and abuse against nature.

Lesson on former Paaralang Bayan sa Himpapawid (People's School-on-Air) with Ms Melly C Tenorio, 738 DZRB AM Band, 8 to 9 evening class Monday to Friday

Common Cases of Allergy (35)

35 Common Cases of Allergy 

Dr Abe V Rotor

Corn pollen is a common cause of allergy rhinitis.

Let me present some cases of allergy that are commonly encountered. These were gathered from our radio listeners on former Paaralang Bayan sa Himpapawid. (People's School-on-Air)

1. Smoking. Drivers, office workers, mechanics, farmers, writers, teachers, name it, and the habit is widespread. I know one whose only bisyo is paninigarillo. He didn’t live long.

2. “Canned entertainment” such as parties in fastfoods predisposes kids to various ailments and psychological trauma, and to certain kinds of allergy. It is devoid of the natural environment that builds resistance to allergy as the children grow up.

3. Some common allergens are pollen from flowers of trees and annuals - kasoy, kupkupyes, macopa, and tapilan. Lipang Kalabao, a very itchy plant that grows into a tree. The sap of aldelfa and yellow bell may cause paralysis of the pharynx leading to asphyxiation.

5. Mushroom Allergy. There are spores of fungi like Auricularia or “tainga ng daga” and wild tree mushroom even when they have dried up.

                               Red mushroom is not only poisonous, it causes allergy.

6. Fowls and wild birds are common causes of allergy, from their feathers and parasites, to their droppings. The filthiest bird second to the vulture is the crow carries vermin from carcasses of animals and garbage. Allergy from reptiles – from skin casting to vermin attracted by their food and droppings.

7. Don’t play with spiders. Spiders cause allergy with the hair coverings of their body, and web or silk of certain species. The Black Widow is one of the few poisonous species.

8. Allergic to trees like Ipil-ipil? It’s due to “plant lice” like Psylla, a minute insect pest that wiped out ipil-ipil plantations in the seventies and eighties. They build dense colonies on a single tree, sapping its vitality until it dies.

9. Mealybugs and scale insects (Order Homoptera) produce waxy covering layer for protection and camouflage, as well as casing of their eggs and young. Cottony mealybug (Pseudococcos) on guava leaf; the insect without waxy covering.

10. Pesticide Residue in fruits. Fruits may carry pesticide residues of dangerous chemicals like Folidol, BHC and Malathion. Pesticide residues on vegetables, particularly on crucifers – cabbage, lettuce, pechay, cauliflower – register above allowable levels. Lack of monitoring may predispose consumers to the effects of pesticides.

12. Kapok or Cotton Tree (Ceiba pentandra L) releases seeds covered with lint from the mature pod The fiber is gathered mainly for pillow. It is cool and preferred over synthetic fills. Dehiscence period is towards the end of the year.

13. Fire Tree (Delonix regia) Both flowers and caterpillars attacking the tree may cause allergy. Higad or the hairy caterpillar of Tussock moth causes irritation of the skin which may last for days. A common remedy is to apply vinegar on the affected skin. If the sharp hairs are imbedded, apply candle drops and allow to solidify. Then peel off with the encased hair. Mosses, algae, ferns and short growing annuals may cause allergy, including their substrates that undergo transformation by weathering.

14. Allergic to Termites? It may be the termite or the mushroom in farms in its chamber - or both - that cause the allergy. Termites work with lignin-breaking fungi that soften the wood. Inside their guts are protozoa that break up cellulose, aiding digestion – a classical case of symbiosis.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Global Warming and Climate Change increase incidence of Asthma and Allergy cases around the world.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
15. Pesticide Residues. Poisonous hydrocarbon and phosphate compounds find their way through the food chain – in the case of frog from sprayed insects that serve as its prey. Pesticide residues accumulate in its tissues and transferred to the its predators, including man.

16. Are you allergic to native delicacies? Sinanglaw is a favorite Ilocano dish from internal organs of carabao or cattle cooked in slow fire and heavily spiced with hot pepper, paminta and ginger. Pinapaitan and kilawin prepared from goat’s meat are a native delicacy in many parts of the country. Other delicacies include kaldereta and soup “number 5.”

18. Tulingan or Tanggigi is a common cause of allergy to many people. It is a practice to drain the blood by cutting the tail, and carefully removing the entrails before the fish is cut and served raw or cooked. The danger worsens when the fish is no longer fresh. There People who are also allergic to tuna.

19. Shellfish – tahong, talaba and halaan may harbor the red tide dinoflagellate is large quantity that may lead to Paralytic Shellfish Poison (PSP) in man. PSP symptoms may first appear as allergy, and may be lethal if not treated immediately.

21. Allergy is caused by insects Banana and mabolo (left) attacked by fruit fly (Dacus dorsalis/cucurbitae). It attacks dozens of popular fruits and vegetables, including mango, citrus, guava, macopa, cucumber, ampalaya.

23. The domesticated honeybee (Apis melifera) normally does not sting unless provoked, unlike the notorious African honeybee which threatens the US honeybee industry today. There are as many deaths due to bee sting as snake bites. People vary in reaction to bee sting, from swelling to difficulty in breathing.

24. Millipedes (Class Diplopods) exude Cyanide gas to stun their prey as well as repel their predators. Thus children should warned not to play with the “diken-diken,” playing possum by curling its body into a tight ring.

25. Skin repellants. Avoid obnoxious and annoying insects - all kinds of bugs, plant lice, aggressive Insects such as wasp and hantik ant. Hemipterans- the bugs – exude an obnoxious odor which is caustic to the skin and eyes, a chemical offensive that wards off would-be predators attracted by their brilliant colors and attractive designs.

26. Perfectly camouflaged, these insects lie surreptitious to their prey and predator and people may be unwary of them. Lepidopterans – butterflies, moths and skippers – are covered with scales of of chitin, a very resistant cellulose-like compound. The practice of releasing butterflies in place of throwing rice on a newly married couple has been discouraged because of the danger the chitinous scales cause such as irritation of the skin and eyes.

27. There are various allergic reactions to fowls and birds, not only for their feathers, but mites and lice belonging to two Orders Anoplura (sucling lice) and Mallophaga (chewing lice) - that reside in their bodies and nests.

28. Ngarasangas is a very small bivalve that occurs in colonies in estuaries. The shells are gathered for food and for ducks in raising balot. Allergy cases have been reported by eating this favorite soup of the Ilocanos. Below, increasing lead pollution has forced the shutdown of many salt beds in the country. Salt made near cities and industrial sites may pose danger to health.

29. Does radiation cause allergy? Radiation emitted by radio transmitters have been found t
to be the cause of a number of ailments from insomnia to sterility. It is also associated
with cancer, abnormal blood levels and heart conditions which may be related to allergy or allergy symptoms.

30. Danger lurks in murky water – diseases, vermin, etc. Heavily polluted waterways such as the Pasig River contain high levels of Hydrogen Sulfide, Ammonia, Methane, other gases, and toxic metals.

31. Allergy to plastics and other synthetic materials. Stuffed toys may cause allergy, so with many things put into the mouth.

32. Aflatoxin in peanut, corn and others go unnoticed with the preserved food.

33. Believe it or not – kapre lives in old balete tree. Naan-annongan (Ilk) is different from nakasagsagid (Ilk), but the symptoms are quite similar - profuse sweating and feeling of general weakness.

34. Allergy from yeast and young wine.

35. Are you allergic to fireworks, and on New Year’s Eve?

To what extent does nature provide immunity? Fortunately as children grow to maturity, particularly so under natural environment, they acquire the defense the body systems need against a host of health problems from allergy to physiologic and pathological diseases, albeit adaptation to emotional and psychological stress.

Homogenization is likened to Globalization – one economy, one media, one culture, one car, one MRT, one computer, one bank. There’s one thing we are missing – the environment. In fact we are missing Nature in our lives. Our children are now spending more and more waking hours with the computer as if it were man’s best friend.

Come to think of the computer as the root of allergy and many ailments. Spending more time with the computer deprives millions especially children of participating in health promoting games and resistance-building exposure to nature.

It is a scenario that we see everywhere, a scenario of our own making. And yet, like artists before the canvas we have the power to create one that is beautiful and conducive to our well being. But we do not or we refuse to do so, although we are aware that a healthy environment is primordial to good health and a happy life.

Ever wonder what it means to enjoy childhood outside of the confines of air conditioned room? Many children look forward to the first rain in May. Boy scouts and girl scouts do. To the athlete, the naturalist. And many boys and girls wishing to play outdoor.

But our children are no longer children of nature; they are captives of education and media, of malls and cafes. They like to think that the mind is like the computer, that the more information it acquires the better of is the individual. This is not so. Not when it pertains to health, not with the ability to arrive at correct decisions, not when and where survival is the name of the game. And not when it comes to matters of love.

Which reminds me a story of a young man who was in love. So he asked the computer, What love is.

Whereupon, came a prompt answer – not one or two, but in many definitions, technical and literary.

“How does it feel to be in love?” the young man continued.

This time the computer did not respond. He entered his query once more, and again, but still there was no response. After several attempts, the computer finally gave up. “I cannot feel.”

And here are our children spending most of their waking hours with an “intelligent” thing in the shape of a box, a thing that has no feeling at all! Even when the computer can tell us of all kinds of the sickness in the world, it cannot comfort you. Because a robot has no feeling. ~

Living with Nature, AVR

Posted by Abe V. Rotor at 5:32 AM


1 comment:
Maria Ruth said...

This blog is actually topic of my paper. The blog talks about Hygiene hypothesis, which was first proposed by David Strachan in 1989. He proposed that exposure to microorganisms protect an individual against other diseases like allergies and autoimmune diseases. However, until now, there is not exact mechanism on how this protection is conferred. Children not exposed to the environment "nature" is more prone to develop allergies. Let your children experience the joy of being close to nature. April 16, 2011 at 4:40 PM

Post a Comment

Tropical Rainforest Around the Corner with a Message ^

Tropical Rainforest Around the Corner 

with a Message

"I see the day in our own lifetime that reverence for the natural systems, the oceans, the rainforests, the soil, the grasslands, and all other living things will be so strong that no narrow ideology based upon politics or economics will overcome it." - Jerry Brown

Paintings by Dr Abe V Rotor 

Edge of a Rainforest, wall mural by the author

Convert empty walls into Nature murals as integral part of beautification and cleanliness program.  Make it a community project with incentives offered like contest,  and school practicum and credit.  Aesthetics transforms a "dead" wall and its surroundings into a virtual garden or park. Link your project with tree planting, waste recycling, sidewalk and street clearing, fiesta celebration, and the like.  - avr

"We’re turning everything on the planet into food for humans so we’re cutting down the rainforests, displacing all of the animals, and we’re doing all this to feed humans... ... Imagine if there were only 2 billion people polluting? We’re already overpopulated. I feel we’ve become a parasite on this planet. If this population keeps growing, we’ll just keep devouring the planet, and I don’t think it’s going to stand for that very long."  

-  Morgan Freeman

"At first I thought I was fighting to save rubber trees, then I thought I was fighting to save the Amazon rain forest. Now I realize I am fighting for humanity." - Chico Mendes

Respite from City Living

The Tropical Rainforest is the richest biome, evolutionary home of our early human ancestors, seat of biodiversity, and considered the" lungs of the earth."  Transform a jungle of concrete into a virtual rainforest in your home and community. Details of mural paintings by AV Rotor

"The world's forests need to be seen for what they are - giant global utilities, providing essential public services to humanity on a vast scale. They store carbon, which is lost to the atmosphere when they burn, increasing global warming. The life they support cleans the atmosphere of pollutants and feeds it with moisture. They act as a natural thermostat, helping to regulate our climate and sustain the lives of 1.4 billion of the poorest people on this Earth." - Prince Charles

Church Wall mural by the author, San Vicente Ilocos Sur. The area was a dumpsite and urinal.  Today it serves as waiting and assembly area for funeral entourage.

"Forests ... are in fact the world's air-conditioning system-the very lungs of the planet-and help to store the largest body of freshwater on the planet ... essential to produce food for our planet's growing population. The rainforests of the world also provide the livelihoods of more than a billion of the poorest people on this Earth... In simple terms, the rainforests, which encircle the world, are our very life-support system-and we are on the verge of switching it off." - Prince Charles

"The answer is simple. If we lose the world's forests, we lose the fight against climate change. Rainforests are our Earth's greatest utility - our planet's lungs, thermostat and air-conditioning system." - Michael Somare

"In the 24 hours since this time yesterday, over 200,000 acres of rainforest have been destroyed in our world. Fully 13 million tons of toxic chemicals have been released into our environment. Over 45,000 people have died from starvation, 38,000 of them children. And more than 130 plant and animal species have been driven to extinction by the actions of humans. And all this just since yesterday." -  Thom Hartmann ~

"Wild" Flowers in the Garden (San Vicente Botanical Garden)

San Vicente Ilocos Sur
Heritage Zone of the North

 "Wild" Flowers in the Garden

Dr Abe V Rotor

 

"Wild" flowers from the Garden make a unique bouquet

 

Bulaklak ng Paraiso or Caballero (Poinciana pulcherrima);

 Purple sampaguita (Jasminium sambac)

 

Pandakaki (Tabernamontana pandakaki); Dona Luz (Mussaenda Philipica)

 

White Santan (Ixora finlaysoniana); kamantigue (Impatiens balsamina)

 

Crown-of-thorns (Euphobia milii); button plant

  

Kalachuchi (Plumeria rubra); Periwinkle ( Catharanthus roseus)

 

Anthurium (Anthurium andraeanum); ornamental pineapple

 (Ananas comosus 'Champaca') ~

Nature is our best teacher

Nature is our best teacher

Here are vital signs to watch. Rain is coming, take heed! Hovering dragonflies, aggressive biting of mosquitoes, ants on the move carrying their young and provisions.

Dr Abe V Rotor

Let's recognize Nature as our best teacher.

Read Nature. You will enjoy life, live healthier and longer. You'll gain more friends and respect from people.

Monsoon rains may last for 18 consecutive days, hence the term
siyam-siyam, from which Masagana 99 rice program was coined.

Above all, you will be at peace with yourself and with your environment.

Here are some biological signs to watch. They are Nature's barometer, so to speak; Nature's clock, Nature's way of communicating with the living world.

1. Mad dog – Its tail is tucked underneath; animal restless biting at anything within its reach; froth coming from its mouth; stealthily moves about without any apparent direction; dreads the presence of water (hydrophobia);

Dogs must be vaccinated with anti-rabies and not allowed to go in the street. (Nikko, our pet at 15 before he died of old age.)
usually occurs during hot days particularly in summer. Be keen; keep distance; notify others of danger; get help.

2. Drought – Occurs in summer; landscape scorched; dry river beds and ponds; brush fires occurs; lake water recedes; crack on earth, especially areas under water in monsoon; worst scenario - flowering of bamboo usually during El Nino, a phenomenon that happens every 7 to 10 years.

Leaves oft talisay (Terminalia catappa) turn orange to red before falling to the ground, a sign that the Amihan (cold season) has arrived.

3. Earthquake – Farm animals restless; horses kick and neigh; pigs snort; fowls abandon usual roost; turkey cackle; cattle seek exit from corral; dogs howl; and the like. Wild animals abandon abode – snakes come out into the open; reptile keep out of the water; elephants defy their master’s command; birds abandon nest, other emigrate.

4. Typhoon – Doldrums-like calm; uneasiness to both humans and animals as barometer reading drops which means atmospheric pressure goes down; arthritis and hypertension

symptoms are felt by sensitive persons. As typhoon approaches, sea becomes rough; sky overcast; clouds move fast to one direction; gusts of cold and warm wind, thunderstorms.

A restless cockroach in the evening heralds the coming of bad weather.

5. Influenza – Precipitated by alternate cold and hot weather, thunderstorms, abrupt change in season. Influenza season is usually at the onset of amihan as the habagat comes to an end. Practical signs: people coughing in church and other gatherings; sale of cold tablets and antibiotics is up; hospitals full. Epidemic starts in the family, neighborhood, local community; also, in schools, malls and markets, and may spread to cover a city or district or province. Modern transportation has made spread of flu easier and wider.

6. Pristine Environment – Abundance of lichens on trunks and branches of trees, rocks, and soil. There are three types: crustose (crust), foliose (leaf-like) and fruticose (fruiting type). They are biological indicators of clean air. The ultimate test is the abundance of the fruticose type.

7. Inclement Weather – Halo around moon; gray and red sunset; a storm may be coming depending upon the intensity of these signs.

This field cricket PHOTO), nature's violinist, is most active during warm summer night.

8. Rain - Dragonflies hovering; aggressive biting of mosquitoes; ants move to another place carrying their young and provisions. The latter predicts heavy continuous rainfall or siyam-siyam or nep-nep. Herons on the move heralds the monsoon.

9. Monsoon – Frogs croak; insects (termite, ants) swarm; lightning and thunder get frequent; first heavy rain in May vegetates the landscape, thus turning from brown to green. It comes early or late, but usually in later part of May. Global warming has brought unpredictable signs indicating that our climate is changing.

10. Ripening of Fruits – Generally from green to yellow to orange (banana, orange, apple, etc. Determined by smell: guava, jackfruit, durian, melon, etc); shiny rind (caimito, siniguelas). Dull skin (chico), enlarged ridges and furrows (atis, guayabano, anonas)

 
When earthworms crawl out of their holes and search for higher grounds, it is a sign that a flood is coming.

Can you read other signs?
1. Sweetness/sourness of fruit
2. Maturity and succulence of vegetables (okra, cucumber)
3. Tenderness of nut (buko, macapuno)
4. Sweetness and maturity of fruit (watermelon)
5. Time to harvest singkamas, onions, garlic, sugar beet
6. Presence of jellyfish
7. Red tide season
8. Coming flood (earthworm abandon their burrows.)
9. Time to harvest palay, corn, wheat.
10. Slippery walkway (presence of algae and scum)
11. Depth of water (by color, sound of oar, current, clarity)
12. Cloud reading of weather.
13. Glassy eyes (deep feelings like hatred, or “wala sa sarili”)
14. Wrinkles at the corner of eyes (happy disposition)
15. Furrows on forehead (problematic)
16. Rough hand (worker, also athlete)
17. Brilliant and attentive eyes (intelligence)
18. Clumsiness, strumming (nervous, uncertain)
19. Heavy feet (angry, lazy)
20. Tight jaw (angry, restlessly active)

Open Forum:
1. How reliable is “gut feel”
2. How about ESP?
3. What is “aura?” How does it apply to relationships?
4. What is Biological Clock? Name how it affects your life.
5. Life starts at 40 – how do you interpret this?
6. What are prophets to you? Are there people who can see the future? Do you believe in Nostradamus?
7. Are dreams hidden motives, indirect messages, prophesies?
8. How superstitious are you? Do you practice superstition?
9. Do you think you were once living on earth in another being or living thing, in another time and place? Do you believe re-incarnation?
10. How fatalistic are you – you are predestined even before you were born?

Please share us your knowledge and experiences. Learn more from Nature - she is our best teacher. ~