Oxcarts of Costa Rica
Apr 17, 2020 13:50:13 #
In 2015, my wife and I were fortunate to visit Costa Rica for 10 days. We visited the town of Sarchi, the oxcart capital of Costa Rica. It is where oxcart painting began.
The colorfully-painted wooden oxcarts (called carretas in Spanish), their teams of matched oxen, and their oxcart drivers are known around the world. No two oxcarts are painted exactly the same. The fine art of oxcart painting has been passed down in families from generation to generation.
The story, handed down in the family of Joaquin Chaverri, says that Joaquin decided to beautify his oxcart to take his family on outings in the cart on Sundays. He painted his first oxcart bright orange because it was the only color he had available. Orange and red have since become known as the most traditional colors for cart painting. Joaquin used powered pigment mixed with linseed oil to deeply soak into the wood, making it more durable and long-lasting.
When the practice spread, different regions - and sometimes even individual families- developed their own particular design and color scheme.
The colorfully-painted wooden oxcarts (called carretas in Spanish), their teams of matched oxen, and their oxcart drivers are known around the world. No two oxcarts are painted exactly the same. The fine art of oxcart painting has been passed down in families from generation to generation.
The story, handed down in the family of Joaquin Chaverri, says that Joaquin decided to beautify his oxcart to take his family on outings in the cart on Sundays. He painted his first oxcart bright orange because it was the only color he had available. Orange and red have since become known as the most traditional colors for cart painting. Joaquin used powered pigment mixed with linseed oil to deeply soak into the wood, making it more durable and long-lasting.
When the practice spread, different regions - and sometimes even individual families- developed their own particular design and color scheme.
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unpainted oxcart
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not an oxcart but my favorite urinal dividers ever!
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Apr 17, 2020 14:01:45 #
Namadravr
Loc: Marion, IN
What wonderful memories these brought back to us. Our family lived there for a year while in language school. Sarchi was one of our favorite places to visit. Thank you for sharing such beautiful representations of the incredible art work found there.
Apr 17, 2020 14:07:34 #
Apr 17, 2020 14:08:41 #
Very cheerful, especially it is one of the first things You see trough the window in the morning,eh! Great colour deepth You captured there!
Apr 17, 2020 14:10:29 #
howIseeit wrote:
Very cheerful, especially it is one of the first things You see trough the window in the morning,eh! Great colour deepth You captured there!
Thank you so much. It was a great trip!
Apr 17, 2020 14:19:07 #
azted
Loc: Las Vegas, NV.
Very talented decorative, and representative painters. The tourist shops have lots of little carts for sale. Nice photos.
Apr 17, 2020 14:20:00 #
Apr 17, 2020 14:27:45 #
Beautiful! I visited Sarchi in 2018. You've captured the essence and spirit of the place wonderfully!
Apr 17, 2020 14:30:24 #
azted wrote:
Very talented decorative, and representative painters. The tourist shops have lots of little carts for sale. Nice photos.
Thank you and yes they are very talented!
Apr 17, 2020 14:30:49 #
Apr 17, 2020 14:31:34 #
Just Fred wrote:
Beautiful! I visited Sarchi in 2018. You've captured the essence and spirit of the place wonderfully!
Thank you Fred. I really loved it there!
Apr 18, 2020 10:03:49 #
Apr 18, 2020 10:41:24 #
Apr 18, 2020 10:41:54 #
Apr 18, 2020 10:42:37 #
Rathyatra wrote:
Beautiful set - love those colours.
Thanks, I tried to do it some justice
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