Artists in Residence: What is making art all about?

It's the most difficult question to answer next to 'what is art?'

When I conceived Monte Azul as a center for art, the hope was that the natural environment, the local community and the rhythm of the tropical highlands would find their way into an artist's work.

At Monte Azul, the hope is to offer the artist a view at his or her work from a different perspective. Besides offering a pristine natural environment, Monte Azul presents the artist to a thriving and dynamic community. This contact may not only inspire new imagery, but also perhaps reach solutions in current work.

It's about inciting passion, posing new questions, discarding preconceptions and challenging stereotypes. The Artist in Residency program at Monte Azul offers an opportunity to do all these things.

From challenging artists to use more environmentally friendly materials to offering them luxurious accommodations (no one suffers for art at Monte Azul!) while meeting nature in her full splendor, our hope is that our little corner of the planet will offer artists answers to their own challenges as well as stimulate dialogue and new ideas.

Henry Jackson of San Francisco offers an artist's perspective of the residency at Monte Azul:

I found myself lost in shapes and colors that constantly yielded new thoughts and ideas. These are truly spiritual grounds for creativity and new awakenings. To say that I felt spoiled and indulged would be an understatement!

As an artist, I look for things and places that bring me inward in thought and feeling. My experiences at Monte Azul with both plants and animals, gave me a deeper understanding and appreciation for my own exploration into the figure and newly found abstraction.

Typically, I don't approach landscape 'literally' in my work, but while at Monte Azul, I couldn't help but want to open up the possibility of utilizing all that was before me.

Much of it got lost in my senses, rather than wanting to capture and depict such wildlife, I found myself dwarfed in it's enormity. I simply stood back and took in, or better yet, became one with it. Such an experience stays with one's self long after leaving Monte Azul.

My work has always been based in memory, resulting in a natural intuitive response. The memories I have collected of Monte Azul will yield me quite a bit of work for some time, and I feel fortunate because of it.

To me, Monte Azul represents the beginning of creation - the cultivating of things - both newness and renewal. It is what making art is all about.

Monte Azul offers art workshops to small groups and one-on-one with Costa Rican artists. Álvaro Gómez, graduate and instructor at the University of Costa Rica, leads workshops in woodblock printing, monotyping and etching.

Workshops are designed for all levels, from beginners to experts for individuals and small groups. Group workshops are limited between 2 to 6 participants depending on media and accommodations. We will be happy to organize a group workshop designed for your specific group. Please contact Monte Azul for specific information.

For the experienced printmaker, individual study can be arranged in advance to cover specific media and techniques. Monte Azul can also arrange recreational workshops designed to be fun, while offering an opportunity to explore your creative side using environmentally sound materials and techniques.

Monte Azul Celebrates Anniversary

Valentine's Day at Monte Azul

Celebrate with a romantic weekend at Monte Azul.

Imagine you and your special someone sharing our a romantic dinner prepared with the highest quality ingredients, organic produce and homemade chocolate truffles.

Only a three hour from San José, one hour from the coast and just a 4.5 hour flight from New York! Contact us to plan your weekend getaway.

Staff Spotlight: Cecila Chávez

'The breathtaking forest and scenery'
'Watching the monkeys play while enjoying a fabulous meal'
'The gorgeous accommodations'

These are some of the comments from our guests about their favorite things while staying at Monte Azul.

However, among the many compliments and remarks we receive from our hotel guests, the service and care they receive at Monte Azul is always at the top of the list.

Cecilia Chávez is in charge of ensuring each guest feels special while under our care. People are surprised that their suite is always clean and ready when they return from breakfast. That the floral arrangements are always fresh, that the spotless rooms are kept that way during their entire stay and that every detail is thought of in anticipation of their needs.

With lifelong experience in taking care of those she loves, Cecilia was the perfect candidate for the job of Head of Hospitality. Energetic, friendly and loving by nature, Cecilia brings joy into everything she does. She finds the time to contribute in other ways by crafting details to make our place even more special. Cecilia showed up one day with cement 'logs' for the restaurant fire pit, then another day with a handmade fruit bowl she fashioned from recycled materials. She often shows up with fresh fruit from her garden for our guests to enjoy, sometimes even treating them to tortillitas de queso (a Costa Rican treat) made with cheese she produced herself at home.

You will definitely notice the Cecilia touch all around Monte Azul!

Cecilia is the proud mother of Daniela and Valeria, two lovely children who take after their mother, and married to Cristobal Martínez, coffee plantation supervisor and gardening manager. The family also owns and runs a coffee plantation just across the river from Monte Azul where their home is located.

info@monteazulcr.com