Author Archives: Barbara Crane Navarro - Rainforest Art Project

About Barbara Crane Navarro - Rainforest Art Project

I'm a French artist living near Paris. From 1968 to 1973 I studied at Rhode Island School of Design in Providence, Rhode Island, then at the San Francisco Art Institute in San Francisco, California, for my BFA. My work for many decades has been informed and inspired by time spent with indigenous communities. Various study trips devoted to the exploration of techniques and natural pigments took me originally to the Dogon of Mali, West Africa, and subsequently to Yanomami communities in Venezuela and Brazil. Over many years, during the winters, I studied the techniques of traditional Bogolan painting. Hand woven fabric is dyed with boiled bark from the Wolo tree or crushed leaves from other trees, then painted with mud from the Niger river which oxidizes in contact with the dye. Through the Dogon and the Yanomami, my interest in the multiplicity of techniques and supports for aesthetic expression influenced my artistic practice. The voyages to the Amazon Rainforest have informed several series of paintings created while living among the Yanomami. The support used is roughly woven canvas prepared with acrylic medium then textured with a mixture of sand from the river bank and lava. This supple canvas is then rolled and transported on expeditions into the forest. They are then painted using a mixture of acrylic colors and Achiote and Genipap, the vegetal pigments used by the Yanomami for their ritual body paintings and on practical and shamanic implements. My concern for the ongoing devastation of the Amazon Rainforest has inspired my films and installation projects. Since 2005, I've created a perfomance and film project - Fire Sculpture - to bring urgent attention to Rainforest issues. To protest against the continuing destruction, I've publicly set fire to my totemic sculptures. These burning sculptures symbolize the degradation of nature and the annihilation of indigenous cultures that depend on the forest for their survival.

Ces livres sont délicieux ! – « La Magie de l’Amazonie Les aventures de Namowë, un garçon Yanomami » et « La Magie de l’Amazonie Les aventures de Meromi, une fille Yanomami » – Pour les 8 à 12 à 100 ans! – écrit et illustré par Barbara Crane Navarro – MAINTENANT sur KINDLE AUSSI !

Posted on December 17, 2025 by Barbara Crane Navarro - Rainforest Art Project

« Bien qu’écrits pour les enfants, j’ai trouvé les livres, “La Magie de l’Amazonie”, agréables à lire et très instructifs. Je me suis retrouvé à rire tout au long. Ce sont des histoires formidables et, bien que fantastiques et aventureuses, j’ai … Continue reading →

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These books are delightful! – « Amazon Rainforest Magic The adventures of Namowë, a Yanomami boy » and « Amazon Rainforest Magic The adventures of Meromi, a Yanomami girl » – For ages 8 to 12 to 100! – written and illustrated by Barbara Crane Navarro – NOW ON KINDLE, TOO!

Posted on December 16, 2025 by Barbara Crane Navarro - Rainforest Art Project

illustration from « Amazon Rainforest Magic – The adventures of Meromi, a Yanomami girl » « Although written for children, I found these the “Amazon Rainforest Magic” books to be a delight to read and highly informative. I caught myself chuckling throughout. … Continue reading →

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Such valuable books to introduce young people to a beautiful culture and way of life! – « Amazon Rainforest Magic The adventures of Namowë, a Yanomami boy » and « Amazon Rainforest Magic The adventures of Meromi, a Yanomami girl » – For ages 8 to 12 to 100! – written and illustrated by Barbara Crane Navarro – NOW ON KINDLE, TOO!

Posted on December 15, 2025 by Barbara Crane Navarro - Rainforest Art Project

illustration from « Amazon Rainforest Magic – The adventures of Meromi, a Yanomami girl » « Such valuable books to introduce young people to a beautiful culture and way of life!I have spent some time with your two books, admiring the beautiful and … Continue reading →