Author Archives: Barbara Crane Navarro - Rainforest Art Project

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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.

An epic journey to a world filled with wonder and mischief! – « Amazon Rainforest Magic The adventures of Namowë, a Yanomami boy » – For ages 8 to 12 to 100!  – written and illustrated by Barbara Crane Navarro – ALL THREE BOOKS IN THE SERIES NOW ON KINDLE, TOO! NOW ON KINDLE, TOO!

Posted on April 4, 2026 by Barbara Crane Navarro - Rainforest Art Project

illustration from « Amazon Rainforest Magic – The adventures of Meromi, a Yanomami girl » « This book series transports the reader on an extraordinary, epic journey to a mystical world filled with wonder and mischief.  Dangers threaten an ancestral paradise in … Continue reading →

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Shamanic adventures! – « Amazon Rainforest Magic The adventures of Meromi, a Yanomami girl » – For ages 8 to 12 to 100!  – written and illustrated by Barbara Crane Navarro – ALL THREE BOOKS IN THE SERIES NOW ON KINDLE, TOO!

Posted on April 3, 2026 by Barbara Crane Navarro - Rainforest Art Project

« This second volume of the Amazon Rainforest Magic series is a page-turner and as charming and delightful as the author’s first. The story line continues the thread from the previous book and the characters seem like old friends.  Meromi, a Yanomami girl … Continue reading →

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A truly magical journey! – « Amazon Rainforest Magic, The adventures of Meromi, a Yanomami girl » – For ages 8 to 12 to 100!  – written and illustrated by Barbara Crane Navarro – ALL THREE BOOKS IN THE SERIES NOW ON KINDLE, TOO!

Posted on April 2, 2026 by Barbara Crane Navarro - Rainforest Art Project

« The second volume of the Amazon Rainforest Magic series recounts the surprising voyage of Meromi, a Yanomami girl who is swept into an unexpected adventure in the rivers and jungles of the Amazon.  It is a truly magical journey for Meromi as … Continue reading →

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A Meaningful Story for Children and Adults – « Amazon Rainforest Magic, The adventures of Namowë, a Yanomami boy » – For ages 8 to 12 to 100!  – written and illustrated by Barbara Crane Navarro – ALL THREE BOOKS IN THE SERIES NOW ON KINDLE, TOO!

Posted on April 1, 2026 by Barbara Crane Navarro - Rainforest Art Project

« Amazon Rainforest Magic describes the journey of a Yanomami boy through the Amazon rainforest to find a cure for his sick baby sister. He encounters talking animals and plants who help him. The book is written in the vein of “The … Continue reading →

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A Fable with a Message –  « Amazon Rainforest Magic The adventures of Namowë, a Yanomami boy » – For ages 8 to 12 to 100!  – written and illustrated by Barbara Crane Navarro – ALL THREE BOOKS IN THE SERIES NOW ON KINDLE, TOO!

Posted on March 31, 2026 by Barbara Crane Navarro - Rainforest Art Project

« Amazon Rainforest Magic presents a world that at first might seem whimsical, where people, animals, and plants joke, conspire, and argue with each other. The serious point is that humans are no more important than any of the other creatures – … Continue reading →

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A Classic Initiation Tale – The Amazon as Oz: « Amazon Rainforest Magic, The adventures of Namowë, a Yanomami boy » – For ages 8 to 12 to 100!  – written and illustrated by Barbara Crane Navarro – ALL THREE BOOKS IN THE SERIES NOW ON KINDLE, TOO!

Posted on March 30, 2026 by Barbara Crane Navarro - Rainforest Art Project

“From its opening pages, this engaging children’s book sets the scene of a world almost unimaginable in the 21st century, a lush, restive, tropical world alive with the spirits of animals and plants. It begins inside a Yanomami dwelling. A … Continue reading →

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An Enchanted Tropical Forest Adventure! « Amazon Rainforest Magic, The adventures of Yarima, a Yanomami girl » – For ages 8 to 12 to 100!  – written and illustrated by Barbara Crane Navarro – SECOND EDITION! NOW ON KINDLE, TOO!

Posted on March 29, 2026 by Barbara Crane Navarro - Rainforest Art Project

An illustration from Amazon Rainforest Magic, the adventures of Yarima, a Yanomami girl In this powerful third volume, Amazon Rainforest Magic: The Adventures of Yarima, a Yanomami Girl by Barbara Crane Navarro continues to enchant. Yarima, now five, sets out … Continue reading →

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When the forest speaks, who will listen? « Amazon Rainforest Magic, The adventures of Yarima, a Yanomami girl » – For ages 8 to 12 to 100!  – written and illustrated by Barbara Crane Navarro – SECOND EDITION! – All 3 books of the series NOW ON KINDLE, TOO!

Posted on March 28, 2026 by Barbara Crane Navarro - Rainforest Art Project

An illustration from Amazon Rainforest Magic, the adventures of Yarima, a Yanomami girl Deep in the Amazon rainforest, young Yarima discovers that the animals, rivers, and trees have voices, and they are calling for help. To save her community and … Continue reading →

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The luminous, breathing world of the rainforest! « Amazon Rainforest Magic, The adventures of Yarima, a Yanomami girl » – For ages 8 to 12 to 100!  – written and illustrated by Barbara Crane Navarro – SECOND EDITION! NOW ON KINDLE, TOO!

Posted on March 27, 2026 by Barbara Crane Navarro - Rainforest Art Project

An illustration from Amazon Rainforest Magic, the adventures of Yarima, a Yanomami girl « In the third volume of Amazon Rainforest Magic: The Adventures of Yarima, a Yanomami Girl, Barbara Crane Navarro deepens both the emotional and thematic richness of … Continue reading →

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A Spellbinding Tale! « Amazon Rainforest Magic, The adventures of Yarima, a Yanomami girl » – For ages 8 to 12 to 100!  – written and illustrated by Barbara Crane Navarro – SECOND EDITION! NOW ON KINDLE, TOO!

Posted on March 26, 2026 by Barbara Crane Navarro - Rainforest Art Project

An illustration from Amazon Rainforest Magic, the adventures of Yarima, a Yanomami girl « A fable of courage and enchantment, this children’s fantasy-adventure weaves myth, ecology, and the resilience of Indigenous peoples into a story that feels both urgent and timeless.   … Continue reading →

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