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.

Neo-Colonialism – Legal and Illegal Gold Mining and other Extractive Industries vs Indigenous Peoples, Wildlife and Water!

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

Legal gold mine – photo: Barrick Gold Corporation “Every day I wake up and all I see around me is pain and sadness because Barrick Gold killed everything here. Everything is dead.” says Torres, whose family has lived in Las Lagunas … Continue reading →

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Néo-colonialisme – Extraction d’or légale et illégale et autres industries minières contre les peuples autochtones, la faune et l’eau !

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

Mine d’or légale – photo: Barrick Gold Corporation “Chaque jour, je me réveille et tout ce que je vois autour de moi, c’est de la douleur et de la tristesse parce que Barrick Gold a tout tué ici. Tout est mort.” … Continue reading →

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Neocolonialismo – Mineração de ouro legal e ilegal e outras indústrias de mineração contra povos Indígenas, animais selvagens e água!

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

Mina de ouro de uma mineradora legal – foto: Barrick Gold Corporation “Todo dia eu acordo e tudo que vejo ao meu redor é dor e tristeza porque Barrick Gold matou tudo aqui. Tudo está morto.” diz Torres, cuja família vive … Continue reading →

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¡Neocolonialismo! – ¡Minería de oro legal y ilegal y otras industrias mineras contra los pueblos Indígenas, la vida silvestre y el agua!

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

Mina de oro legal – foto: Barrick Gold Corporation “Todos los días me despierto y todo lo que veo a mi alrededor es dolor y tristeza porque Barrick Gold mató todo aquí. Todo está muerto”. dice Torres, cuya familia ha vivido … Continue reading →

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Neocolonialismo – Estrazione dell’oro legale e illegale e altre industrie minerarie contro le popolazioni Indigene, la fauna selvatica e l’acqua!

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

Miniera d’oro legale – image: Bloomberg “Ogni giorno mi sveglio e tutto ciò che vedo intorno a me è dolore e tristezza perché Barrick Gold ha ucciso tutto qui. Tutto è morto.” dice Torres, la cui famiglia vive a Las Lagunas … Continue reading →

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

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

An illustration from Amazon Rainforest Magic, the adventures of Yarima, a Yanomami girl « Amazon Rainforest Magic: The Adventures of Yarima, a Yanomami Girl is a captivating journey into the heart of Yanomami life and the enchanted forest they call home. Through … 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 – NOW ON KINDLE, TOO!

Posted on February 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.  Through … Continue reading →

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« The only reason the forest does not yet turn to chaos is that a few great shamans are still making their powerful spirits dance to protect it! »

Posted on February 25, 2026 by Barbara Crane Navarro - Rainforest Art Project

« The shaman’s xapiri spirits angrily crash the gold prospectors airplanes into the forest. It’s true! This happened when a very great shaman died of malaria propagated by gold miners. Several gold prospectors’ airplanes crashed in the treetops at that time. I saw … Continue reading →

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Did you know that gold kills Indigenous people and rare animals? Gold mining kills Indigenous peoples throughout the world like the Yanomami people of Brazil and Venezuela! – Palm Oil Detectives

Posted on February 24, 2026 by Barbara Crane Navarro - Rainforest Art Project

Did you know that gold kills indigenous people and rare animals?

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IL GENOCIDIO DEGLI YANOMAMI e la MORTE DELLA NATURA per la merce in oro e diamanti e L’ARTE DEL LAVAGGIO VERDE dei COMMERCIANTI D’ORO con le loro stesse parole… 2026!

Posted on February 23, 2026 by Barbara Crane Navarro - Rainforest Art Project

Il negozio Cartier vendono gioielli, orologi e accessori di lusso esclusivi in ​​oro e diamanti dal 1847 – foto: Cartier “Le cose vanno male dal 2015, quando il prezzo dell’oro ha iniziato a salire. La vita degli Yanomami è legata … Continue reading →

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