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.

“La Magia de la Amazonia” Libros de aventuras fantásticas para niños – Cuentos de la vida de los Yanomami en la selva amazónica” and Amazon Rainforest Magic” et “La Magie de l’Amazonie” ESPAÑOL – ENGLISH – FRANÇAIS – para edades de 8 a 12

Posted on November 8, 2025 by Barbara Crane Navarro - Rainforest Art Project

Amazon Rainforest Magic: The adventures of Namowë, a Yanomami boy (Volume 1) For more Volume 1 details – in the USA, please click here: https://goo.GL/VmexDS For first volume details in the UK: Amazon Rainforest Magic: The adventures of Namowë, a Yanomami … Continue reading →

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Fantasy-Adventure tales of Yanomami life in the Amazon Rainforest! – ENGLISH, ESPAÑOL, FRANÇAIS -“Amazon Rainforest Magic” y “La Magia de la Amazonia” et “La Magie de l’Amazonie” – ages 8 to 100! NOW ON KINDLE, TOO!

Posted on November 7, 2025 by Barbara Crane Navarro - Rainforest Art Project

For more Volume 1 details – in the USA, please click here: https://goo.GL/VmexDS Amazon Rainforest Magic: The adventures of Meromi, a Yanomami girl (Volume 2) – front and back covers For more Volume 2 details – in the USA, please … Continue reading →

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Fantasy-Adventure tales of Yanomami life in the Amazon Rainforest! – ENGLISH, ESPAÑOL, FRANÇAIS -“Amazon Rainforest Magic” y “La Magia de la Amazonia” et “La Magie de l’Amazonie” – ages 8 to 100! NOW ON KINDLE, TOO!

Posted on November 6, 2025 by Barbara Crane Navarro - Rainforest Art Project

For more Volume 1 details – in the USA, please click here: https://goo.GL/VmexDS Amazon Rainforest Magic: The adventures of Meromi, a Yanomami girl (Volume 2) – front and back covers For more Volume 2 details – in the USA, please … Continue reading →

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COP30 — Un’altra farsa climatica!

Posted on November 5, 2025 by Barbara Crane Navarro - Rainforest Art Project

Mentre il Brasile si presenta come leader sul clima, promuove la ricerca di petrolio e gas in Amazzonia, riapre la strada BR-319 che devasta la foresta e porta avanti progetti minerari e dighe su terre Indigene.Anche se i titoli dei … Continue reading →

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¡COP30 — Otra farsa climática!

Posted on November 4, 2025 by Barbara Crane Navarro - Rainforest Art Project

Mientras Brasil se presenta como líder climático, impulsa la exploración de petróleo y gas en la Amazonía, reactiva la carretera BR-319 que destruye la selva y avanza con proyectos mineros y represas en territorios indígenas.Aunque los titulares proclaman que “la … Continue reading →

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COP30 — Outra farsa climática!

Posted on November 3, 2025 by Barbara Crane Navarro - Rainforest Art Project

Enquanto o Brasil se apresenta como líder climático, promove a exploração de petróleo e gás na Amazônia, reativa a rodovia BR-319 que destrói a floresta e avança com projetos de mineração e barragens em terras indígenas.Embora as manchetes proclamem que … Continue reading →

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COP30 — Une autre imposture climatique !

Posted on November 2, 2025 by Barbara Crane Navarro - Rainforest Art Project

Alors que le Brésil se présente comme un leader du climat, il encourage le forage pétrolier et gazier en Amazonie, relance la route BR-319 qui dévaste la forêt, et multiplie les projets miniers et de barrages sur les terres autochtones.Tandis … Continue reading →

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COP30 — Another Climate Travesty!

Posted on November 1, 2025 by Barbara Crane Navarro - Rainforest Art Project

As Brazil claims climate leadership, it pushes oil and gas drilling in the Amazon,         revives the forest destroying BR-319 highway, and advances mining and dam projects on Indigenous lands.While headlines boast “deforestation is down,” destruction and … Continue reading →

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The Amazon Rainforest, Indigenous Peoples and Wildlife in Peril! – a series of short films by Barbara Crane Navarro – 10 – « Yanomami children and their community in the Amazon Rainforest » 13:16

Posted on October 31, 2025 by Barbara Crane Navarro - Rainforest Art Project

A film of instants of daily life of a Yanomami community in the Amazon Rainforest of Venezuela made to accompany the children’s book series: “Amazon Rainforest Magic” “La Magie de l’Amazonie” and “La Magia de la Amazonia” for ages 8 … Continue reading →

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The Amazon Rainforest, Indigenous Peoples and Wildlife in Peril! – a series of short films by Barbara Crane Navarro – 9 – « Yanomami boy’s surprise friend in the jungle! » :38 seconds of Magic!

Posted on October 30, 2025 by Barbara Crane Navarro - Rainforest Art Project

Sometimes we miss the most beautiful moments-DON’T MISS THIS ONE!With Namowë, a Yanomami boy in the Alto Orinoco region, Amazonas, Venezuela in his canoe! It’s an excerpt of my film of instants of the daily life of a Yanomami community … Continue reading →

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