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.

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! 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.  Through … 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 – SECOND EDITION! NOW ON KINDLE, TOO!

Posted on March 25, 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 – SECOND EDITION MARCH 24th! NOW ON KINDLE, TOO!

Posted on March 24, 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 Earth and Indigenous peoples are dying for our Gold Obsession! Please Choose the Right to Life over Gold Profits and Vanity!

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

photo: Barrick Gold Corporation Gold is a colonial relic that we urgently need to recognize as essentially worthless – the deforestation, pollution and catastrophic impacts on water, wildlife and Indigenous communities is mainly for futile and superficial jewelry and financial … Continue reading →

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“If they are devastating the Amazon in search of gold there is a buyer’s market. Who buys this gold? The big brands and brands in the fashion world?” Who then buys this gold as trinkets? Please, please make sure it’s not you!

Posted on March 22, 2026 by Barbara Crane Navarro - Rainforest Art Project

Yanomami observing gold mining site in their territory – photo of Yanomami, Alto Orinoco, Amazonas, Venezuela and photo montage – Barbara Crane Navarro PLEASE LISTEN TO THE YANOMAMI SHAMAN’S MESSAGE – THE PLEA OF THE RAINFOREST! –« Hey – Look … Continue reading →

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Legal Gold and Illegal Gold – If Barrick Gold Corporation or wildcat prospectors were digging for gold in your back yard and contaminating your only source of water with cyanure or mercury, would you still decorate yourself with gold jewelry, watches and accessories?

Posted on March 21, 2026 by Barbara Crane Navarro - Rainforest Art Project

Right to Life over legal gold profits ! Right to Life over illegal gold profits ! Nothing says “I love you” like… 20 tonnes of mining waste?! That’s how much waste rock is dug up and discarded to produce the amount of … Continue reading →

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