Finding Stillness: An Artist's Immersion in Costa Rica's Rainforest
Updated: Sep 11
yChristel Dillbohner at Monte Azul
yRony
Capturing Exhuberance in Stillness
Christel Dillbohner is a German artist whose installations, paintings, and assemblages are deeply involved with the relationship between personal and cultural memory and the human struggle to live in threatened environments.
At Monte Azul, the artist explored the intricacies of the ever-present forest, which from her studio she could view the exuberance first hand. On her many daily walks, Dillbohner let her senses guide her on our trails through an astounding variety of microclimates and ecological zones, each with its own flora, fauna, scents, sounds, colors and textures.
Intentional Presence
For one artist recently, Monte Azul became a laboratory as well as an atelier for deep observation and creative renewal. Arriving from a world of increasing distractions and demands, she sought the profound quiet that only nature's measured rhythms can provide.
Her four-week residency unfolded as a deliberate exploration of the Chirripó Valley's living systems. "Being in communion with the natural world, its flora and fauna, for me has become an ideal state of existence, and an antidote to an ever-faster turning, and more demanding world," she reflects. "If we, the earth dwellers, would understand our unimportance in the larger scheme of things, maybe this world would be a different place."
Her days followed the subtle patterns of the rainforest—studying the banks of the Río Chirripó Pacífico, venturing into the primary forest, allowing herself to "hang deep, to fall into, to be immersed in nature." This intentional presence became the foundation for her artistic practice during the residency.
Christel Dillbohner & Master Printer Salomón Chaves
The material output of this immersion manifested in three distinct bodies of work: a series of large-scale paintings on BFK paper (48" x 30" and 48" x 60”), a collection of monotypes and etchings created through a combination of line drawing and sugar lift techniques, and an art book chronicling her physical and creative journey. Additionally, Dillbohner a prolific artist also worked on a collaborative piece with Henry Jackson, the Director for Artistic Advancement and co-owner of Monte Azul.
The artist's time at Monte Azul represents the center's core philosophy—that creative regeneration cam be acheived with both connection to the natural world and the dedicated space to translate that connection into meaningful artistic expression. Her work stands as testament to how immersive engagement with Costa Rica's rainforest environment can inform and transform creative practice.
Sharing her thoughts on her residency at Monte Azul
“Envision an open grand hall that connects studios, living quarters, an out-door kitchen. The refined buildings are placed in between large river rocks, stitched onto the threshold of the ever so green rainforest that turns into a cloud forest a few miles up the mountain. From there, the Chirripó runs her course, jumping over boulders, tumbling stones and skipping pebbles. You can hear the river’s song loud and clear cascading along the Monte Azul Center for the Arts on her way down to the valley.
During my four week long residency my eyes opened slowly to this green on green multiverse sprouting new vibrant plant and insect life daily. How the tips and edges of mosses and mushrooms, ferns and lichens sparkle in the sun after a heavy rain. How the ground is covered by insect bitten leaves, decaying plant matter, turning the forest floor into a patterned carpet of golden ochers, hooker’s green, sepia browns, dark reds. Deep in the forest yellow, pink, orange and red blossoms glow glisten – beckon, awaiting quiet observation and discoveries.
I enjoyed this unfettered time. In the studio one thing led to another. I follow my nose, picking up a scent, taking notes, and translate my findings into visual records: drawing, painting, mono printing. I came home to my studio with a rich trove of new experiences that deepened my understanding of the natural world in the tropics.
A big thank you to Carlos, Randy, and Henry for creating such a unique setting that provides almost otherworldly experiences; to Salomon Chaves for his guidance at the press; for Lala preparing nourishing local food, and Dixon who tends to the hidden pathways - along the river into the forest.”
Born in 1956 in Cologne, Germany, she studied painting with Renate Lewandoski and Karl Marx at the Kölner Werkschule (FHS Kunst + Design). From 1986-96, she lived and worked in Los Angeles, California. Since 1996, her home has been in Berkeley, CA. Here, she has her studio and workshop where she translates her visual notes from the field into tangible objects
Wesbsite: https://www.dillbohner.de
Land of Eternal Waters
This visual journal documents German artist Christel Dillbohner's transformative four-week residency at Monte Azul Center for the Arts, capturing her journey from arrival in San José through her deep immersion in Costa Rica's rainforest environment. The pages reveal a rich mosaic of works that exude the contrasting colors, textures, and lighting of the Chirripó Valley's living systems, documenting her daily explorations through diverse microclimates and ecological zones. Dillbohner translates her sensory experiences of the rainforest into visual records infused with intellectual and emotional responses to the paradoxical exuberance and stillness surrounding her. This journal stands as a testament to how intentional presence in nature can inform and transform creative practice, offering viewers an intimate glimpse into an artist's communion with one of Costa Rica's most biodiverse environments.
The digital book is best viewed desktop in full screen mode. Click on the icon lower right.
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