`Apapane is home.

oil on canvas, 12"x6" (SOLD)

I had been walking through the kipuka along the east-facing slopes of Mauna Loa a couple weeks ago and was struck by the lushness of the flora. We were literally enveloped by hāpu`u (tree ferns, Cibotium glaucum) and other endemic ferns. `Apapane, `i`iwi, `amakihi, and `oma`o were calling all around us. I needed that time to be immersed in nature and I couldn't help but grin from ear to ear because it is exactly where I needed to be. It is where my heart will always be and I feel the most at home in it. It was hard to leave that day but I wanted to paint something to remind me of that very special place.

The challenge in painting this scene was deciding where the focal point would be and by using hue, value, chroma, and sharpness, the journey your eyes would take through the painting. I don't know if I'm very successful in this painting but I did try. If you squint, you can see what I mean. It's hard not to notice the `apapane, which has the highest chroma (saturation) and then the highlights on the fern fronds are meant to draw you from the left to the right of the painting, down to the bottom right, where you end in a deep shadow, where it's a bit suspenseful because there's only a hint of what's under those fronds. Or maybe it doesn't matter. I hope you enjoy it anyway!

Laua`e fern

2.5"x3.5", transparent watercolor

I have to admit that painting is not as fun as it used to be, and I miss those days when I could actually see what I was working on. I've needed reading glasses since last year and getting used to them has been a challenge. Then again, I have to remind myself that I can still see and that is something to be very grateful for. So, despite the urge to toss my reading glasses into the toilet :O (!), I decided to paint tonight. It felt good. BTW, laua`e fern is often used in lei.

Fern fiddlehead

I spent the day botanizing with friends in the wet forest on the north part of the island. I forgot how fun it is to take the time to appreciate the incredible flora we have here. This is a little pencil sketch of a fern fiddlehead that I saw today. It reminded me of an alien.