Art ... hot off the easel

Queen Cat, oil on gessobord, 6"x6"

`Ōhi`a (Metrosideros polymorpha), oil on gessobord, 6"x6" (SOLD)

I'm liking these little quick "sketches". It makes the creative side of my brain tingle a bit ... never tight, quick, colorful, and very freeing. I think these alla prima paintings are just what my soul is seeking. 

I'll be doing 30-minute demonstrations on these 6"x6" Ampersand gessobords at the Volcano Village Artists Hui Studio Tour and Art Sale this coming weekend, Nov 29, 30, and Dec 1, 10 am - 4 pm. I'll be there as a guest artist at Emily Herb's home and studio. 

Enjoy the `apapane singing in the `ōhi`a and koa trees as you walk or drive to each of the 6 studios that will be open to visitors. You can pick up a map of the studios at any of the businesses in Volcano. 

Cool Kīlauea morning

oil on canvas, 8"x10" (SOLD)

This one is hot of the easel! It's still drying and I hope to have it available at this weekend's Volcano Village Artist Hui Studio Tour and Art Sale, starting Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, from 10 am - 4 pm and running until Sunday. Stop by Emily Herb's studio on Kenoelehua and visit with Emily, Charlotte Forbes Perry, and me! Emily will have her beautiful native plant and animal-inspired ceramics and guest artist Charlotte will have her ceramic native species trivets, ceramic ornaments, stained glass, and surprise ceramic pieces. I'll have original artwork (as seen on this blog), giclee prints, and notecards! We are all inspired by the plants and animals that surround us in the Village and hope to share with you our love of them through our artwork. 

This is one of my favorite views of the Thurston Lava Tube area, where one can look down into a caved in portion of a lava tube, now filled with myriad native trees and ferns and noisy with the calls of native birds flying about. 

Please excuse the glare ... the paint is still drying on this one!

`A`ali`i (Dodonaea viscosa)

`A`ali`i, oil on canvas, 7"x5" (SOLD)

"Daud-vis" ... or Dodvis, is the field code for Dodonaea viscosa (`a`ali`i), the first three letters of the genus and first three letters for the species. Botanists tend to speak in code because who has time to pronounce each syllable of a scientific name anyway?! For example, "Met-paul" for Metpol or Metrosideros polymorpha (`ōhi`a) ... "Sib-glah" for Cibgla or Cibotium glaucum (hapu`u), etc. So, if we ever meet and I happen to speak plant gibberish to you, remind yourself that you're talking to a botanist who spends too much time with plants. :)

This `a`ali`i is a small shrub that grows in the area I live. The fruit, painted here, are winged papery fruit with tiny black seeds inside.  They are pretty iconic and you can see them readily when you visit Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park.

This closeup of a branch was fun to paint because sunlight could be seen back-lighting the fruit so I was able to use a variety of saturated colors .... alizarin red, cadmium red deep, cadmium orange, cadmium yellow pale to capture the light. The shadows was achieved mixing the colors with its complement, for example, I mixed the reds with sap green or ultramarine blue to achieve a more rich shadow. The highlights were achieved using titanium white with a variety colors. While it looks like I might have used pure white, it was never the case in this painting.

`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!

Kilauea Iki

Kilauea Iki, oil on canvas, 8"X6"

`Io - Hawaiian Hawk

`Io (Hawaiian Hawk), oil on canvas, 6"x8" (SOLD)

Volcano Village Artists Huiʻs 31st Annual Studio Tour and Sale!

The Volcano Village is abuzz with activity as the Village artists are preparing for the annual studio tour and art sale. If you're free Thanksgiving weekend, please join us in the Village (see the map below). I'll be at Emily Herb's studio as a guest artist and will have some new paintings, like those I've featured here on my blog. There will be original artwork and prints to fit any budget!

If you aren't already a fan of Emily Herb's, you will be! Her amazing ceramics feature native birds and plants and are always simply gorgeous! Visiting her studio is like visiting a museum ... where you can buy the artwork! Charlotte Forbes Perry, another guest artist, will have beautiful one-of-a-kind ceramic tiles and stained glass pieces ... including other ceramic surprises. Charlotte is a biologist at Hawaii Volcanoes National Park so you can bet she has a special connection to her subjects.

Visit all of the artists in the Hui and get a stamp on your postcard at each studio and turn them in for a chance to win a piece of artwork from one of the Hui artists or guest artists! Postcards will be available at each studio.

Hope to see you all in Volcano soon!

Hawaiian forest-living

Hāpuʻu-ʻŌhi`a forest, 6"x12", oil on canvas (SOLD)

Some paintings take a year ... Yup, I started this one in November of last year and set it aside after the initial blocking in. It's a view of my backyard, from the view of my "studio" so I knew I would be able to get back to it because I see this view every day. The ʻapapane (red native honeycreeper birds) outside were calling from the same trees so I took at as a calling back to the painting. 

I havenʻt decided whether to paint in the birds or leave it as is. What do you think? Does this need a spot of red?

Please excuse the highlights. The painting is still wet. 

Nene goose (Branta sandvicensis)

Nene, 8"x10", oil on canvas ($120 USD)

Going bigger to 8"x10"! I'm still working on this painting but was just feeling happy about how it was going that I figured I'd post it now before I do the final touches. I just think these geese are so pretty. I think they're a favorite bird to paint in Hawaii because they tend to stand still and allow you to take pictures or paint them. So, not wanting to be typical, I opted to try something new and put this goose in front of a simple background, just to show off its adorable face.

Hawaiian mint (Stenogyne macrantha)

Stenogyne macrantha, 5"x7", watercolor on paper ($100 USD, matted & framed)

Hawaiian mints are pretty special. Unlike many mints, they've lost their scent, having evolved in the absence of predators here in Hawaii. Now, mints are getting more and more rare, because of rooting and browsing by feral animals coupled with their short life span. We found this one in S. Kona. The touches of pink on its flowers really drew me in (pun intended). 

Maybe outlining watercolors may be a bit like cheating, at least that is what I've always thought. But, now, I don't think so. It's a look that reminds me of my favorite artist, Garth Williams. His artwork in Charlotte's Web or Stuart Little has brought generations of kids so much joy and I don't think he followed the rules of art. I'm realizing art is not a set of rules but an expression of what's inside. My recent paintings are a nod to Mr. Williams (THANK YOU!) and the little chuckle inside when I get to paint inside the lines. :D

`Oha wai (Clermontia parviflora)

`Oha wai (Clermontia parviflora), 5"x7", watercolor on paper ($100 USD, matted & framed)

Aeʻo (Hawaiian Stilt)

Aeʻo, oil on stretched canvas, 12"x12" (SOLD)

These adorable aeʻo or Hawaiian black-necked stilts (Himantopus himantopus knudseni) are native to Hawaiʻi and can be found wading in shallow waters, including anchialine ponds, estuaries, wetlands and even water hazards at golf courses. These birds are federally and state-listed as endangered.

The reference photo for my painting is, by permission, from Randy Bartlett who is not only a great biologist and program manager but also a professional conservation photographer. You can purchase his photographs or make a donation to his non-profit, Endangered Hawaiʻi. Heʻs also on Instagram: Endangered Hawaiʻi.

A portion of the proceeds of this painting, including any of my other drawings or paintings of endangered species, will be donated to local conservation programs as well so they can continue to protect the species that make Hawaiʻi so unique. 

Note: the light areas in the background is reflective glare from the wet paint. 

Stocked up!

Aren't these lovely? I was missing my oils so I ordered a "lot" of Winsor & Newton artist oil colors from eBay. They finally arrived and I am now happily stocked up for months of painting before the next Volcano Village Art Studio Sale in November. I'll have original oil and watercolor paintings and some pencil drawings for sale and maybe the occasional clay sculpture so be on the lookout. I'll be posting paintings in preparation for it so you'll know what to expect when you stop by.

Hmmm, I just noticed I stock my watercolors in the same way, including my clothes in the closet. Yes, I arrange my clothes by color. Do people even do that?!

Kilauea Iki Trail

Kilauea Iki Trail, Hawaii Volcanoes National Park; oil on canvas, 6"x6", (SOLD)

After speaking with many people familiar with Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, every person cited the Kilauea Iki Trail as their favorite hike. It's a little over 4 miles and a loop trail that can begin and end at just about any point you choose along the trail, taking you from the edge of the crater all the way down across the crater and then back to the rim. My favorite starting point is the Kilauea Iki overlook and heading to the right of the crater along the crater rim first before heading into the crater itself. To enjoy the calming and relaxing hike, I think it helps to appreciate the powerful eruption that occurred here in 1959 to create such a spectacular crater. The amazing video by the U.S. Geological Survey and Hawaii Volcanoes National Park can be seen here. The video continues on to the Kapoho eruption.

Here, I painted a scene after just crossing the Kilauea Iki floor where the trail starts to head up the east side of the crater. It was fun trying to use color, atmosphere, and chroma to create depth. I am really glad that it was the first painting sold at the art sale. It is near and dear to my heart and now has a home with wonderful friends. :)

Coloring book pages: Yellow-faced bee and palila

I have the coolest friends. The theme of their wedding was the silversword (Argyroxiphium sandwicense subsp. sandwicense) and native species. Being the thoughtful couple that they are, they wanted something fun for the kids to do during the reception so asked if I could draw a few coloring book pages. Well, they took the idea and expanded it into an awesome activity book! Here are a couple of the drawings ...

Oh, hello!

2.5" x 3.5", colored pencil

`Ohelo kau la`au (Vaccinium calycinum), a native Hawaiian relative of blueberries, grows in the wet forests and bogs on all the main Hawaiian islands except Ni`ihau and Kaho`olawe.

PS: How boring! When I posted this at 1:30 am, my brain was jello and believe me, saying something witty or interesting was the farthest from my mind. I was thinking "pillow." LOL Thanks for stopping by and leaving me comments! They always mean a lot to me! :D Have a great day peeps!

Flow front

We made a special trip down to the lava flow front this weekend and caught a glimpse of the lava entering the ocean about a half a mile away. Huge billows of steam blew bits of rock up to form a small black sand beach near the entry way. Pretty cool. Smells of the trip: salty ocean breeze, newly formed pahoehoe rocks heating in the sun, ripe guava picked off a nearby tree, and a tall glass of Heiferweisen at Luquin's in Pahoa. I did this very quick watercolor to capture the moment.

ATC Giveaway!!

#1: Reed's Bay, Big Island, Hawaii


#2: Wailoa State Park, Big Island, Hawaii


#3: Ironworks Building, Bay Front, Big Island, Hawaii

TIS THE SEASON OF GIVING!

In the spirit of giving ... and to follow up with Steve Loya's (Go Flying Turtle) own giveway in which I won a beautifully created ATC (and perhaps some other things (?)) by Steve ... I'd like to offer three ATCs (above) that I created to the first three visitors that leave a comment. And to carry the tradition, I only ask that the winners hold a similar giveaway of art-related pieces that they've created, sometime soon.

These three Artist Trading Cards or ATCs are just 2.5 inches by 3.5 inches. I began drawing with these cards because they were small, quick to do, and jogged my long-lost creativity from its slumber. I did these cards earlier this year and it feels good to be able to give them to folks that might enjoy them rather than have them sit in a box next to my computer. I will give out the cards in the order I receive the comments (e.g., #1 for the first person to comment, #2 for the second, etc.). I'll contact the winners by email. Thanks everyone and good luck!