Beach House Tikilight

Date: 3/13/2010

Location: Hualalai Resort

Size: 18" x 18"

Medium: Oil on stretched canvas

Artist's Comments: Although Hualalai's Beach House Restaurant has been sitting along the shore for over 14 years; it undergoes a daily transformation at sunset. I have painted this restaurant a few times and each sunset offers such a different experience. At times, there is little to no cloud cover in the sky so the sunset is a simple yellow globe descending beyond the horizon. At other times, the sky opens in a valiant burst of color keeping you engaged – hoping for a green flash. Because no two sunsets are alike, when I was asked to paint a sunset with yellow tones in it, it took me some time and patience to wait for these colors. High winds visited the Big Island for two weeks straight taking away all the lovely clouds that capture the sunset rays. Finally the day after a wildfire swept through Waikoloa Village, the ash mixed with the atmosphere to bring some color to the evening show! Soft purples and blues mixed with yellow tints to create another surprise sunset. The glittering tiki torch reflections were icing on the cake!

To view other paintings in my collection, click on the section labeled "View all SitaScapes" located at the top right of my blog. I have categorized my paintings by the month as I complete them.

SitaScapes at Grand Opening Event

Kohala Coast Fine Art celebrated its Grand Opening on February 26, 2010. It was a special time for me to celebrate a monumental event in my career with family and friends. It was also an opportunity for me to meet some of the other artists that are represented by the gallery. I was thrilled to celebrate this achievement and appreciated the wonderful support I received.

The Making of a SitaScapes Frame

I had been thinking for a while how I would find a way to have my SitaScapes paintings framed. I considered ordering them online and even tried to make one myself. Intuition told me that I needed to find someone I knew personally who could help me develop a signature design. I wanted a frame that would enhance my paintings without being a distraction. I also wanted something made here on the Big Island with local products and talent. After a few months of contemplation the perfect friend surfaced! Wild'n Wooley born and raised in Hawaii Ocean View Estates turned out to be the perfect person to create the perfect SitaScapes frame.

As a prior finish carpenter, he had all the supplies needed to craft frames and could help me transform my design ideas into physical form. As a bonus, he also had a nice collection of old Koa, Ohia and Mango logs ready to be milled. Wild'n was thrilled at the opportunity to use his stock-pile of wood which had traveled with him for many years now as he moved from house to house.

I visited Wild'n one day to experience the picture making process from milling to final assembly. It was an eventful day and now I can appreciate even more why I am an artist and not a woodworker. When I'm painting mistakes can either be fixed or they become gifts that are admired. With woodworking, there is no room for error unless as Wild'n says "you have a magic wood stretcher"!