Java Beans in Paradise

Date: 07/23/2010

Location: Hula Daddy Coffee Farm

Size: 8" x 10"

Medium: Palette knife on canvas panel

Artist's Comments: I was preparing for my exhibition at the Kona Coffee Council's "Cream of the Crop" event and the only requirement was that at least one of the artist's pieces depict a coffee theme. I of course did not have a piece in my inventory and more predictable, I waited until the night before the event to create my piece! I used this as an opportunity to practice my newfound palette knife skills which I learned at my George Allan workshop the week prior. I worked quickly and quite messy but had allot of fun trying to mix the many colors found in the ripening coffee cherries. At first glance you might think there are just two colors of berries: green and red but, I wan quite amazed that after studying them, no two berries are the same color! Each berry has its unique and different shade of yellows, greens, reds, oranges and at times blue to create a truly amazing rainbow of colors. My favorite color coffee bean of course is roasted and ready to drink - and I needed lots of coffee the next day as I prepared for the event (good thing there was no shortage of coffee)!

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.

George's Garden Pathway

Date: 7/18/2010

Location: Kula, Maui

Size: 9" x 12"

Medium: Palette knife on Masonite board
Artist's Comments: On the slopes of Haleakala on the island of Maui is a 2-acre oasis nestled between the winding switchback roads of old-Haleakala road. Here artist George Allan and his wife Janet have been cultivating a delightful garden rich with Hawaiian plant life, fruiting trees, koi ponds and an abundance of flowering plants and shrubs. For most artists, this would be a delight to paint. For me, the challenge of capturing all the various shades and tones of greens was daunting! Luckily, I had the expert guidance of George to help me distinguish the various plants by mixing various colors expertly on the pallet and applying them with a gentle touch of the palette knife. I had traveled to Maui to join George’s painting workshop and it was an eye opener to say the least! I painted this scene on my own and George came by and prepared his own sketch of my subject. I then repainted the scene a second time to try to replicate his expert techniques. I was amazed at how much I learned in such short time and am looking forward to using the pallet knife in future works.

"George's Garden Path" is traveling home with Lera all the way across the world to Kazakhstan! This will be the furthest any SitaScapes has traveled!

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.

Maui Mountains

Date: 07/17/2010

Location: Honumanu Bay, Maui

Size: 12" x 12"

Medium: Palette knife on stretched canvas

Artist's Comments: After returning home to my niece's house on the first day of my workshop with George Allan, I was so distraught! The new color palette George had asked us to use combined with the fact I had to use a palette knife exclusively made for a challenging day. I felt I learned allot on my first day at the workshop but, was unable to put any of into practice. The two paintings I completed during the workshop were ghastly! So, I decided to paint something I would enjoy so that I could practice wielding the palette knife before returning to the second day of my workshop. I also wanted to leave my niece and her family with a gift to enjoy so, I asked them what their favorite beach was on Maui. It was an easy answer and, my niece had an aerial photograph of the beach. After enjoying a dinner in Paia town, I finished their little Maui Mountain piece and set it to dry. The next day, I felt energized with renewed enthusiasm as I headed to day 2 of the class.

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.

Eva's Dream Cottage

Date: 7/14/2010

Location: Keawanui Bay, Mauna Lani

Size: 8" x 16"

Medium: Oil on stretched canvas

Artist's Comments: Perched on the edge of the ocean is the historical cottage which once belonged to Eva Parker Woods. Constructed in the 1920s, a former caretaker's house surrounded by a lanai, has been refurbished and is now a one-room museum that holds reminders of the past. Samples of tapa (bark cloth), a ti leaf cape and sandals, fishing gear, including bone hooks, spears and ie'ie vine fish traps, and an akua, an ancient stone fish god, are a few of the treasures that are displayed. The cottage is surrounded almost completely by water; ancient brackish-water fishponds and the Pacific ocean and it enjoys wonderful views of the Kohala shoreline. Every month on the Saturday around the full-moon, visitors are invited to join historians for the monthly "Full Moon Picnics" where a "talk story" event is held for those interested in learning about the rich Hawaiian culture.

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.

Kohala Greens

Date: 07/14/2010

Location: Keawanui Bay, Mauna Lani

Size: 8" x 10"

Medium: Oil on stretched canvas

Artist's Comments: My mom and dad took a day trip to Mauna Lani Point for a day of painting and photography. The hike from the public access parking lot is quite a trek so, we decided to make the most use of our time. I started two paintings and my dad took a whole bunch of photos. Sitting under the shade of Eva's cottage, the Kohala mountains were so stunning without the cloak of vog they are usually covered in. Wonderful greens, yellows and red shades decorated the entire mountain and were very striking. A few palm trees in the point across the bay provided a nice composition while the water's edge in the foreground glistened bright blues in the sun. The waves were calm allowing the shades of coral beneath the surface shine through the azure waves. A slight breeze brushed the palm fronds to the East.

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.

Shoreline Path

Date: 07/13/2010

Location: Anaeho'omalu Bay

Size: 20" x 16"

Medium: Oil on stretched canvas

Artist's Comments: I have an ongoing list of adventures I want to do on the Big Island and one of them is to take the shoreline path from Anaeho'omalu Bay all the way to Keaweiki and the coveted Queen's Bath ponds. The hike is a journey and I did attempt it once but we got discouraged by the heat. Every time I consider taking on the journey again, I just think "why don't we just go to the beach and relax instead?" and, I can't find a better reason not to! Anyway, I like to always have a list of things I have not done on the island to keep that element of surprise alive. I am content with painting this path that someday I would like to add to my "done" list. Kite surfers use this path to lead them to a launching point up the coast where they don't risk taking out sunbathers as they head out to the bay. The day started out calm but the winds quickly picked up and they caught me off guard. The size of this canvas acted like an efficient sail and promptly tumbled my easel to the ground. Paint thinner went everywhere...all over my newly stared painting. Quickly I dipped the canvas in the ocean to clean it off and let it dry for a few minutes before starting again. This time I weighted down my easel - lesson learned!

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.

Come Home to Hawaii!

Date: 7/13/2010

Location: Mahai'ula Beach

Size: 18" x 24"

Medium: Oil on stretched canvas

Artist's Comments: Located just 15 minutes away from the airport, Mahai'ula is an awesome beach but takes a little patience to get to. A long bumpy jeep road leads to a small parking lot from which beach goers need to hike in across a hot lava field to the shoreline. Once there; its quickly worth the extra effort. Soft white sand offers easy entry to a protected bay offering lots of snorkeling and encounters with sea turtles. Tucked away in the southern corner of the beach is a small grouping of palm trees clustered around a small sandy beach surrounded by lava rocks. In order to paint this little beach, I needed to hike out onto the lava field across the bay to get the right vantage point. I love how the painting covers the entire ahupua'a or ancient Hawaiian land division; from abundant ocean to fertile farmland on the slopes of Hualalai mountain. This painting was created for a special friend who lives in California and wanted a painting that would remind her of her family who lives on the slopes of Hualalai. So, come home to Hawaii soon!

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.

Pink Giraffes in Paradise

Date: 7/07/2010

Location: Waikoloa Residence

Medium: Mural

Artist's Comments: During a friend's baby shower the idea of painting a mural for the new baby girl's room was presented and although a mural was completely beyond my current expertise, I accepted the challenge. I was further enticed when I learned the concept for the mural would be centered around an African motif complete with giraffes and monkeys inspired by the baby shower invitation. The icing on the cake was that the giraffes would be baby-girl pink! My top three favorites things all in one place (giraffes, painting and the color pink)! The project was daunting but I kept it in perspective by first getting the scale of the elements correct by sketching the concept on a photo of the baby room. Then, I went to Lowe's and worked with the paint department to select the right color combinations to match the baby's bedding. With the baby due in less than 3-weeks, I immediately got started and as I worked, the project became less scary and I really started to have fun because for the first time in my career nothing I did was right or wrong. I was after-all painting pink giraffes!!! After the large elements were finalized, I got into the fun details adding a monarch-winged fairy, maile vines wrapping around the tree and getting little critters crawling through the trees. Final touches were pink glitter on the giraffes and the room was ready for new baby Kayla to arrive! I am not looking forward to the day when Kayla goes to Africa and wonders why the giraffes are not pink!

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.