Contemplation

Date: 12/1/2011

Location: Waipio Valley

Size: 24" x 36"

Medium: Oil on stretched canvas

Artist's Comments: As some of you may remember, a few months ago I had prepared two small sketches of this scene; one painted in sunny colors and the other in sun-less colors and I asked you which was your favorite.  Well I was inquiring because I had been asked by a dear friend to paint this scene for her husband.  She provided me with a photograph that was taken on a cloudy day. His silhouette was simple and had such a nice feeling of reflection; contemplation; peace.   The subject matter was confirmed but the wild card was the color pallet.  My friend chose the sunny day color scheme and I started the piece.  I was very diligent in rendering the mountainside of Waipio accurately showing details such as the landslide from the Thanksgiving Day earthquake and the tell-tale zig-zag trail to Waimanu Valley.  The black sand and shoreline area were very fun to paint and I enjoyed the change in color scheme for the wet sand.  I outlined her husband's image and filled in the area very simply without worrying about capturing too much detail.  I wanted the eye to move past the form and discover what the wonderful valley had to offer.  We'll see if her husband likes this creation! 

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.

Holualoa Village

Date: 11/12/2011

Location: Holualoa

Size: 6" x 12"

Medium: Oil on stretched canvas

Artist's Comments: On the third day of the Plein Air Painters of Hawaii Kona Paint Out, we headed for the first time "up Mauka" to capture the quaint Holualoa Village.  I set up my easel under the shade of my friend Shelley Maudsley White's gallery for protection from the sun.  I enjoyed the view looking across the street to the little row of gallery's dotting along the roadway.  As my followers will know, I am not particularly fond of painting buildings into my scenes. Primarily because with architecture, lines need to be straight and they need to be proportionate to the original building in order to be recognizable.  The difference with coffee cottages such as those that make up Holualoa Village, is that they are built over time and usually not necessarily to building code. So it is often you find them with unique lines and often they are leaning in one direction or the other as they settle.  So, it was actually fun to paint them!  I particularly liked this scene for the small white fence and garden at the entry of the art gallery.  After we were finished with our morning session, we all brought our wet paint creations to the Lavender Moon Gallery for our "Wet Paint" exhibition.  I was so fortunate to win the "Artists Choice Award" for this little creation.  My very first award for my work and from my peers at that!  There were actually two winners of this award as we were tied for number of artist votes.  The other winner was Bill Wingert and in looking at both of our pieces side by side it is interesting to see the similarities in size and perspective.

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.

Kahalu'u Beach House

Date: 11/11/2011

Location: Keauhou Beach Resort

Size: 9" x 12"

Medium: Oil on stretched canvas

Artist's Comments: The afternoon session of our second day at the Plein Air Painters of Hawaii Kona Paint Out placed us at the Keauhou Beach Resort grounds.  We all gravitated to the little fresh water pond adjacent to a historical building that used to be King Kalakaua's beach house.  The surrounding foliage is lush and beautifully maintained.  The still pond reflects the colors so well!  It was wonderful to paint with so many other artists on this paint out.  We provided each other with encouragement and suggestions when we hit roadblocks in our work. Since we were all painting similar scenes, each of us had strengths in particular areas of the painting so collectively we were able to share our tricks of the trade and learn from each other's expertise.

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.

Honokohau Shoreline

Date: 11/11/2011

Location: Honokohau Harbor

Size: 8" x 16"

Medium: Oil on canvas panel

Artist's Comments: On our second day of the Plein Air Painters of Hawaii Kona Paint Out, we started our morning session at Honokohau Harbor.  Having spent the prior day in the sun, I needed to pick a spot that was in shade. Honokohau Beach is a beautiful historic bay tucked behind the Honokohau Harbor where ancient relics of the past still stand. It was first developed by early Hawaiians as a coastal dwelling where fish traps; fishponds, heiau (sacred temples) and halau (long houses) were built and used in every day life. I took refuge under the one halau that was built to for educational purposes.  It was so cool under the thatched roof that I actually needed to go out into the sun to warm up!  As the sun rose over Hualalai Mountain, it was casting a beautiful light onto the Kiawe Tree.  It was high tide and the fishponds were full of gorgeous purples and blues.  This is also a favorite beach for resting sea turtles but alas, one did not venture into my view.

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.

Beach 67's

Date: 11/10/2011

Location: Waialea Bay

Size: 8" x 10"

Medium: Oil on canvas panel

Artist's Comments: Our second painting location on our first day of the Kona Paint Out was Waialea Bay.  I felt overwhelmed from the morning's instruction from Darrell Hill and for a moment considered just watching the other artists work.  But my friend Lori and I decided to give ourselves one hour to create our paintings so that the endeavor didn't seem so great.  We decided to use a small canvas and selected a simple scene.  We have painted various scenes at Waialea Bay and were looking for something "new".  We decided on this scene to capture the beautiful colors in waves lapping onto the shoreline in the foreground and the small beach across the bay called Beach 67's.  The painting came together really fast and we were happy to have decided to join the other painters.  The finishing touch for me was to place some beachgoers on the far beach to provide scale.  For all who know this beach, the clothing on my people were a result of my artistic license!  : )

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.

Gusty Breezes on A-Bay

Date: 11/10/2011

Location: Anaeho'omalu Bay

Size: 9" x 12"

Medium: Oil on stretched canvas

Artist's Comments: During the first day of my Kona Paint Out, we were so lucky to kick the day off with a demonstration by plein air master Darrell Hill. We were all in awe at how quickly his paint brush danced across the canvas to create another masterpiece.  We all envied the simplicity of his mastery.  He completed the piece in about 20 minutes and that was likely due to delays caused by him talking thru his choices with us.  After the demo, it was our turn to paint the scene.  It was interesting to see what an impression his demonstration had on me. I found myself reaching for entirely new colors as I remembered the steps he took to mix the typical "Darrell Hill" color scheme.  But since I was not a master, about half way thru I lost track of what colors I was mixing and was on the edge of creating a mud pile so I paused, took a break then returned with renewed focus.  I brought back in some of my signature bright colors to balance out the subdued tones.  This scene warrants another try but, we were off that day to paint our second session at Waialea Bay.

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.

Did I Mention this is my Favorite Beach?

Date: 11/6/2011

Location: Mahai'ulas Beach

Size: 18" x 18"

Medium: Oil on stretched canvas

Artist's Comments: This particular scene wins the award for my most popular beach scene hands down!  I have painted this scene many times on client requests and believe it or not, I have not tired in the least with recreating any of them.  Some were larger, smaller and some were different proportions; however, all of them came out very differently.  That is the beauty of art.  No two paintings are ever exactly the same.  In this painting, I wanted to bring out the warmer pink tones by allowing my sketch lines (created by mixing crimson and white) to show thru the other layers of color.  The shadows under the palm tress are a combination of cool blues and warm purples and pinks.  I think the combination of warm and cool tones allows the shadows to read very well.  I am very happy with how I created the the connection of water to sand and feel that my choice to add purple into the wet sand areas provides a very nice effect. Oh yes....and did I mention that this is one of my favorite beaches?  Maybe that is why I have been able to be so fond of recreating this scene!

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.

Colorful Memories of Kona Village

Date: 11/05/2011

Location: Kona Village Resort

Size: 18" x 18"

Medium: Oil on stretched canvas

Artist's Comments: As I was flipping thru my archive of imagery looking for a scene to paint I came across a collection of pictures I captured at Kona Village some years ago.  I paused for a while reminiscing on the wonderful times I had enjoyed at this wonderful Resort.  The landscape was an artists dream; full of vibrancy and variety.  From quintessential thatched hales to rippling Anchialine ponds that capture the wonderful surrounding foliage.  Due to the intense colors of this place, I decided to create this little composition.  As I painted, my mind was filled with peace - entranced by the unmistakeable charm of Kona Village.  I was truly happy in my thoughts and to replicate my feelings, I bumped up the saturation of colors making them cheerful and happy.  Bright pinks dance across lazy palm fronds; yellow highlights capture the dappled kisses of sunshine and deep shadows allow you to retreat and cool down from the warm sunshine. I admire the work of Elsa Muir and in contemplating how to render the hale, I studied his techniques and decided to use dapples of lavender to bring that sense of coolness that I enjoyed lounging under the shade of the thatched roof.  This piece will be re-printed in a set of Holiday greeting cards for Hualalai Realty and I hope they bring the same feelings to all who receive them.

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.