The Perfect Hideaway

Date: 6/23/2012

Location: Kona Village Resort

Size: 14" x 18"

Medium: Oil on stretched canvas

Artist's Comments: As I scrolled thru my image library reminiscing of the many wonderful painting adventures spent capturing this serene Resort on canvas, I came across this wonderful scene.  Although all the Resort's hales offered a wonderfully relaxing experience, this particular hale always captured by eye.  Snuggled amongst lush foliage, perched at the end of the reflective ponds, this hale is set so close to the water's edge that in fact it appears to almost float.  There are no visible pathways leading to or from the hale which provides the perception of complete seclusion.  I imagine there are in fact no footpaths to this hale and instead, I opt for taking the water pathway in a small canoe and entering this little shoreline cottage for an unforgettable retreat.  The sunshine is warm but is shielded by the tall thatched rooftop which creates a shimmering reflecting in the ponds. As your eye wanders away from the hale, the colors get darker; capturing less of the sunshine.  The water is vibrant; cool and inviting you in for a swim!

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.

Little Stone Bridge

Date: 6/23/2012

Location: Kona Village Resort

Size: 18" x 14"

Medium: Oil on stretched canvas

Artist's Comments: With the Kona Village Resort now closed for over a year, I was going thru some serious Kona Village withdrawals. I really was missing spending time under the shade of the lush foliage and capturing the wonderful reflective ponds. I unfortunately had run out of photos in my library to paint and with the Resort closed to the public, I was unable to get new imagery. So, I decided that although I had painting some of the photos already over the years, I wanted to try my hand at them again and practice the new techniques I had learned from plein air artist, John Cosby. When I reviewed my digital library I found a scene that I had not painted before because I didn't feel it was a fun composition. Armed with my newfound skills, I decided this would be a fabulous scene to capture. I knew that my challenge would be to focus the light in the area surrounding the thatched hales. So, I started pre-mixing value piles just as I had learned from my workshop and got started. As I progressed, I realized that I had been so focused on painting everything surrounding the hales in dark shades that I lost some of the vibrancy in the shadow trees. So I came back with more color on my brush and returned the shadows to their vibrancy. I purposefully painting the ponds with a bright viridian blue to bring that sense of coolness to the painting and to pop that color! You eye reaches that small old stone bridge as it captures the warmth of the sunlight and takes you across the pond to the small shaded footpath leading to more thatched hales.

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.

Sister Hales

Date: 6/23/2012

Location: Kona Village Resort

Size: 14" x 18"

Medium: Oil on stretched canvas

Artist's Comments: All of the Kona Village hales are special yet these two may be the most picturesque. This pair of hales reminds me of two sisters sitting on the edge of the pond enjoying the view.  The composition is perfect; provided by nature herself. Two small islands anchor the foreground allowing your eye to skip across the bright water and land back at the two sister hales. They are surrounded of course by the lush foliage which thrives at the edge of the fresh water despite the fact that the entire Resort is set on a barren lava flow. I imagine a large family enjoying a summer vacation in these two hales. Perhaps you were one of the lucky families to spend time in the cool embrace of these two "sisters"?

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.

Find Your Place of Refuge

Date: 6/14/2012

Location: Pu'uhonua o Honaunau

Size: 60" x 40"

Medium: Oil on stretched canvas

Artist's Comments: Back in the old Hawaiian days, Pu'uohonua o Honaunau was a place of refuge where kapu (law) breakers or defeated warriors would not be harmed if they made it to this sanctuary. Today, this place still provides a place of refuge for visitors however, its a different type of sanctuary - one that provides protection from worldly cares. The moment you step under the canopy of palm trees, you can't help but feel at peace surrounded by a calming breeze. Due to the areas sacred history, the palm tree grove has been allowed to grow undisturbed for many, many years. They are some of the tallest trees on the island! I wanted to capture a particular stretch of palm trees that were growing in a very straight grove and reminded me of the strong rock walls that were built to protect those that were able to make it safely to its embrace. However my challenge was to provide some interest and avoid a very horizontal composition so, I tried to create a focal point in the center of the painting by painting a few palm trees with brighter colors and more detail than the rest. Then, at just the right moment, the perfect detail presented itself ~ a fisherman strolling to the shoreline. This provided the perfect element needed to communicate the scale of the tall trees. After painting the man, I felt the composition to be too empty and felt he needed a companion to join him on his fishing adventure; a little doggie!

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.

Gone Fishing

Date: 6/12/2012

Location: City of Refuge, Honaunau

Size: 2 Panels 48" x 60" each

Medium: Oil on stretched canvas

Artist's Comments: I was recently contacted by one of my collectors to help her stage her condominium for a quick sale.  She was working with a budget to rennovate the property and asked me to paint 3 large pieces to complete her project.  I was excited to help with this project largely due to the fact that I felt my paintings would be a stunning compliment to her existing decor.  I worked with her color pallet and custom painted this piece to hand on a long wall in her entertainment room.  A television sits between the two pieces so I needed a simple compision that wouldn't be distracting while watching tv.  I selected this scene due to its simplicity, bright colors and because it brought the feeling that you were walking on the beach.  In addition, we were concerned that the room was a little dark so we selected bright colors to lighten the walls. A large grove of Eureka palms is set just outside of the pocket doors to this area so when the doors are open, there is a nice transition between the palm trees of this painting and the palms outside.

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.

Where the Wild Flowers Grow II

Date: 6/07/2012

Location: Hana, Maui

Size: 2 panels 12" x 48" each

Medium: Oil on stretched canvas

Artist's Comments: After completing my first flower portrait and happy with the result, I immediately wanted to try my hand at another painting. While enjoying the lush tropical jungle of Maui I came across a thick grove of Rattlesnake Ginger. There were so many blooms all clamoring toward the precious light source that it was difficult to decide which blooms to paint. I wanted to share the sense of a dark dense jungle with a seemingly never ending stretch of flowers growing as far as the eye could see.  I achieve the sense of perspective by purposefully toning down the flowers in the distance and keeping the detail and color in the few blooms that were my focal point. Another interesting element I wanted to capture was the difference between the older ginger blooms which had long flowers stalks similar to the layering of rings on older rattle snakes.  The younger blooms had fewer pedals and the youngest of them all were actually a bright green color - turning the rich yellow and gold with age I presume.  The size of the canvas I selected allowed me to capture the long, elegant yet ever tangled stalks of the ginger plants.  They created such a wonderful geometric pattern that reminded me of playing the game pick-up sticks!

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.

Where the Wild Flowers Grow I

Date: 6/07/2012


Location: Hana, Maui


Size: 2 panels 12" x 48" each


Medium: Oil on stretched canvas


Artist's Comments: When one of my interior designer customers asked me to paint a large portrait of a flower I was a bit apprehensive to agree to the project since I have never painting flowers before. I was worried that this subject would require obsessive paint strokes to capture the minute detail and delicacy of each individual petal. But the intrigue of doing something new got the better of me! Just returning from a wonderful trip to the jungles of Hana, Maui where the wild flowers grow in abundance right on the side of the road. Two particular images immediately came to mind one of which was a bold grouping of heliconia where a deep red _ and a softer pink _ called a small patch of jungle home. Their tall slender stalks barely supported the heavy flowers as every inch of their being seemed to reach toward the sky. The difficulty in approaching this subject was to decide how to create a focal point since all of the flower buds were so striking. With the memory of my John Cosby workshop still fresh; I quickly decided to use a play of light and dark to create a focal point on two of the largest blooms. The sense of filtered light needed to be carefully considered to provide the feeling of light landing on the flowers and surrounding leaves but without taking the viewers eye off the canvas. It was a difficult journey but once completed, I am very happy with my jungle flowers!




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.

Daydreaming at Hualalai

Date: 6/03/2012

Location: Four Seasons Resort Hualalai

Size: 24" x 30"

Medium: Oil on stretched canvas

Artist's Comments: One of my favorite daydreams involves lounging an entire day under the shade of one of the beach-side chaise lounge chairs at the Four Seasons Resort Hualalai. This daydream includes no interruptions from the outside world except for the beach-side beverage attendant and all I am required to do the entire day is simply listen to the waves crashing onto the shoreline and loosing myself in the ocean's endless movement.  I wanted to capture that sense of place and feeling of relaxation with this piece inviting the viewer to join me in this daydream.  I wanted the feeling of filtered light on the sandy beach contrast against the dark cool shadows of the shoreline foliage. Far in the distance, the warmth of the Kohala slopes contrasts well against the cool blue sea. This particular day the waves are not as active and instead offer you a gentle, rolling lullaby.  If you close your eyes softly enough and take a relaxing breath; you too can faintly hear the rustling of palm fronds;, feel the warmth of the mid-day sun; and experience your body melting into the soft chaise lounge chair.  Oh!  Our iced beverages have just arrived!  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.