Maui Wedding

Maui Wedding
Oil  11" x 14"
Commission

This was a commission for a wedding gift.  It was a fun and challenging piece.  The wedding was held at this spot;  the wedding trellis was just to the right of the palm tree looking out over the water.  What a great location.  If I had been a guest I would have had a hard time looking at the ceremony and not at the view!  While it never rained that day, it was breezy, gray and a bit more over cast than in the painting.  My challenge was to make it "the day", but not too gray.  I've been to Hawaii once, and luckily it was to Maui.  So, I used the photo I was emailed by the guest as well as several from our trip to get the right gray, cloudy, blue sky, blue/gray water combination, but, yet not as gray as it really was that day.   I'm happy with the way it came out.  It shows that the wedding day wasn't perfect weather, but it was a perfect wedding!  May the couple have years of happiness in all weather!

Maui Palms and Fun News

Maui Palms
Oil  6" x 8"
SOLD

This painting is headed off to Austin.  I painted one like it last winter when we were in Maui.  But, just after I set up to paint, it started raining and the painting became darker and reflected the rain colors of the moment.  At the request of the client I've painted this lighter, sunny day view.  After finishing this and going back through my photos of that trip, I hope one day we'll go back to Hawaii!

Fun News:  Tomorrow I will be the co-host on Artists Helping Artists, Blog Talk Radio.  Leslie Saeta and I will be interviewing Melinda Cootsona about her book:  "Open Your Studio-9 Steps to a Successful Art Career".  I've wondered about having an open studio, but was never quite ready to jump right in.  So, I loved reading this book.  Hope you can listen in!  The show is broadcast live at 9:00 am PST or you can listen to the podcast any time.

Kaanapali Beach Palms, Maui, Hawaii

Kaanapai Beach Palms

8" x 6  Oil

$100.00 + $10. s/h

I loved all the palm trees in Hawaii.  I think that I must have taken 100s of pictures of 

them.  Maybe I'll do a palm tree series one day.

This guy had just crawled up on the beach.  I had seen turtles swimming in the water, 

but how great to see him (her?) up close!

Kahekili Park, Kaanapali, Maui

6" x 8"  Oil
$100.00 + $10. s/h

This painting was also done in Kaanapali, Maui, a little further north than the last one, at Kahekili Park.  There is a great walkway for several miles through Kaanapali.  It's such a womderful way to get some morning exercise and  peek at all the resorts, hotels, and condos.  I'd spotted a great location the day before, and chose exactly which palm trees I wanted to paint.  I got there bright and early, set up, just got painting and it started to rain!  Luckily, there was a large covered area with picnic tables, so I moved over a bit and painted in the rain.  Of course, in a little while the rain stopped, the color changed and I had to make sure that I wasn't chasing the light. You go with the flow when plein air painting!

A friend commented about the sky in the background.  There is no sky in this piece.  That is Molokai, (once a leper colony) the  next island over, covered in clouds.  Another thing I hadn't realized before I got to Hawaii, you can see the other islands.  The water here gets deep really quickly off the beach.  The locals call the water further out, deep water.  It was distinctly darker.

That afternoon we drove along the coast on the north side of the island:

Kaanapali Beach, Maui Hawaii

Kaanapali Beach,  Maui Hawaii
6" x 8"  Oil

SOLD

After a week in Hana we headed over to the other side of Maui.  This part of the island was completely different...white sand beaches, resorts, condos, stores.  This morning I set up on the beach while there was still shade on the sand.   I had expected wide, wide beaches.  Only a few of the beaches were like that.  Many were very narrow.

I loved the trees growing right next to the beach.  The island of Molokai is in the background.

Almost everyday we saw humpback whales.

Hula Hibiscus

Hula Hibiscus
6" x 6"  Oil
$100.00 + $10. s/h

I loved the way the light was in the front of the hibiscus and I was in the back.  I think that the brushstrokes and shape make this flower look likes it's hula dancing!  

I was amazed at the variety of trees in Maui.  This bamboo forest is in Haleakala National Park.  This part of the 2 mile hike up to the Wailua Waterfalls was almost surreal.  The bamboo was swaying in the breeze, causing the trunks to hit together creating quiet, but eerie rattles.  It was like a percussion section.

I think that this is a mangrove tree (you botanists can correct me.)  We certainly don't have

 trees like this in Colorado!

These are Painted Eucalyptus trees which grow along the Hana Highway.  I thought the 

name was so appropriate, as the bark really looks painted!

Hawaiian Gardenia - 100 Garden & Floral Oil Paintings 100/100

Hawaiian Gardenia - 100 Garden & Floral Oil Paintings 100/100
6" x 6"  Oil
$100.00 + $10. s/h

I had thought that for my 100th Garden & Floral Oil Painting I would perhaps set up a still life of my most used garden tools or of a variety of pots.  But, as you can see, that number arrived when I was in Hawaii, so this still life gets the honor.  I'll continue to paint flowers and gardens and look forward to spring when I can get back out in our gardens.  I just won't be counting the paintings...or maybe I will.

One afternoon in Hawaii it was raining.  So, I took one of the gardenias from the bouquet in our room and set in on a table on the lanai (covered porch) and painted away.  I was not able to identify this flower, either.  The incredible smell of gardenias will now always remind me of Hawaii!

Beach scenes from the eastern side of Maui.

Hana Hibiscus - 100 Garden & Floral Oil Paintings 99/100

Hana Hibiscus - 100 Garden & Floral Oil Paintings 99/100
6" x 6"  Oil
SOLD

One morning on Maui I painted in a small orchard where there were also numerous flowers.  We all become familiar with our own environment.  My environment, Colorado, of course doesn't have tropical plants or flowers.  I loved all the hibiscus blooming everywhere...I didn't even know the name of this flower before this trip!

The orchard was on a volcanic hillside, thus the uphill slope!  It wasn't my photography!

I found a somewhat level spot for my easel.

After a morning painting we relaxed on the beach!  The beaches on the east side of 

Maui are black, volcanic sand.

Alau Island, Maui, Hawaii

Alau Island
6" x 8" Oil
$100.00 + $10. s/h

My husband and I just got back from 3 weeks on Maui.  It was my first trip to Hawaii and I hope not my last!  No wonder so many people talk about, love and visit Hawaii!!  Those of you who have been following my blog for awhile know that we love to travel and take advantage of every opportunity we have.  The weather was perfect for plein air painting.  I was so easy to enjoy the gorgeous scenery, to sit and relax, hike, go to the beach,whale watch, snorkel and paint!  I'll be sharing my paintings and photos in my upcoming blog posts.

You can see dirt and sand on this piece from its' fall.  I waited for it to dry and brushed them all off.  Part of the fun of plein air painting!

I want to thank everyone for all the comments on the blogs I posted while we were away.  I pre-posted them as I knew that we wouldn't always have access to internet.  I'll start commenting back on yours now that I'm back.

This is about where we set up to paint, on a bay just south of Hana.

I was amazed by the lava coastline and the incredible, pounding surf on this side of the island.

This banyan tree is in Haleakala National Park.  It's size was unbelievable.  And roots/trunk!