Hawaiiana Paintings

                                                                      Sea Bird Painting


Lately I see the grain in so many things. Not just wood, but in contours of faces, in the soil, in the water. Ocean water is moving and we would think there isn't any grain in it. There is...and it moves along with the wind. Today I watch the tall fields of hay waving and the grains, or patterns, that were visible were beautiful.
I love looking at topography maps. It's like looking at a Hawaiian quilt with the stitches around the center pattern. Intriguing. That is how I use a palette knife in my art.

The above painting, Sea Bird, was completed today. I've had it up on the wall for a few days and decided it was complete after I added a little more today. It is a portrait of a Polynesian girl. What do you see in it? Do you see determination? Grace? It is for sale. Stop by my paintings at Saatchi Art. to find out more.

Children's Portraits in Progress

                                                                     Portrait Progress

I was able to work on this large portrait for another 45 minutes. I chose to take the classical portrait route with brushes and not a palette knife thus far. It needs more work but I wanted to show this childrens portrait painting in progress. This is a section of it and it's pretty detailed.

The reason I chose to paint this with brushes has it's reasons.

1. I read an editorial on an art site that said people who proclaim they are self taught artists and have not been to art school never paint hands. In essence the artist was saying we can't paint a classical portrait with hands in the painting or paint people for that matter either. Yes, this portrait has both hands in it. You will see the unveiling of the complete portrait.

2. As an artist it's good to show your artistic ability with any tool. I read of one Old Master's painting that had his fingerprints all over in the painting. They actually counted them. Yes.

3. It's a large painting and it would use a little less paint with brushes.

4. Back to number one all over again..

I love how the sun rays dance around in this painting. There is so many reflections bouncing off every which way.

To be continued.

 

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Childrens Portraits - Creative Process

Behind the scenes I am diligently working. This portrait I started today. I've had many interruptions, but that is fine each time I come back I have a few more questions for myself. Some answers are clear and some a bit fuzzy. The creative process is an open zone to ideas. This one I started with a big brush and it's a larger painting on canvas. Am I  going to use brushes to complete or just to get some color and composition on the canvas? That's one of the fuzzy questions...and it better get clear as I'm at the intersection and people will start hollering if I don't proceed in one direction or the other.  It is my choice though as I'm the artist. So I deliberate with luxury and a lemonade. I try to focus on the end result, and the possibilities keep popping up.

Every day we are presented with questions and possibilities and we race through them  with, "Yes," and "No," and "Someday," or "Never."  We are almost computerized, but a painting is a work of passion and when it comes to love, we don't want to mess up. Possibly I will show you much progress tomorrow on this painting. For now I will have another glass of lemonade (it's finally wonderfully warm here) and think about the background. Do I want it full to the brim or rather simple? Decisions. Decisions. I really love the creative process at this moment.

Do check out some of my original paintings paintings for sale at Saatchi Art.  

If you want to see photographs of paintings and very little talking you can visit my Google Chrome posts 

Enjoy!

Princess Kaiulani Painting

                                         
                                                               Princess Kaiulani Painting
                                                                       11 x 14 inches

In Hawaii there are many places, parks, schools, hotels, and buildings named after this beautiful young princess in Hawaii's Royal Family. She is still carried in the hearts of Hawaii's people and will not be forgotten. Princess Kaiulani was half Hawaiian and half Scottish. Her mother was Princess Miriam Likelike (a descendent of King Kamehameha I) and her father, Archibald Scott Cleghorn who came to Hawaii from Scotland.

It was said of Princess Kaiulani when she was alive, "It is impossible not to like her." That is still true today.

I painted this in an Expressionist and Impressionist style with a palette knife in a painterly fashion used by the old masters such as Van Gogh and Madge Tennent. Madge painted a number of Hawaiian people when she lived in Hawaii.

This portrait painting of Crown Princess Victoria Kaiulani Kawekio I Lunalilo Kalaninuiahilapalapa Cleghorn is available for sale through Saatchi Art. $1,300.00  More details and link here.

Did you know that King Kalakaua of Hawaii met Thomas Edison in New York in 1881? On King Kalakaua's birthday, November 16, 1886 Iolani Palace was lit with electricity. In the year 1888, Princess Kaiulani flipped the switch that lit the town's streets.  

Barns Contemporary Painting

                                                                       
                                                                        Familiar Faces

My palette knife was put away for brushes. I must go outside my comfort zone to grow and think about design and composition in an abstract way. You don't see many sharp edges in my paintings and that changed today. All of my art must have meaning from myself, coming from within.

These two barns are on the farm and I see them often when I look out the window. We used to run up and down the ladder, stack hay high in the loft and look for kittens in them.  They are familiar features in the landscape and they have a fond place in my heart. This is how I saw them today! I painted this abstract landscape with acrylic paint on cotton canvas.

It was below zero this morning with so many closings, both business and schools, that it was a good time to work on some art projects here. I hope you have a great weekend.