Go see

http://honolulumuseum.org

The Honolulu Museum of Art is worth a visit. Some fine art and some nice little courtyards to get away from the crowds in Waikiki. The bus stop is across the park at the Convention Center, which means walking about one large city block distance. The walking distances in the museum are pretty reasonable. It's not "grand"; rather more intimate and inviting. Nice way to spend an afternoon. 

Aloha!

Model model

We all do this, right? So "old world" drawing meets new tech as I try BlogPress to go mobile. I could use a better photo editor on the iPhone...open to suggestions?

Aloha!

Manga Girl

Loving the book Manga for the Beginner Kawaii.by Christopher Hart!
Check out christopherhartbooks.com

As you can see, she's hooked....
Aloha!

Hanalei, Makai View

Tiny sketch over school roof to waterfalls, Hanalei. Just for fun!

I'm posting several small things today, having decided against multiple pictures in one post.
Aloha!

Waikiki-Makai View

This is a little sketch I did of the view from our hotel balcony in Waikiki, looking toward the mountains (makai is the very helpful Hawaiian word for that). I was still working on it on the flight home. We had a very caring and helpful flight attendant, and she kept exclaiming over it, so I signed it and gave it to her, and she was thrilled. What a nice feeling to make someone happy with art!

Aloha!

Horse Pasture near Lumahai

I've wanted to paint these cuties for a long time. They live in a beautiful spot, don't they? The grass on the far right was actually even taller and this fellow kept peeking out from behind it, like a flirt. Yeah, ya had me at Aloha, Bro!

Two Waterfalls

The first image is a streamside watercolor sketch done at Limahuli Garden and Preserve, with about 30 minutes into it, before the heat made us retreat. The light changed dramatically in that time, as well!

The second image is of a much larger set of waterfalls, overlooking Hanalei, but it's a much smaller sketch. I think it's a bit like a haiku, and fleeting, because it no longer exists! I continued painting over it. But I like this little moment, so here it is in digital form.

Aloha!

Another day in Paradise

Hanalei Bay,

Went back over the tropical still life and changed it quite a bit...much happier with it now.

The watercolor sketch is from yesterday evening. Different way of painting altogether! It's nice to feel like I'm pushing myself in new directions.

Aloha!

Tropical Flowers at Night

Small still life...done in the middle of the night, so no tropical sun in this one. Done with acrylics on a small board, about 4 x 6 inches (or maybe less). A little memory to take with...

Aloha!

[see the reworked painting under Another day in Paradise December 12 post...I think it's better]

It really doesn't get any better than this....

One happy painter!!!

A big shout-out to James Gurney...if you don't already know of him, then head over to his blog and check out his videos, as well. Masterful and imaginative artist, author of Dinotopia (and many other books) and super generous teacher. Hope I get to meet him someday and thank him, because his videos directly helped me to get the materials and courage together to take my painting on the road. I'll let you guess where! These are some quick studies in the sketch book, trying it all out...

/http://gurneyjourney.blogspot.com/

A big thank you for the comments as I'm starting back! What a wonderful community on this world wide web, and I am so glad to be a part. Mahalo and Aloha!

No little love

Hard to believe it's been a year since I posted here...and a year since I've painted. A dear friend asked me a heart-rending, and very real, question the other day, "How do you do it? Why should I keep trying, why keep living"? It's a reasonable question to me.

There are surely as many answers to that as there are people who might ask it, but there's one answer that is always sure....love. Love of someone, love of self, love of art, love of trees that are never truly straight...It's not the who or the what that matters. It's the act of loving, which for all time has always been the one act that can transport us, and heal us, and make of us more than what we are, no matter where we are or what hardship we bear. Love that breaks us out of the prisons of ourselves, and our self-conceptions. There is no little love. Maybe we grasp and hang on to what we think of as a small love, then another, but then someday, we find those little loves are branches springing from the tree of life, they are fundamental to our being, our lives.

And as Anna Nalick sings in 2 am (Breathe)...Just breathe.

Aloha!