Portrait of a Young Man

This morning I did a portrait of Matthew, the scion of the Hamakua family that owns the Palms Cliff House B'n'B, which is a beautiful Victorian style mansion overlooking spectacular ocean cliffs near Akaka Falls.

Works in progress

I finally took my commissioned painting to the framer before I could add any more minute little details. I think I'd prefer doing a 10' tall mural any day. A Dutch master of marine subjects I'm not!

I am hoping to get these plein air pieces -- all down in Puna along the coastal road -- finished, framed, and into the gallery soon, but of course it is always hard to know when they are actually complete. The weather has been tantalizingly semi-cooperative. This morning was a spectacular clear day, perfect for working on the vertical palm painting, but then in the afternoon when I was hoping to go out and work on this horizontal blue painting, the clouds had moved in and flattened out the light, as so often happens these days.

Yesterday was my day to work in the gallery, so I got a lot done on this commissioned painting for Norwegian Cruise Lines. It is meant to be a gift to someone, and so I am responsible to frame it and ship it as well. Of course it should have been completed and delivered this week but it turns out there is quite a lag time in ordering koa wood frames these days. So I have a few more days to finish it up.

A Day on the Coast

Our Hawaiian Language class met at a coastal property not far from Pohoiki, where the kids from the immersion program are camping out for a week before the hard work of the fund-raising lu'au at Uncle Robert's this Saturday.





This is a very special place because the Hawaiian family was able to buy the property back after the "Great Mahele" of 1848 scrambled the ownership and deprived so many Hawaiians of their land. Very few lands of this significance remain in the hands of the kanaka maoli (natives) who cherish it and carry on the traditions of their ancestors.

Another Opihikao Afternoon

A spectacular long summertime evening to paint at this bluff overlooking the Opihikao keiki tidepool. The declining sun caught first the greens of the treetops, and then later set aflame the silvery coconut tree trunks. Every so often the sun completely vanished behind clouds and the light got very flat. It was so windy I had to jam a big rock into my easel to keep it from flying away.





I think I am almost finished with my big painting but it is a bewilderingly complex subject.

Portrait of Crandal

Today I did Crandal's portrait. He is a very fine if somewhat roughneck Hawaiian guy who lives down the street from me. He wore his brightest turquoise and blue aloha shirt. At the end I added a rainbow background, in true Punatic style.

Back on the Red Road Again

It's been a good week for all of us, getting out on the road to paint. It helps that the weather has been most cooperative. A visiting architect from Ireland, Richard, joined us on this outing. He brought along his watercolor paints. Nice way to travel.

A Paint and Swim Day

Arthur called early this morning to go paint on the road. I told him I'd meet him out there. Since there is only one road it's easy to find each other, just drive.

In the course of painting it got very hot, so Arthur went for a dip in the blue Pacific. I didn't quite have the nerve. Can you find the dot that looks like Arthur?

Then it was back to business.

Painting on the Red Road with Cosette

While I was setting up to paint at the spot that Arthur and I had started, Cosette came along and joined me. I had her stand in the same spot that Arthur had been in yesterday. It was a rather frustrating day for me but I think Cosette has a beautiful start. I also learned so much watching the two of them painting in front of me.