More Pink (less pink....)

I am supposed to ship this painting off tomorrow morning. Wouldn't you know it, I got somewhat inspired to make big changes in it at the last moment this afternoon. Since I used lots of liquin I am pretty sure it will be dry enough to wrap up. I hope the folks at Queen's Hospital like it!!

Painting in Pink

My client in Honolulu thought the Diamond Head painting for Queen's Hospital didn't have enough flowering trees in it, that the trees I did have were too scary and skeletal, and also wished to diminish Diamond Head which she thought is too "touristy." So being a stubborn cuss I decided to just stretch a new canvas rather than making so many changes in what I considered to be a decent effort in itself.

So then I struggled with composing a whole new set of imagined trees, which in a way is a much bigger challenge than basing the studio work on a previously done plein air study or photos. Here it is in its latest state which I have already been told is too pink, which I can see.... but it does seem to have a Renoirish feeling about it.

This Week's Project

I spent a season on O'ahu way back in 1999, when my friends the Kloningers had a guestroom available for me in Kahala. That year the shower trees put on an exceptional show of flowering and I spent day after day at Kapiolani Park trying to capture the beauty in an impressionist style. I did several versions, at different times of day, of the view from street level right in front of the Colony Surf.

This year I got a belated benefit from all that effort, when Fran Obayashi of Obayashi Design Group contacted me for a large version of one of the paintings for a new admitting room at Queen's Hospital. The challenge is to do something that will lend tranquillity to a place that could be stressful for new patients. Here's my progress so far, plus two of the original plein air prototypes.

A Day at the Gallery & What I Shipped....

Last Saturday I finally locked the gallery door behind me and was on my way to get a sandwich for a late lunch. By Finagle's rule of course, a few seconds later a very nice couple from Berkeley came to the door and peered through the glass. I doubled back and let them in, whereupon the woman proceeded to pick out three very charming paintings by Cosette and Tuko, all paintings of the Kalapana-Kapoho road (the famous "Red Road"). Turns out the lady had grown up in that area and had owned a home in Kalapana that was destroyed by the lava flow in '89, and wanted to surround herself with these reminders of an idyllic time.

On the same day I shipped those to her, I also shipped off a portrait I'd done of Bobbo Jetmundson, a colorful southerner from Georgia, along with a big scene of leaning Kamani trees (tropical mahogany) and a moonrise painting.

While I'm at it, here are some photos of the gallery. I'm thinking it might be time for a make-over!

My Maui Paintings

I'm not sure why it took me so long to post these little pictures. I kind of like their raw quality, so it's not like I've been laboring over them in the studio, other than to mount them and start framing them. Once they are framed I'll show them in the gallery -- but of course it can be hard to sell Maui paintings in Hilo. I like them though, they remind me of our wonderful week with the plein air gang over in Hana!

My O'ahu Paintings

Just for fun I uploaded all my recent plein air paintings from Maui and O'ahu, with some comments on how beautiful those islands are. Unfortunately the computer ate the posting so here I go with a smaller version in hopes it doesn't disappear! These paintings are from O'ahu, which is an amazingly spectacular place to paint in spite of its overdevelopment and chronic traffic.

Installing the Triptych

Before leaving for O'ahu to install this triptych, I harassed my small group of Honolulu friends to see if I could borrow a truck to make the pick-up from the docks and the delivery to the house. A surprising number of staunch souls had trucks and were willing to help me out. But as it turned out I got upgraded to an SUV and was able to do the whole transport very easily and with time to spare.

Actually hanging the panels was another matter, as I discovered that the plaster walls had some very solid impenetrable material behind them that prevented easy use of my screws. But I persisted and managed to get them all onto the walls, where I must admit they transformed a humdrum space into something of a very high-class quality. This seems very much in line with the owner's policy in general, since he has had the wisdom to retain and restore the original old home rather than replacing it with gigantic mega-mansions the way folks have done on either side of him. The location couldn't be more beautiful, on a very calm beach with views of Koko Head and Diamond Head on either side.