Camping on Kaua'i

My photos of Na Pali and Kaua'i are mostly pretty bad, but I am posting some of them anyway. The last image is of Richard waiting for our ride (the wonderful Delton) at the windy beach of Polihale. Our friend Paul Squassoni, who didn't quite make it out to Kalalau on this trip, is a much better photographer.... he took lots of photos up at the lookout while Richard and I did our pencil sketches.

Tags ~ art, oil painting, kauai, camping hawaii, plein air, hawaii

A Kaua'i Sketchbook

Last Wednesday I kayaked into Kalalau Beach with Richard Koob, of Kalani Oceanside Retreat. We spent much of our time sketching the splendors of this remote paradise, including pools along the Kalalau stream which are reached by hiking through amazing relics of Hawaiian civilization. Goats clamber like headlice in the immense rock formations brooding over the huge white beach. In the caves beneath the cliffs, the strong afternoon wind whips green fresh-water ponds into mysterious whirlpools. Later we sketched some unusual liko lehua (the budding leaf forms of the Ohia tree) up at the lookout in Kokee, perched high above the valley. Finally I sketched RK as he plucked tiny shells off the beach at Anini on the north shore of the island, not far from Princeville.

Tags ~ art, oil painting, art gallery, kauai, sketching, hawaii

Kathleen at the Gallery

Hooray for Kathleen Kam, who has been filling in at the gallery of late. Very smart and well-informed as well as artistic! Shown here with visitors Matt, Lee & Paul.

I am off to camp on Kaua'i for a week....

Cinco de Mayo

Hilo was awash with heavy downpours the afternoon of May 5, so it was no surprise that few people attended our "first Friday" celebration at the gallery. But we made a pitcher of margaritas and ate the good food that Gail provided, and had a fun little party! Gail's handsome husband Te played guitar and sang, Lisa came over, exhausted after a full day at Island Art and Glass, and Gail's tiny dog Happy wore a sombrero.

A Nice Day for Plein Air

It was such a beautiful morning in Puna that I got my things together and went out on the road to paint. Too bad Tuko had to work at the Gallery today, as it's more fun with company. But here I am painting in my spot, and here are the two scenes I have worked on for two days now. The square one is on plywood panel, and it is in danger of being too fussy. The big one is canvas, and it is not so fussy but it got off to a dark start and now the challenge is to add light without losing that bold quality. By late morning the wind had picked up and the jungle became especially bewildering with all that movement.

A Visit to Molokai

I took a four-day jaunt to Molokai with my Hawaiian language class. In addition to the usual tourist stuff (Phallic Rock, Kalaupapa overlook, Halawa Valley, etc) we visited a fishpond built by Hawaiians of old, recently uncovered from its dense blanket of invasive mangrove trees -- truly impressive. We also visited an organic awa farm in the hills near Halawa Valley, complete with a large flock of Nene geese. We stopped at the Hui Ho'olana, which is a wonderful retreat center high in the hills above Kaunakakai, where I have taken some great Process Arts workshops not too long ago.

Tags ~ art, Hawaii, Molokai, nene, Hawaiian culture, Hawaiian language