Heat Rising

On Friday we had a life drawing session at Richard's house at Kalani. I teased our model Joti that his pictures would be all over the internet, and his response was that any publicity is good publicity. Since he is a multitalented singer, dancer and artist, I guess this makes sense. On our way home Tuko and I had to stop and photograph the steam plume from the volcano's entry into the ocean, which has been seeming extra huge lately.

Painting at Green Mountain

I wish I could say I had a brilliantly successful day painting with friends up on Green Mountain, overlooking Kapoho. But Tuko and I arrived quite late and the sun was beating down on the plateau with no shade in sight, and no wind to speak of, and I just withered in the humidity while trying to paint the challenging vista. Plus the picturesque storm that I included in my sketch, that was so beautifully poised over the ocean, came straight in towards us and soaked us down thoroughly. I had been painting on a thin masonite panel which bent over from the moisture. So by noon I was very ready for our ride back down the hill, courtesy of Smiley, the beautiful caretaker of the Green Lake and Green Mountain. The best part was going up and down that road, under the graceful kukui and breadfruit trees, through the patches of awapuhi ginger.

A Workshop with Dick Nelson

Tuko and I attended a workshop at the East Hawai'i Cultural Center given by a teacher who I knew way back in high school. Mr Nelson was the advisor for the stage design club, of which I was the student president. Even though for some reason I never took art classes at Punahou, he still made a huge impression on me. He was cute and funny and full of wise suggestions. Although now both of us are pushing forty years older he hasn't changed all that much....

His Big Thing is color theory, specifically the notion that all colors can be derived from three pigment primaries, Cyan, Magenta and Yellow, and that numerous magical effects can be obtained from the knowledgeable manipulation of colors. We did a few of the many color exercises that are handed down from the master classes of Joseph Albers, with whom Dick studied at Yale University. Using small colored papers we tried to obtain the illusions of light, transparency, shade and tint. Not as easy as it would seem.

I'm looking forward to applying these lessons to my own painting to achieve heightened effects of glowing illumination and mystery.

Anne's Show

This month the gallery is showcasing the watercolors and acrylic experiments left by Anne Whitmore, plus some of the artworks in private collections that were brought in as a special treat. We had a lovely opening for her on First Friday, September 5. Anne couldn't be there in her body but some folks say they could feel her smiling. It was a very sweet and poignant evening of Anne's friends enjoying her beautiful paintings and each other.

Adios Anne

Anne Whitmore, our very talented and feisty watercolorist, died after a number of months of increasing physical hardship from a cancer. She bravely kept her optimism up and her hope for the future intact for much of that time. We'll miss her really wonderful work, with its jewel-bright colors and clarity of vision. In fact for a month we'll enjoy a last big dose of it as we celebrate her life in art, starting with an evening remembrance on First Friday, the 5th of September. Hele mai to 46 Waianuenue Street and lift a toast to this fine artist, much beloved among her friends.

August Plein Air Schedule

August PLEIN AIR SCHEDULE - thursdays, 8am, til pau. no fees, no formal critique.

7- Wai'uli Beach Park-(Lele'iwi) Our lovely "home base" at Keaukaha.

14- Kama'ili Cliff House-From the Kalapana-Pahoa Hwy, head toward
Kaimu. When you get to the junction, turn left-back towards Kapoho.
At the 17 mile marker, on the red road, continue 1/8 of a mile, immediately
after the blind right curve you will see large green gates with cement
pillars on the makai side. There's also a for sale sign (4 million).
Gates open at 8am. Bring something for potluck!

21- Laupaoehoe Point-From Hilo town, drive the Hamakua Hwy to
Lapahoehoe, just after the second gulch is the makai side turn off for
the Lapahoehoe Point.

28- Makuu Cliffs- From Hilo, take Kea'au by-pass road as if your
heading to Pahoa.. Turn makai (left) onto Paradise Drive, go all the
way down to Beach Road, turn right, look for painters.

More Saim Caglayan Workshop Pix

These photos are mostly mine exept for the curiously tilted one of me painting on the MacKenzie cliff, me with curiously tousled and backlit hair (time for a haircut I guess) and the beautiful one of Amy and Tuko painting at Mile 17 (all by Saim himself). Another one of me on the cliffs was sent by Deirdre Donovan of Kaua'i. The others depict our group painting under Saim's patient tutelage at MacKenzie Park, which is a craggy and windswept location known in ancient Hawaiian tradition as a jumping-off place for souls on their way to the underworld.

Saim Caglayan's Workshop

Gail organized a weekend workshop July 25 - 27 with Saim Caglayan, a famous plein air painter originally from Turkey but now living on Kaua'i. He is a real mover and shaker, having established important painting groups in Laguna, CA, and in the islands.

The weather was only partially cooperative, deteriorating into drizzle on Friday afternoon, but we managed to get many hours of painting in, and got to watch Saim block in several studies. I personally loved the resemblance of his style to the "New Image" movement that was avant-guard in the late seventies (think Joan Brown), where recognizable objects (horses, boats, vegetables, etc) were painted very simply and directly with minimum fuss. Saim's approach was very careful and deliberate, with a great accuracy of color matching. He exhorted us to squint to capture the shapes of light and dark areas, and render them with thick strokes of pure paint. This is a lot harder than it looks, and takes a lot of skill.

Speaking of skill, on Saturday evening many of us went up to Volcano to attend Rod Cameron's show opening at the art center. With his usual genius he spent months at the Volcano park painting impressions of the glowing magma in its many manifestations. The most spectacular canvases depicted fountaining lava with plumes of smoke lit up from below, and the coastal activity at Kalapana with huge steam clouds and lava entering the ocean. Poignant for those of us who lived through the demise of Kalapana Town were the scenes of doomed but beautiful jungle and palm trees with tongues of red lava creeping along the ground. Bravo, Rod!!
















(more workshop photos soon)