Blog
12/30/2020 3:02:07 PM
With the full moon last night, I feel pretty pumped up! When creating a new works, I can really get into dedicating 2-3 full days a week at home painting. With my personality, it is hard to stay put for too long so when these days hit me I recognize it and take action! Spending the day at home all day jumping on & off my work while integrating with a good film or some outdoor sunbathing hits the spot. The New Year is almost upon us and things are happening in a way that supports my creativity to continue with my painting and I do know how blessed this ability is during these times. I was planning to bounce back to Bali mid January but now borders have closed in Indonesia to all for 2 weeks and I feel will continue through January. As 2021 kicks in, let us all hope to be able to be somewhere we want to be so that we can at least have value and fulfillment during our days and peaceful sleep at night. I am aware there are many that don't have either. Let us send our loving thoughts to them during these trying days and continue with joys we have in our own lives so that we may be contagious!
12/20/2020 1:23:31 PM
Three of the main fruit's that remind me of tropical days are the pineapple, papaya and mango. The last two painting's I used a really bright and vibrant turquoise in the background and I'll do the same with this next one for the mango idea brewing. The three will make a great set up on a wall matted and framed! Maui Temptations; Fruit & Flora.
Rainbows galore here in Maui recently, with the winter bringing the daily rains. The colours I see when out & about might be royally enhanced in my brain or something because I have a tendency to "feel" hot pink everywhere, kind of funny! So, I'll be integrating some hot pink into the mango as well...maybe on dripping mango juice from the hanging branches reflecting in the sun!
12/10/2020 3:16:46 PM
DAWNING OF THE AGE OF AQUARIUS
I am enjoying getting into this next painting, I have inserted the moon eclipsing the sun in the background representing the solar eclipse that is happening on the 14th of December and on Dec. 21st, on the winter solstice, we have the real and actual "Dawning of the Age of Aquarius" that we've been hearing about forever not to mention the December full moon on the 30th, as the New Year comes forth! How could I not represent the moon in this painting?!
On December 21st, the two largest planets in the solar system, Jupiter and Saturn (which are known as the greater benefic and greater malefic planets, respectively) will align in the sign of Aquarius for the first time in nearly 400 years. Aquarius is an air sign. Air signs represent intellect and ideas, and Aquarius is the sign of innovation, technology, and revolution. So, if you are a follower of astrology you may want to look into this next phase of planetary alignments!
I think bright oranges and reds, along with the sun yellows and rich greens really represent Hawaii best, on a background of turquoise blues for the skies and sea! Well, I guess I may as well include purples for the deep shading I incorporate and then we have all the colours of the rainbow! Being based in Maui, the rainbow isle, this seems very fitting. Papaya is one of my favorite fruits too so this is a fun and tasty painting to do as I enjoy the fruits of my labor!
12/5/2020 8:22:26 PM
I'll be beginning my 2nd of 5 "larger than normal" paintings this coming week, already excited about the layout and planning of it. I always have such a challenge when the flowers are white. I will use the deep bright rich orange colour to accentuate the white flowers and the gorgeous greens of the leaves combined with the crisp Hawaiian blue skies. I see another beauty on the way!
I did a papaya tree and fruit painting back in my mid 20's when I first lived in Hawaii, so it will be really fun to do a bit of a compare/contrast with these two paintings when done, however, the simple "childlike" way of my 1st papaya tree painting will always hold a spot in my heart. It held a special place for my mum when she visited me in Hawaii back then too and she brought it home to California and had it framed beautifully. Now I have it back since she has passed and will always have it as a keepsake of when that particular tree I painted back then was right out front of my coffee shack in the middle of a macadamia nut farm on the side of the volcano. My mum stayed with me in that coffee shack for a 10 day period during the time I was wrapping up my 5 year journey I had had on the Big Isle.
12/2/2020 4:39:44 PM
In perfume, you have a low note, for solid grounding/earthing, then a medium note which is the main note, then the high note, which is usually a sweet floral scent, notes being singular essences. With my paintings, I have 3 main levels also, and the main note has many layers. The first base "colour" I make sure to have on the paper is white which is really the white of the paper. I sometimes use masking fluid to protect the white. After that, there are the many layers of translucent professional watercolour paint with it finishing up with a light "glazing", usually a light bright yellow to bring out the sun. On the top I have been integrating a soft chalk pastel affect, it accentuates the rough paper I use along with texture on the real plant itself.
Each work I have created since I feel I have finally "come into my own", mid 2015, has become progressively better than the last of which I feel elated to be able to sincerely feel and see the differences. I experiment a bit more with each piece trying something a little different than the last and I feel it is paying off as I move forward into my artistic professional life. I am excited to see how all these pieces will come together into my long planned for coffee table hard back book but also be available as a download in time. No rushing, constantly creating and pushing my boundaries further each time. I see my own work evolving before my eyes and really feel proud when I enjoy the finished results! I hope you enjoy them too!
