Category: Painting in Hawai’i

The working life of an artist and painter in Hawai’i.

“Painting the Figure en Plein Air” first demo

We had an absolutely delightful time starting up our plein-air figure class at the Spalding House campus (formerly known as the Contemporary Museum) here on Oahu, Hawai’i.

We had a very nice turnout of around 16 eager students, my terrific model Tina as our first subject, and all arranged on the beautiful, tree filled acreage overlooking Diamond Head. We got to work right away with sketches in various mediums, and a fine time was had by all.

The small (8 x 10″) sketch above was my introductory oil demonstration piece, hammered out a bit at a time over our three hours together. Can’t wait for next week, it’s too much fun.

The new/old composition II

I’ve been spending every possible sunny morning working on this painting. It’s moving along well (I think) and so I’m posting some new shots from the last week or so.

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Winter brings some powerful winds, and so this arrangement is how I keep the trusty old easel standing. It works quite well, and I’m able to continue work on days that would be impossible otherwise.

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A calmer day, towards the end of my session. The warmth of the color of the painting has given way to the cooler light of the later morning.

P1070001 The painting is about 80% complete. I plan to add a couple small figures and do some re-designing of the light and dark patterns in the foreground now that I have the colors figured out. I’ve made an effort to build the paint surface heavily in some of this area, and that will require some removal of paint to accomplish, so I expect to take this into the studio for the final working out and completion of the piece.

That’s good news, the break from the elements is welcome.

A good bit of weather

After a couple of less -than-optimal days of weather, I got a nice break yesterday, and was treated to the light conditions that this painting is about. I was able to see the ensemble effect (all the components in the same light) and work on the water and foreground areas for over an hour. Some color notes I never could have imagined presented themselves and I was able to catch them.

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The blues and greens in the water are easy to hokey-up into a mouthwash aqua color…so I especially valued the opportunity to study them under the right conditions, along with the surrounding greys and warm notes that envelope them.

I hope I can avoid the piecemeal look that an outdoor painting stretched over days can acquire. So far, I think I’m okay. Give me two more afternoons of the right light and I’m probably done.

Here’s a look back at the first afternoon’s work for comparison. I love the texture:

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And the sketch that started it all: P9080013

Waimanalo

Painted on a recent visit into the backroads of Waimanalo, an agricultural community near our home, this little oil seems to communicate the qualities I was trying to capture.

The entire area is only slightly above sea level, and hedged in by the magnificent Ko’olau mountains, whose violet-grey tones are constantly in transition, providing a marvelous backdrop to the foreground colors. The Backroads-Waimanalo 9 x 12″ oil on panel

Aside from composing paintings, which I consider my continuous and greatest challenge, I take a particular pleasure in trying to capture the effect of light and the color relationships revealed by it. I’m happy to exchange some tidiness in the paint handling if I’ll get the sensation of what I’m experiencing in the bargain. But if I can get both, I’ll take it.

I’m looking forward to getting some more things painted here.

February 1, 2011

Got a running start to the new month at 7:30 this morning, with a new pastel painting in the works. I was sketching some new locations two days ago, and wandered into this familiar area with a fresh eye and perspective. Prepared a 20 x 16″ surface last evening, and was ready to go this morning. P2010001 This is the setup before the light, which I’d anticipated, came over the hills behind me. It’s my favorite time to block in the shapes.

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The full visual effect, towards the end of my session. It’s a pretty good start, I hope to get another chance tomorrow.

Today’s progress

As the painting awakens, I’m keeping in mind my ambition to get as much of this painted via color and tonal spots with as little extraneous noodling as possible.

Looking Down and Out

I’ve spent the first part of the new year sketching in pastel with an eye towards some new subjects for oil and pastel. One that I’ve gotten a start on is a difficult morning piece, looking downward and across from a high and somewhat precarious vantage point. The light effect, early morning about an hour after dawn, is brief but very exciting!

8 AM easel setup, Makapu'u

My setup seen from the side. Since gusts of wind are an issue up here, the setup is low to the ground, and I’m staying seated.

P1200003 This is my viewpoint, about twenty minutes before my actual light affect occurs. The main lines of my composition are drawn in with thin paint, and the next step is blocking in the main shapes with approximate colors and values, as close as I’m able to get them.

My morning’s work, first day. I’m going to have to gain some balance on the right side of the composition, but the movement seems good. This was shot afterwards indoors, so the colors in the image are somewhat lighter and warm.

Pastel at the beach

Wednesday, I got out on a beautiful pair of late afternoons to catch the light and color of one of my favorite locations. I had some company on my second visit, my former student Zak Smith and his girlfriend Britany happened by, art students on holiday from San Francisco.

We were then joined by two other young artists visiting from Seattle, Zack and Alaina. I’d brought a French easel oil setup for Zack to try out, and we spent a pleasant hour or two painting and watching the sea go through it’s transition into evening. It was magic, and especially nice to see Zack enjoying what I believe was his first opportunity to paint the ocean.

This small pastel is what I managed to pull together.

Sandy Untitled pastel on prepared rag board, 12 x 16″