Small works, 5x7

I have a lot of 5x7 frames at home so decided to do a project of creating some paintings to fit them. Here are the results. Honokohau beach, two Magoon's beach scenes, Magic Sands with all the people enjoying the waves, another Magoon's, the Glassbottom boat parked at Honokohau Harbor, and last, Pahoehoe Park. These are fun little studio paintings done from photos I can finish in one session. I'll have them framed at the Blue Sea Artisans Gallery soon. 

Two studies

These are basically the same scene, night and day. These two variations were from an exercise in Mitch Albala's new book, "The Landscape Painter's Workshop". The point was to use value, or lightness and darkness, to drive the painting in the top one, and to use color in the second as the main attribute. The top painting is mostly dark values, about 6-9 on a 10 point scale. The colorful version is about 2-6 on the value scale. Which one speaks to you the most? These are both 8 by 8 inches in size.

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Latest Work

Some new work as I have been busy outdoors and in the studio. Top is 11x14 work from beautiful Magoon's Beach, facing south. This an extract from a larger painting I did last year.   

Next is an 8x8 inch exercise in analogous color from a new book: The Landscape Painter's Workbook, by Mitch Albala. I used orange through violet on the color wheel. 

 

This is an 11x14 done at Hookena Beach, one of our favorite painting spots as there many views to paint. I've done this direction several times and here I zoomed in on the background and emphasized the sand and water and activity at the beach. 

Last, this is my usual 8x10 outdoors at Kahaluu Beach close to my home. We often paint under the shade of the pavilion and this time I faced out and south toward the edge of the beach. I wanted the bright red of the building and the variety of the rocks showing at lower tide. The waves were strong so I put  them in at  the right edge. Higher tide would cover the rocks in the foreground almost completely.   

Two new works

Two recent works. Top is 8x10 at Kukio Beach where there is an arch and a keiki (kid's) pond with shallow water. I emphasized the volcanic rock surrounding the pond and put a few waders and snorkelers in. This is the best I've ever done such a mass of rock on the left side. One of our fellow artists liked it so much she bought it to take home.  

This vertical composition is a continuation of my East Hawaii works for the fall plein air show. This is a waterfall at the Hawaii Botanical Gardens near Hilo. I feel I've caught the sparkle of the falls and light coming through the trees. This is 5x7.

   

Several recent landscapes

Been busy painting again. Top is a 12x16 acrylic as I've been working on trying a few different media this year. This is a composite view of sky and beach where I painted beautiful Hapuna Beach and the mountains behind it. The clouds were from another image but work well here.  

The two paintings below are from Honokohau Harbor beach. I'm back to the loose and colorful oils I love best. Did both Friday at the plein air group session. Did the top one and then someone opened an unallowed umbrella (it's a national park) and I managed to paint a zoom in of the people and umbrella before the Ranger showed up to get them to remove the umbrella. Both my usual 8x10's and will be at Blue Sea Artisans Gallery soon. I loved the shadows in the water on the first one and feel I captured them well. 

  

Busy painting

 Am up to 176 paintings this year, if include my minis at 2x2 to 4x4. Here are few of the latest works. I did a few east side scenes in preparation for the Wailoa Center Plein Air exhibit in February, where I am the juror and will have a room to myself to show work.  

Top is a study of the rock formation at Pine Trees beach, in 11x14. I've done this scene before so concentrated on loose brush strokes.    

Next three are all east side paintings. All are 8x10. Top is Waipio Bay, an old settlement once flooded during the tusnami. Below is Hilo Bay in the evening. Last is Akaka Falls north of Hilo. Hope to do a few more to get full coverage of our scenic island of Hawaii.   

Recent landscapes

I've been late posting lately. Back busy at the gallery doing small paintings for gifts to sell there. The 2x2-4x4 are popular as easy to carry home. 

Below are all local 8x10's except the two boats at Keauhou Bay which is 11x14. Top is Pine Trees beach and all the surfers there on a good wave day. The red surfboard is from a Maui photo I've always liked so finally did a painting based on it. We are back in the regular Friday painting sessions so more to come. One of these days I need to sort and get rid of the works I don't like as much.       

This below is Kukio Beach where we haven't painted for a while but I always like this scene where have the surfboards waiting.

This is Kaloko Ponds where we often paint. I "cheated" by using my monocular to compress the distance and get the background rocks and trees closer.

 

This is Pahoehoe Park beach, just a mile from my home. It's scenic but not really a swimming beach although a few snorkelers use it now and then.  

 

A lone surfboard and palm tree on a beach in Maui. More dunes there and not many lava rocks as the island is much older than the Big Island.

A view from Energy Lab Beach where I again cheated a little and compressed the distance in the interests of the composition. Artistic license it's called.