Last two weeks outdoors

Two 8x10's from last two weeks outdoors. Had visitors so missed a week while sightseeing in Hilo. One of these days will have to go through my photo references and start painting some of the areas I don't visit often. Below are Magoon's Beach at the top, with the road there deteriorating again despite piles of bark that was supposed to be used to fill in some of the potholes. Piles been there a year. Maybe we need some volunteers with shovels? 

Below is Keauhou Bay from the south side. Had trouble with this one until lightened the water and added a surfer board and swimmer. and a few outriggers parked on the land in the background.

A redo and a new landscape

The top work is 12x20 inches and a retake over an earlier painting I was not satisfied with. I took a different scene but managed to keep much of the ocean and repainted it. Lots of thicker texture this way although at times it's in the wrong place but still works. 

Below that is a new 8x10 done at Kahaluu Beach, now only 1.5 miles from my house so a nice location chosen by our group to paint. I feel like I managed good color and value contrast on this one, plus finished with a nice loose brush stroke pattern. Been watching dvd demos or artists painting at the gym lately so always motivates me to loosen up and go for it.  

Upcountry view of Kona

We painted at a home above Kona today, almost up from my own home about a mile so I did another distance scene, similar to the smaller one I did in the last post. There was a jungle of gardens in the foreground that was difficult to handle. I also tried to use more paint right from the start to get a thicker texture overall which worked although I lost some subtlety in the scene but being extra bright and colorful is OK with me. 

Catching up after travel

Went to NC for a family visit and did some 6x8 inch paintings there from Hawaii references, plus also have a few other recent new works to post. 

Top image is an 11x14 from Beach 69 north of Kona. I'm now often putting figures in to show the scale of the volcanic rock on the island. 

Below is Honl's beach in Kona, looking north to town. I also included the small figure top right to get the scale correct in this 8x10 work.

Manini Beach is south of Kona. This view looks back to the end of the bay. Not my favorite work but some of the outdoor works are only partially successful. This is 12x20 and I got off on the proportions at first and tried to save it. 

These next four are 6x8's done during my trip. They are beach 69 again, then the waterfall at the Hilo botanical garden. I had wanted to do a view of Kona from the mountainside so did this small one for practice. Bottom is a cloudy view of Honokohau Harbor beach. I like the small works as often do more challenging scenes, plus I have some nice frames this size for successful works.      

Cruise Ship in town

We get cruise ships here every Wednesday and at times on Friday, Saturday, or Sunday. This was a Holland America that showed up on Friday while we were painting at a beach at the old airport park north of Kona. It's the third time I've painted a portrait of a cruise ship and I find these fun to do. 

  

Several new works

Back to the beaches on Fridays so here are a few works. Top one is 8x10 at Kaloko Ponds where I turned away from the ocean and painted the pond and the mountain in the distance.

Next is the Hale or canoe hut at Honokohau Park, a favorite subject of mine. This was a 4x10 quick sketch in oil. I did a larger one that day put haven't edited the photo yet. 

Third down is the Captain Cook monument in the distance from across Kealakekua Bay.

Last is Kua Bay where I emphasized the sky that was fantastic when I arrived at 9 AM.      

Post move work.

Been busy moving so only painting on Friday mornings with our Kona outdoor group. Did three works of very similar style, fast and loose, with people enjoying the beaches shown much more than before. Top is Kahaluu beach park with St. Peter's church tucked in the trees. Then is Magoon's beach, and last is Magic Sands, now just over a half mile below the new house location. Sold a painting to an Alaska admirer recently and after I shipped the painting there I realized I didn't take a photo of it. Shows how the exhaustion of moving affects the brainpower. Glad that task is almost behind me.