More abstract landscapes

I'm using the same reference to do more colorful abstracted landscapes this week. These two are 8x6 and 5x7. Trying out more artificial colors for the lava rock although turned it into sand in the larger one. Working out the big foreground in various ways, and then adding the background ocean and trees. 

  

Abstract landscape

Combining my love of plein air landscapes and thick abstract paintings, using mainly palette knife. This is a 10x10 inch. Hope to do many more as I refine this as an additional technique. I made the lava rock in the foreground one big shape.

Rocky landscapes

Two paintings from the last two weeks. Both feature trees and a rocky lava rock foreground. Have to paint what you see. LOL. I'm looking at going very abstract on some of these in the studio and heightening the colors too. Stay tuned. 

Top one is 9x12 at Kaloko Ponds which is an old fish pond. Below is a view south from the Energy Lab beach. I've done this scene a few times before so tried to make this one more colorful with stronger contracts.   

  

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.