New Show at Living Arts Gallery in Hawi

Off to The Living ARTS Gallery in Hawi for the show "Island Landmarks" coming up next month - visit, it's a wonderful place with friendly people and lots of good art:

Kahalu'u Calm - 14x11 - plein air oils

I really love this little beach but especially the life guard shack (yeah - I loved them in Joisey too) - the chinese red displayed against any color is outstanding!!  and these people are just a bunch of happy paint blobs (well - I think they look happy).

Last Week's Session - MaGoons' (Mahai'ula Bay)

Quiet overcast day - not much color - not much shade, but here you go:

Newly Hung at the Kailua Village Artists' Gallery

more palms - this one from Mahai'ula, I like to call it - MaGoons - now showing at the Kailua Village Artists Gallery - downtown

South end - Mahai'ula Bay - 9x12 - plein air oils

New Work Showing

I've replaced nearly all of my work at the Kailua-town Kailua Village Artists' Gallery, across from the Kona Inn in the Kona Market Place.  Reception this Friday - april 11th - 4p to 7p, please come by.

New Work:

Dancing Palms - 20x16 - plein air oils

Friday's Painting - a non-spoiled SKOIL

Still working towards something simple, straightforward, and just on the verge of abstraction, I painted this one at keauhou bay with the west hawaii plein air painters:
keauhou shadow - plein air SKOIL

West Hawaii Plein Air Painters - 14.feb.2014

Hot, muggy, damp, grey day downtown by the pier and some painters had to leave early - I spent the time greying and whiting all of my colors - I like the sun better:

Last Week's Session - Leo's Backyard

A Very SKOILY Couple of Days

I've been painting these SKOILS=SKetches in OILS for a while - just some 45 minute quickies - 6x9 on loose canvas for the convenience.  These first two done with the West Hawaii Plein Air Painters on Friday's session at Kealakekua Bay

 Lava Pinnacles - 9x6 - Plein air Skoil

Headlands - 9x6 - Plein air Skoil

 Took Saturday off and painted Kahalu'u on Sunday:

Life Guard Shack - 9x6 - Plein air Skoil

 and this painted from the computer screen while at the Kailua Village Gallery on Monday:

City of Refuge - studio skoil

Click here to visit my gallery

Why Plein Air?

The immediate response to that, of course, is "WHY NOT?" and there are a lot more why nots then there are whys, but let's first define terms.  I've worked a few galleries in my time and have always been relieved when approached by a client who knows what plein air means.  Simply it was a term used about the Impressionists' proclivity to paint "outside" and means "in the fresh air" or painting on site, and that opens up a whole bunch of problems that I'll go into in future entries. 

Plein air, for me, consists of totally immersing yourself in the act of painting - without hesitation, almost without thought - listening/smelling/feeling the environment - sand under your feet/sun on your face/breeze in your hair - and painting with abandon until the session is complete.  I have coordinated the West Hawaii Plein Air Painters for the last six or seven years.  We usually paint on Fridays in the morning because the light is better here coming over the mountain in the morning to our backs (face to the Pacific) and gradually clouding over to a glare around 1p.  The encouragement, then, is to paint from 9a to 12:30p and FINISH THE PAINTING!!! An alla prima experience of the best kind.  That's the philosophy of it, the mechanics and logistics of it are a lot more complicated then that - what to take - what to do without - easel?  and on and on - stay tuned and we'll travel along this path together, I've got a lot to say that I've never said so this should be a good journey for both of us.

Aloha nui loa,

richard

click image for gallery

CURSES . . . SKOILED AGAIN ! ! !

Two from last night. This first a memory from a squall I noticed late in the afternoon - unusual because it was done on white canvas:

late afternoon squall - 9x6 - plein air skoil

 Bought some big absurdly fat cooking bananas the other day - paint them today - eat them tomorrow!

red band - 9x6 - plein air skoil

Don't forget the BIG SHOW in Hilo - go support an artist or two.

MaGoon's Skoils

Finally managed to "manage" my time and enthusiasm to produce two fairly quick sketches in oils (skoils) over the course of the West Hawaii Plein Air Painters session yesterday. I like doing the small quick sketches because they give me time to focus on just one aspect of the scene, or the mechanism of painting, and still produce a cohesive painting.  On both of these I used a wedge shaped 1/2" wide flat "Catalyst" brand synthetic - my new best friend and available at the new ARTSHOP - AKAMAI ART SUPPLIES - go visit.

Emphasis here is on transparent water/morning light:

mahai'ula bay - 9x6 - plein air skoil

maui from mahai'ula bay - 9x6 - plein air skoil

From two weeks ago - another WHPAP session at the Old Airport:

little pake hat - 9x6 - plein air skoil