Seen better days

I found this old Ford sitting by the side of the road out in the country with a For Sale sign in the front window. It definitely looked like it had been around the block a few times. Hood wouldn't shut, frame looked cockeyed, and of course the paint gave it an aged patina. It had character.

Fifty-something Ford, oil, 8.5" x 11.5"

More Aloha

I have Hawaii on the mind right now. Winter is setting in and I'm daydreaming of my up-coming trip to Maui in February. And also trying to get some more pieces finished for Village Galleries. Hence my recent posts and this one. I just revisited Kauai with a studio version of a plein air piece I did a couple of years ago when I was there for Randy Sexton's workshop.

Hanalei, on Kauai's north shore, is the quintessential little Hawaiian town that time forgot (but who could forget "the land called Hanalei"?). Right in the middle is this popular, walk-up burger stand. Not on my itinerary for the near future, but I can't wait to go back.

Mauka (toward the mountains) view

In Hawaii, directions to a destination often include one of two words: mauka—toward the mountains, and makai—toward the sea. Such is life on an island. It's wonderful to be in a place where you can be viewing a an amazing, panoramic seascape and then turn around to see equally beautiful mountains. This painting is a view from Lahaina on Maui. It doesn't do it justice. You'll have to go see it for yourself.

West Maui Mauka, oil, 8" x 16"

Hungry fish

It seems like most of the resorts in Hawaii have koi ponds. An Asian influence I suppose, but they fit the tropical setting. It's relaxing to sit and watch them swim back and forth, and of course when they see you, they come expecting to be fed. The Red Koi Collection Gallery on Kauai has a great widget on their website. Hover your cursor over the koi and they follow it, click to feed them.

I've taken many pictures of koi through the years and finally got around to painting some.

Koi pond, oil, 16" x 12"

Glenview Art League Member show

Opening reception, Friday evening, December 2, at the Midwest Care Center for the Glenview Art League Member's Exhibit. I have two pieces in the show and one was featured in the Glenview Lantern newspaper.

Beach beauty

Studio painting time again. I've done a couple in the past few weeks, here's one of my favorite Hawaiian subjects. This was on the beach in Maui right next to where I stayed last time, pointing toward Molokai. Double outrigger canoe? Not sure what they call it. This is a high-gloss version of what the Hawaiian's used long ago.

Beached outrigger, oil, 12" x 24"

Into the Harbor

While vacationing at Portage Lake in Michigan this past summer, some friends sailed up from Muskegon. They were headed farther north with their next stop being Frankfort. My wife took them up on their offer to sail along and I drove ahead to paint and meet them for dinner. I went to one of my favorite spots, a bluff in Elberta, where I've painted looking south before, but not north. So I faced the harbor channel and watched for them to come in. It was beautiful weather when I started, but rain was approaching. I had about an hour-and-a-half to get this done before a drizzle began. Not sure if I actually saw their boat, but enough of them came by for reference.

Into the Harbor, oil, 12" x 9" SOLD