Thursday, April 23, 2009

Hawaiin Art










We had a super time in Hawaii/Maui!


I think every time we go I have been inspired to paint something.








What is it about Hawaii...?



Relaxing

Bright Colors


Warm Breezes



Spectacular Flowers



Sunshine



and



Tropical Drinks








I've wanted to do something with this colorful magazine picture I cut out a few years ago.


It was of two bright and colorful margaritas.


After I got back from Hawaii this year I decided to just paint it.




Margarita Magic


8" x 12" acrylic

This Mai Tai painting was from a photo of a Mai Tai drink we had in Hawaii last year.


I have sketched this photo before in watercolor,


but this time I did another acrylic


to compliment


my Margarita painting.





Mai Tai Time


6" x 8" acrylic












The beautiful landscape surrounding the Lavender Farm in Maui.






I just couldn't resist sketching it out in my watercolor journal while I was in Maui.


It was such a beautiful area.


I really enjoyed stopping by the farm.








Their was something old fashioned about this building


where we stopped by to get some lunch.


I love the tree next to it as well.


So here I did a second sketch.








Just a fun shot while we were on our hike.
The boys coming through the tunnel.


I couldn't resist this beautiful plumeria flower
I found on our morning beach walk headed to breakfast.
The back side of the flower looked as if pink stripes had been painted on.





I will be painting something from my photos I took in the restaurant.












ALOHA!












Posted by Picasa

Wednesday, April 1, 2009

AAAHHHH....Driven to Abstraction

My First Two Abstract Paintings...
for FreshBrain...pretty easily accomplished and without much fuss and I was pleased. They are now hanging in the office. When FreshBrain moved into their new office, there were two terrible photo images of paintings left on the wall. They weren't even on real canvas...jus paper stretched on a frame. I took them home and had at them. I figured it didn't matter really what I did with them, they were not for FreshBrain. I planned out a simple sketch of what I wanted to do and they came out relatively the same as my sketch - with a few extra embellishments.
TA...DAH!
FreshBrain #1 and #2
16" x 20"
Acrylic
Then I decided to take a little workshop on the basics of abstracts. We went over various composotions you may recognize.
I sketched out a couple of ideas and decided to try to have a tropical pallette....
WELL....it just didn't come out easily this time.
You can see that I reworked the darn thing multiple times
until I finally was "OK" with what was on the canvas...I called it "Cosmic Waves".

Above is try #1 at the class
Below is try #2 at the class

I took it home and worked on it over and over until I got to this point below. I took it outside and decided to add spontaneous splashing to it.

Then I added more paint with a pallette knife.....below
And...after many more hours I came up with....

COSMIC WAVES
16" x 20"
Acrylic

I wasn't done playing...
so I attempted another one
and this time started off with just some tropical colors....
to see what would happen.


After 6 hours into it I came up with ...

SOMEWHERE A SUNSET
16" x 20"
Acrylic
AAAHHHHHH.....Abstraction!










Posted by Picasa