Subtile Beauty ~ Grey Days on Hawaii

The air up there in the clouds is very pure and fine, 

bracing and delicious. 

And why shouldn't it be?

--it is the same the angels breathe. 

~ Mark Twain

A little watercolor painting I did on the beach at Laniakea ...

When the sun shines, color pops and we all "Ooh and aah" over the beauty. When the skies are grey the colors are more muted. It calls for us to slow down and see a more subtile beauty.

Some music for the visit ... 

Hawaii, as everyone knows, has a tropical climate so there is bound to be an ample amount of rain. It happened, though, that on my two trips in 2018 it was grey about 90% of the time. It was around the time that a lot of the flooding on the North Shore of Kauai and O'ahu were reported in the news.

When the sun came out I would run outside and take a zillion photos! That's why, after all the posts I've done, you might be surprised about the weather. Of course, it's Hawaii so it's always pretty temperate and very beautiful regardless of it being sunny or not! The colors are softer when the sun is obscured and everything has a more muted palette.

Well, hello green turtle!

 A gray day provides the best light.

~Leonardo da Vinci

The color of truth gray.

~Andre Gide 

A walk in the rain ...

The soft pastel color of sea shells ...

And signs of love in the sand

I am the daughter of Earth and Water,
And the nursling of the Sky;
I pass through the pores of the ocean and shores;
I change, but I cannot die.
For after the rain when with never a stain
The pavilion of Heaven is bare,
And the winds and sunbeams with their convex gleams
Build up the blue dome of air,
I silently laugh at my own cenotaph,
And out of the caverns of rain,
Like a child from the womb, like a ghost from the tomb,
I arise and unbuild it again.
- P. B. Shelley

Hope you are finding beauty

wherever you are.

Blessings and light!

Making Memories and Making Art on O'ahu

Shannon's Orchid

Lucinda Keller

6 x 6" oil on panel with gold metal leafing

Hawaii 2018

Well, I'm finally up to 2018! Haha!

Here's a beautiful Hawaiian love song to listen to as you check out the post! :)

Kevin and I started New Years Day in Waialua at a Yoga Mala. 108 sun salutations, 27 in each of the four directions as well as setting intentions for the New Year! Not being in tip top yoga shape, along with the heat, I spent a lot of it in child's pose! Anyway, it was worth it to meet some of the wonderful instructors in such a gorgeous place. One of my favorites yoga teachers Darcie Peck, from the North Shore Yoga Co-op, is the "8" on the far right in the photo above.

Kevin surfed at this beautiful spot and we both jumped in the water for a swim. It was a perfect way to start the new year!

Shark's Cove

North Shore, O'ahu

Shark's cove is across from Foodland between Waimea Bay and Sunset Beach. It's a famous spot to snorkel and the bike path goes right to it. As you can see the weather was gorgeous on this day and it makes the water look even more turquoise. 

Another day, early in the evening, we hopped out of the car and climbed the lava rocks to check out the sunset!

You wait until the water rushes out and make a run for it! You run from one mass of lava, quickly cross a patch of sand, and then climb up onto the rocks that create one side of this huge cove.

During the summer you can swim through caves under the rock but you definitely have to know what you're doing! I'm pretty sure I would come up too soon and bonk my head so I'll leave it to the locals.

What made my second visit, in the spring, extra special was that my dear friend Shannon came to visit with her daughter! We met when we were 3 and 5 years old and are closer now than ever. Really, we are family. I gave her the orchid painting at the top of this post. It was on my 40th birthday at a party she hosted for me, at her house, in our hometown of Ventura.

It seems crazy to me that this was our third time in Hawaii together. As I've mentioned before, we were there for our bestie's wedding in '96. Then again a few months after her first baby was born!

Here we are with sweet Beckie, in 2002, out by the pineapple fields! I didn't realize it then but sunglasses in the mid 90s looked very "Three Blind Mice!" (You might have to Google image that.)

She was living on the west side of the island in Ko'Olina back then and her husband Shawn would send us off to the beach with sandwiches in the morning every day! Then we'd all have dinner together in the evenings. It was such a beautiful and memorable trip! 

Shannon's daughter Makena is an incredible surfer and athlete. She also happens to surf on the USA  Surf Team. She's a shredder and Kevin couldn't wait to show her all the world class surf breaks on the North Shore of O'ahu.

As you can see, she's also a super cutie pie!

Backyards at Sunset Beach

North Shore, O'ahu

At "Backyards" Looking toward Sunset Point ...

This next shot is Makena!

I watched quite a bit of surfing but I was also inspired to do more painting just as I did on the previous trip.

Quick little watercolors are so much fun!

 

Props to Kevin who picked out my cute pink suit for Valentine's Day! He got it at the Brazilian Bikini Shop in Hale'iwa! If you get to Halei'wa Town, it's definitely worth a stop!

For two decades in LA I haven't had my own outdoor space. I'm always pinning patio ideas on Pinterest and saving design photos for lanais on Instagram. I fantasize about a sitting area that is somewhere in my future but the thing is ...  Kevin did have a lanai and it was begging for a makeover! I'm not going to show the before (sorry) but just imagine a lot of beach towels and beach blankets covering up his beautiful teak Bali furniture, as well as a bunch of extra stuff he didn't really need.

While cleaning out a jar of shells I ran across this baby gecko!

 

Taaa daaaaaaaa!!!!

I found the beautiful screen toward the back of the lanai on the on Craig's list O'ahu and the Indian fabrics on eBay. I ordered the plant hangers, yellow chairs, prayer flags and groovy rug while I was in LA and had them sent to his place. 

As I mentioned, he already had the beautiful Bali furniture as well as the lamp and tiny flower table. I also added the string of lights. When I got out there we put it all together and went to the nursery to find the plants. 

My favorite, below, is a pitcher plant that eats bugs!

It was great place to hang out when Shannon and Makena arrived!

 

This was an incredible week of creating memories. I felt incredibly blessed to spend that time with Shannon and her daughter on the North Shore and so grateful to Kevin for be so generous in hosting. It was his idea! Thank you Kevin!!

Next up ... the wonderful Honolulu Museum of Art. Some of the works you might expect to see in Hawaii and surprises too!

Blessings, Light and Much Aloha!

Art and Color on the North Shore of O'ahu ~ Sunset Beach

'A'ohe loa i ka hana ke aloha

Distance is ignored by love

Finally! Hawaii, Christmas 2017-January 2018

My little Fabriano sketchbook ...

Sunset Beach

O'ahu

Naupaka Kahakai Plant

Hawaii is incredible! There is a reason why people from all over the world visit Hawaii in their lifetime. The colors, the water, the air, the beaches, the hiking and the flowers are magnificent. So, if you are going to have a long distance relationship, where you have to spend time on an airplane, might I recommend the North Shore of O'ahu?!

These colors make my heart sing! These plants are on the walk to Sunset Beach.

Kevin's place where he was living at the time ...

Waxing his board on the lanai ...

Kevin said geckos make the best roommates. They are a little messy but they are good luck, eat the bugs, very quiet and super cute so I guess it balances out!

In the neighborhood ...

"Mother's Beach"

It actually is where mothers love to take their kids to learn ocean awareness, surfing and swimming skills. Plus there is a huge shade tree, which makes for the perfect temperature on a sunny day. There are many local families, of all colors, including regal Hawaiian ohana there spending time together. Below, Kevin at "Mother's" getting ready to paddle out to the outside reefs of Sunset Beach.

More little watercolors on the beach! Often, at home, I do black and white sketches or ink drawings in my tiny sketchbooks but that's rare in Hawaii. The colors are so incredible around the island it was nearly always a watercolor.

Kahuna Nui Hale Kealohalani Makua

Love all you see, including yourself.

~Hale Makua

Here's a shot I captured of Kevin up the beach at Velzyland. Yes, he actually surfs and isn't just a poser! Haha!

Sunset Point

Sunset Point, on the North Shore of O'ahu, is a legendary surf spot. The thing is,  it is one of many on a stretch of beach called the 7 Mile Miracle. It starts at Haleiwa and goes up to Velzyland. When we drove along the Kamehameha Hwy, which runs along that stretch, you can catch sight of the ocean between beachfront homes in some places. While driving along Kevin would point and name all the famous surf spots without making a pause! Some of the most important surf contests in the world, like the Pipe Masters and the Triple Crown of Surfing, are held along this famous 7 mile stretch of the North Shore.

It's fun to hear about all the legendary surf and while it is very impressive ... I just keep seeing things to paint! Here's a rare graphite drawing in my sketchbook of the not so rare Pōhuehue vines that grow along the beach.

The reef makes for some great surf breaks but you have to be careful not to fall on it or let a wave drag you across it. That goes for swimming too, of course. Kevin loves to quote this Hawaiian proverb, "Never turn your back on the ocean."

I kept seeing a man cutting them open and then I finally got my Sunset Beach coconut water! When I was done I went back to the man who prepared it and he scraped all the meat of the coconut for me. And let me tell you, it went into some very delicious frozen adult beverages!

You can see that with so much beauty it is very inspiring for an artist. I did quite a few little watercolors and when I got home I painted two oils for my solo show which was last December. I'll be sharing those soon!

That whole trip we sang Mele Kalikimaka ... and it was!

The other song we sang and continue to sing, while Kevin plays the guitar, is Island Style by John Cruz. He shared this video with me on that first trip and I love it. They raise money for music in schools and the kids are adorable!

Aloha!

Blessings and light!