Hawaii Works | Artbigisland

Hawaii work

Here is a sampling of some works from Hawaii. The 8x10's are mainly Plein Air, or painted on site outside. I usually then just touch them up in the studio afterwards. See my linked blog pages on the Home page for most recent work as I update this monthly.

Most of the larger work, 11x14 and larger are studio works from reference photos and smaller studies.

As you can see, the Big Island of Hawaii has lots of volcanic rock formations along the shore. This is due to the recent age of the island which is the youngest of the Hawaiian islands. The rocks will eventually wear down and form more sandy beaches but not in our lifetimes. There are sandy sections every few miles however, and the rocky areas make for great snorkeing.

My goal outdoors is to paint a "sense of place." I want enough realism so that you could go to that location and see where I stood and look at the scene. Also, I want to not paint every detail but to select the best needed for the composition. So, I'll add people who weren't there, or eliminate people who were. I'll move the rocks around as needed and expand areas of sand. The end result should be a good painting, as well as that "sense of place."

Ho'okena Beach View 11x14, Oil Beautiful Ho'okena Beach area on a sunny day. I like the atmospheric depth I was able to achieve. This is 11x14 on canvas board.	Beach 69 Maui View, 8x10 We painted north and had a great view of Maui in the distance, the first time I've been able to capture it well.
Kona Sunset, 11x14, (#2030) This is an evening sunset seen from Kona town. It's a studio painting based on photos and small sketches in oil. I hoped to capture the orange light of that evening.	Kealakekua Bay, 8x10 (#2025) This is a slice of mountain seen from Manini Beach.
Energy Lab Beach, 8x10, (#2023) This is one of two similar paintings from Energy Lab beach. Here I emphasized the sky by having it take up the top half of the painting. I talk about these two works as examples on my lessons pages.	Energy Lab Beach, 8x10, (#2022) This beach scene emphasizes the foreground, leaving only a slice of sky at the top. There were more rocks in the foreground however I loved the yellow sand area so expanded that section.
Kekaha Kai Beach, 8x10 (#2024) Every time I go to this location I find another great scene to paint. In this one I modified the curve of the beach to help the composition and completed it entirely on site.	Ni'ihau Island,12x16 (#859) This studio painting was done after a trip to Kauai. We drove up a hill where the island was visible in the distance,
Kauai Canyon, 16x20, (#858) A studio painting after a trip to Kauai where I tried to capture the grandeur of the valleys.	Kukio Beach,11x14, (#2061) A larger plein air work at 11x14. I finished most of it on site but added more detail in the studio, mainly removing some of the buildings in the background, and adding colorful umbrellas. This work will be showing at the Jungle Love Store in Kona.
Wailua River, 16x20, (#857) One of my favorite studio paintings set in Hawaii. We did a river trip on Kauai and I loved this scene of the light coming through the tree canopy.	Waiting For Surf, 8x10, (#2063) A view mauka, toward the mountains, from Honl's beach in Kona. There were buildings and a road in the way so I eliminated them and focused on what interested me, the palm on the left, the surfboard, and the rock wall. The background is mainly fictional but works for me.
Puako Church Bldg., 8x10 (#2060) This was an outbuilding behind the Puako church and I loved the tree and flowers around it so faced away from the church to capture these elements.	Pauko Church, 8x10, (#2059), I painted with the north plein air group based in Kohala. The Big Island is so large we have three groups here. We painted in the town of Pauko, where a kind pastor gave us access to his church grounds. This is the church from behind, with mainly the steeple showing it is a church.
Energy Lab Beach,10x20, SOLD (#2058) This is about the largest on site scene I have painted. I took the panoramic canvas panel and loved the clouds that day so blocked this all in and finished the clouds in the studio. This work was sold at the Wailoa Center Plein Air exhibit in Hilo during the month of June.	City of Refuge, 8x10, (#2055) This was a hazy day, south of Kona and I feel I captured the mountains disappearing in the light in the background.
Kona Inn View, 8x10, (#2053) Behind the Kona Inn downtown is a nice park with views in several directions. This scene is looking back toward town, north, but I needed to eliminate a building on the rock wall to make this work better.	Kekaha Kai Park, 8x10, (#2051)
Kahaluu Beach, 8x24, SOLD (#2050) I did several plein air works at this beach and only started this one on site as it was fairly large and complex so I finished it from my other studies and photos. It's one of my favorite paintings here in Kona thus far. This work was sold at the Wailoa Center Plein Air exhibit in Hilo during the month of June.	Kona Town Moon, 11x14, (#2047) This is a studio painting done form photos taken on the main pier in Kona, where the cruise ship tenders dock. There was an unusual line of clouds, and above the clear sky and full moon.
Kekaha Kai Park, 8x10, (#2045) A view of the fabulous blue and green ocean with a distant stand of palms.	Beach 69 Rocks, 8x10, (#2041) A beautiful and varied terrain beach about 30 miles north of Kona. (See my discussion of this scene in lesson 2 on this site.)
Kahaluu Beach, 8x10, (#2038) A scene from Kahaluu beach and Ali'i Drive in the background. I did several smaller works here and then tackled the larger painting using these as a base. This work is now showing at the Jungle Love Store in Kailua Kona.	Honl's Beach, 8x10, (#2037) Hon's beach is a half mile from downtown Kona and is where surfing originated. Not as much a swimming beach due to the lave rock but the rocks make for added compositional elements for any painting.
Kekaha Kai Beach Another view from one of our favorite paintings spots. If only the road there was a little better. Takes 15 minutes to drive the last 1.5 miles over the rutted road through the lave fields.	Manini Beach, 8x10, (#2028) I tried to capture the hillside and the small groupings of homes along the water that are dwarfed by the background.

Hawaii work

Ho'okena Beach View 11x14, Oil

Beautiful Ho'okena Beach area on a sunny day. I like the atmospheric depth I was able to achieve. This is 11x14 on canvas board.

Beach 69 Maui View, 8x10

We painted north and had a great view of Maui in the distance, the first time I've been able to capture it well.

Kona Sunset, 11x14, (#2030)

This is an evening sunset seen from Kona town. It's a studio painting based on photos and small sketches in oil. I hoped to capture the orange light of that evening.

Kealakekua Bay, 8x10 (#2025)

This is a slice of mountain seen from Manini Beach.

Energy Lab Beach, 8x10, (#2023)

This is one of two similar paintings from Energy Lab beach. Here I emphasized the sky by having it take up the top half of the painting. I talk about these two works as examples on my lessons pages.

Energy Lab Beach, 8x10, (#2022)

This beach scene emphasizes the foreground, leaving only a slice of sky at the top. There were more rocks in the foreground however I loved the yellow sand area so expanded that section.

Kekaha Kai Beach, 8x10 (#2024)

Every time I go to this location I find another great scene to paint. In this one I modified the curve of the beach to help the composition and completed it entirely on site.

Ni'ihau Island,12x16 (#859)

This studio painting was done after a trip to Kauai. We drove up a hill where the island was visible in the distance,

Kauai Canyon, 16x20, (#858)

A studio painting after a trip to Kauai where I tried to capture the grandeur of the valleys.

Kukio Beach,11x14, (#2061)

A larger plein air work at 11x14. I finished most of it on site but added more detail in the studio, mainly removing some of the buildings in the background, and adding colorful umbrellas. This work will be showing at the Jungle Love Store in Kona.

Wailua River, 16x20, (#857)

One of my favorite studio paintings set in Hawaii. We did a river trip on Kauai and I loved this scene of the light coming through the tree canopy.

Waiting For Surf, 8x10, (#2063)

A view mauka, toward the mountains, from Honl's beach in Kona. There were buildings and a road in the way so I eliminated them and focused on what interested me, the palm on the left, the surfboard, and the rock wall. The background is mainly fictional but works for me.

Puako Church Bldg., 8x10 (#2060)

This was an outbuilding behind the Puako church and I loved the tree and flowers around it so faced away from the church to capture these elements.

Pauko Church, 8x10, (#2059),

I painted with the north plein air group based in Kohala. The Big Island is so large we have three groups here. We painted in the town of Pauko, where a kind pastor gave us access to his church grounds. This is the church from behind, with mainly the steeple showing it is a church.

Energy Lab Beach,10x20, SOLD (#2058)

This is about the largest on site scene I have painted. I took the panoramic canvas panel and loved the clouds that day so blocked this all in and finished the clouds in the studio. This work was sold at the Wailoa Center Plein Air exhibit in Hilo during the month of June.

City of Refuge, 8x10, (#2055)

This was a hazy day, south of Kona and I feel I captured the mountains disappearing in the light in the background.

Kona Inn View, 8x10, (#2053)

Behind the Kona Inn downtown is a nice park with views in several directions. This scene is looking back toward town, north, but I needed to eliminate a building on the rock wall to make this work better.

Kekaha Kai Park, 8x10, (#2051)

Kahaluu Beach, 8x24, SOLD (#2050)

Kona Town Moon, 11x14, (#2047)

This is a studio painting done form photos taken on the main pier in Kona, where the cruise ship tenders dock. There was an unusual line of clouds, and above the clear sky and full moon.

Kekaha Kai Park, 8x10, (#2045)

A view of the fabulous blue and green ocean with a distant stand of palms.

Beach 69 Rocks, 8x10, (#2041)

A beautiful and varied terrain beach about 30 miles north of Kona. (See my discussion of this scene in lesson 2 on this site.)

Kahaluu Beach, 8x10, (#2038)

A scene from Kahaluu beach and Ali'i Drive in the background. I did several smaller works here and then tackled the larger painting using these as a base. This work is now showing at the Jungle Love Store in Kailua Kona.

Honl's Beach, 8x10, (#2037)

Hon's beach is a half mile from downtown Kona and is where surfing originated. Not as much a swimming beach due to the lave rock but the rocks make for added compositional elements for any painting.

Kekaha Kai Beach

Another view from one of our favorite paintings spots. If only the road there was a little better. Takes 15 minutes to drive the last 1.5 miles over the rutted road through the lave fields.

Manini Beach, 8x10, (#2028)

I tried to capture the hillside and the small groupings of homes along the water that are dwarfed by the background.