New Work

well, i've been working with textures again and really having a good time!  i take an original image like this:

add a couple of textures in photoshop that are either existing photos that i have or textures that i have created in my studio with paints and papers, then play around with the blending modes, ending up with something like this:

then i create a mixed-media background on canvas with paints and/or papers and mount the image.  mostly i have done small 6x6 in. pieces like this:

original image:

or this:

here is one i haven't completed the background canvas for yet:

seriously, the possibilities are absolutely endless.... and it's really quite easy!

thanks for stopping by!!!

Girl of the Liquid Eyes

our eyes meet

eyes that transfix and transcend

spring from a deep well

and speak silently

of a place i do not yet know

pools of molten emotion

i slip in

struggling not to drown….

(what planet do you come from??)

yea, this one is a little different.

no doubt 5 weeks in various shelters have left their mark

yet a more mellow, affectionate, grateful,

quietly compliant girl

you could not find

she’s some kind of angel, this one!

First meeting

 Welcome, Bailey!!

and big thanks to SD Spaniel Rescue!

The First Time

waipio valley

i know some folks who like to take the same vacation every year.  they know what to expect, how to plan and can accurately anticipate their time away.  i do get that, but it’s not me.

coastline view from pololu

 most of our adventures begin with map study in the direction of “what haven’t we seen yet?”  even if it is somewhat obscure and not well known – we like the feeling of seeing a new area for the very first time.

river and valley at pololu

it’s the same with hikes.  while i don’t mind taking a good hike over again (and, yes, each time is different and you do see things you may have missed), nothing beats the thrill of experiencing it for the FIRST TIME.

beach at pololu

so it was with the pololu and waipio hikes.  even though we had read up on both and had even seen pics, nothing can quite prepare you for the reality of being there, miles away from everyday life, surrounded by beauty in every direction.

trek down at pololu

oh, that road!  (waipio) 4wd only and even then - yikes!  we walked.

not all have arrived safely!

both hikes start from lookouts and descend, steeply, to a beach and valley below.  once down, you are free to roam and hike at will before the final climb back up to the parking 

area.

pololu has public land at the bottom.  there were some rugged campsites and a rope swing.

 waipio has private land at the bottom.  lots of history, currently some taro farms and more hiking to waterfalls.

lush valley at waipio

hike to beach at waipio

wild horses hiding in the bush

the locals are not necessarily happy with our presence!

falls at waipio

beach at waipio

  both hikes were the kind of experiences that you live once and then treasure forever.

maui in the distance

Recalculating...

geckos

 

 

 

you’ve probably heard that word if you’re using gps and you make a wrong turn.  it can be annoying (especially if, like me, you occasionally make wrong turns on purpose!) but it’s the word that came to me when i sat down this morning to re-evaluate where i stand from a creative perspective. 

ukeleles

 

i decided that writing my thoughts out could be helpful, especially knowing what a supportive audience i have, and i will intersperse them with some images that i would classify as “typically hawaiian.”

surfboards

macadamia nuts

tiki totems

why am a having to recalculate?  well, it seems that lately so many of my creative endeavors have not taken on wings, as i had hoped, and have remained grounded.  or hit the wall.  or fallen flat.  (the latest blow is that the gallery where i show my work has suddenly had to close indefinitely due to water damage and asbestos. yikes.)  use whatever analogy you want, but here i am at a sort of tipping point.

fabulous (though expensive!) coffee

decorated gravesites

plantation cottages

from this perspective, i can see so easily the side on which i could let my hopes and dreams get swept away like flotsam in the recent rains. caught in the swirl and right down the drain.   it’s almost tempting to let that happen.  let it all go.  a clean slate from which to work.  open my eyes and start all over.

mai-tais!

pu-pus (polynesian appetizers)

if i keep my wits about me though, i can see the other side.  the rational side.  the side that knows all the time and effort i have put into each project and realizes the stupidity of just letting that all go down the tubes.  that reminds me that even when it’s hard to believe, no efforts or positive intentions are ever really wasted.  and that we don’t always know where they are leading or when they may come into play in some new and positive way.

lotsa fruit

lotsa lava

lotsa flowers

so i need to tip the scales in that direction.  i need to keep moving forward.  this i know.  sometimes the creative practices that we establish can act as a lifeline and i feel like this is one of those times.  so, yes, i will KEEP MOVING FORWARD!

colorful prints

fishing

mochi

(thanks for listening – i feel better already!!)

even the dogs have dreadlocks!

coconuts

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

pele, volcano goddess (from the jaggar museum, sorry - could not find the artist's name)

I Hafta Start Somewhere....

i am back home,

missed a whole night of sleep,

already mama to a beautiful new (and needy) pup

(more on that later!)

 trying to pick up where i left off

reeling from all that needs to be done

wrapping my rusty brain around

details that were left undone

taxes, dr. appointments, deadlines….. on and on

 realizing that i have over 1400 pics to wade through….

…and loving that….

because it brings me back

helps me realize that these new experiences

are now a part of me

these are much more

than just pretty images to me

they represent a reality

that was part of my life

for two whole weeks

 and because of that reality

i am not the same as i was

 so, yea, it’s a little overwhelming

and i have so much to share….

 but i have to start somewhere

and i’m happy to do it!

so i hope you enjoy this little sampling

of the lushness and extreme diversity

that is the BIG ISLAND!

oh - some not-so-happy retreat news here.