NEW SHOW - "Best Of The West" at Kona Oceanfront Gallery

I will be one of the featured artists at the new show at Kona Oceanfront Gallery (formerly Wyland Kona Oceanfront Gallery).  The reception is Saturday evening, June 28th from 6 to 9:30.  Please stop by!

I will be showing original watercolors and giclee prints, including my three newest paintings:

Jumping For Joy

Eventide

Banana Bliss

I look forward to seeing you there.

Aloha,
Diane

MORE NEW WORK TO SHARE

Tradition

22 x 30 painting size, framed

This painting of the Pau Rider and horse in the King Kamehameha Day Parade on Ali’i Drive in Kona, Hawaii won the SMS Research & Marketing, the Sun Eden Gear and the Armadillo Art and Craft Award with the Hawaii Watercolor Society, fall 2013. 

I am happy for the acknowledgement and it is one of my favorite paintings now.  I’m so pleased with the faces of the boy and the horse and their eyes.  The background colors had oozed due to my mistake with the film frisket and masking fluid but I stayed calm, the painting was saved and turned out beautifully!  Oh, the joys of watercolor!

Mother of Compassion

30 x 22 painting size, framed

This lovely and graceful Quan Yin is giving the blessing and boon for inner peace that we all need.  I like how the light fills the background landscape, the azalea bush and the flowing water.  It was also in the HWS Open Show this fall.

Na Kane O Kailua

16 x 25 painting size, framed

 This painting was in the Helen M. Cassidy Juried Art Show sponsored by the Waimea Arts Council.  I took a photo of a perfect scene in Kailua, on Oahu, when I went there to study with the artist Robert O’Brien.  Many people are amazed at how realistic the men’s bodies are near their canoes, including the juror, Amaury Saint-Gilles.

Volcano Stroll
30 x 18

This was accepted into the Hawai’i Nei juried art exhibition in Hilo at the Wailoa Center, to benefit and educate the public about the native flora and fauna in Hawaii.  It is a painting of nene.  They are walking in the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, and I used very contemporary stylized colors.  I actually saw these nene in Maui, but changed the background from a tire of a car in the photograph to the Kilauea Iki Caldera instead as more fitting!

Aloha,

Diane

NEW WORK TO SHARE

Here are my new original watercolor paintings for you to view over the next couple of days on my blog.  I would love feedback about the paintings, as well as my blog and website.

Magnificent Iris

18 x 30 painting size, framed

Magnificent Iris received the SMS Research & Marketing, Sun Eden Award with the Hawaii Watercolor Society Members’ Show, spring 2013.  I flew to Honolulu for the reception to receive my first award.  There are these tiny irises that bloom periodically in my garden, so they are quite magnified in the painting in these striking, dramatic blues.  This painting was in the watercolor advertising section of the Southwest Art magazine, July 2013.

Shower of Grace

19 x 13 painting size, framed

Also in the same show as the above piece and I was told the juror was considering an award for it.  It’s been a very popular piece.  You can see banana trees all around Holualoa and the island.  In fact there are a number of them in my back yard!  The painting, deckled and floated with a lovely koa veneer frame is in Harbor Gallery in Kawaihae.

‘Aumakua Jewel

22 x 23 painting size, framed

You’ll find this jewel of a painting, a contemporary green sea turtle at the Harbor Gallery, with a solid koa frame.  There are many definitions of the Hawaiian word but one is guardian spirit or family protector.  The owners assure me it won’t last long in their gallery.

Brilliance

22 x 30 painting size, framed

This orange double hibiscus beauty was also in my garden, and I couldn’t resist using high intensity complimentary colors.  It is at Harbor Gallery, with a very elegant gold frame, deckled and floated on a red hued mat.

Hawaiian Brunch
11 x 15 painting size 

A small but delicious framed still life with mangoes, pears and orchid, I hope you’ll enjoy.  This painting is at Harbor Gallery.

Aloha,

Diane

New show at East Hawaii Cultural Center in Hilo

November 3-28, 2012 Monday - Saturday 10am till 4pm

"Sacred ‘Io, Eyes of God"
Original Watercolor

I am pleased to have my latest watercolor painting chosen for the EHCC exhibition, by the distinguished juror, Momi Cazimero.  She served as curator and juror for the State Foundation of Culture and the Arts, Honolulu Academy of Arts and other institutions in Hawaii.  She received the "Living Treasure Award" in 2005.  I enjoyed her informative juror's talk about the selection process, looking at the meaning of the piece, good design, originality, technical excellence, presentation, relevance to our culture and time in history, etc.  Since her standards are very high, I felt it was a great honor to have my 'Io selected for the show.  The HSFCA (Hawaii State Foundation for Culture and Arts also makes selections from the Fall Arts Festival so I felt good about having my piece exhibited there.

Everyone who knows me well, knows about my love and respect for the native Hawaiian Hawk, the "Io.  I have written about the hawk, and have seen many wondrous and memorable sitings of the 'Io near my house, around Kona and Holualoa.  It was a joy to work on this painting, it felt very inspired.  The eyes are more human, than animal, and hence the title evolved.  We also have many lehua blossoms from the 'ohi'a trees around my home.  It is said if you pick a lehua blossom it will start raining, and sure enough while observing one, it would start raining.  I believe this is one of my best watercolor paintings yet, the colors are pleasing and more muted.  Many more grays were used to enhance the warm red colors of the native blossoms.  I am also ready to begin a watercolor painting of the Pueo, the native Hawaiian Owl, which I have also seen in Holualoa.  They are drawn as a diptych at the artist Kathy Long's suggestion.

Aloha, Diane

The Hawaii Watercolor Society 2012 Open Exhibition

50th Anniversary Show
September 23rd - October 20th
Honolulu Museum of Art School - Main Gallery at Linekona

Miraculous Day
Original Watercolor
30 x 22, framed

Welcome back to my blog!  The juror Robert O'brien has selected two of my paintings for the show in Honolulu and they are now on exhibition!

A friend recommended that I look at, photograph, and paint these lovely azaleas.  They were amazing because of the white azalea and magenta flowers blooming on the same bush!  Sometimes the unexpected is created so stunningly in Nature.  Seeing a red and white rose on one bush also has many spiritual references, as I had been reading about and my friend happened to mention.  Then after I painted the azaleas that were selected another friend pointed out red and pink miniature roses on a bush!  

I had a huge challenge with the blue background, but I love how it turned out and accentuates the delicate white azalea.  

Dancer's Dream
Original Watercolor
20 x 16, framed

Recently I had decided to take on another challenge, that of depicting figures in Hawaiian scenes in my work.  I saw these hula dancers in the King Kamehameha Day parade on Al'ii Drive in Kona, Hawaii and decided they were perfect to paint.  Their grace, rhythm, youthfulness comes alive in the painting.  Movement was created with the skirts and hair blowing in the breeze and the waves in the background.  The dramatic blue sky contrasts with the yellow and white attire.

I am also gearing up for another juried exhibition in Hilo, at the East Hawaii Cultural Center, this fall.  I plan to take paintings of a beautiful ocean scene, a pau rider and an I'o, the Hawaiian hawk.  More on that later! 

Aloha,

Diane

New Show:

Best of the West
"All Big Island Artists Show Night"
Reception:  
Friday, May 25th, 2012   
6-9:30 pm
Wyland Kona Ocean Front Gallery

Many friends and people attended the warm reception night last year, making it lots of fun.  Mahalo to Mark Hanna, the owner, for inviting me back this year.  Please join us.

This photo showcases my paintings from last year's show at the gallery.

"Glowing Red Jade"

This painting "Glowing Red Jade" is in the Spring Hawaii Watercolor Society Show, the juror is Don Andrews.  It is showing at the Arts at Marks in Honolulu, April 5 - 28th.  Because of the rich red glazes, and flowing nature, it is one of my favorite paintings, and I love the deep, dark frame which enhances it all the more. 

Here's what Don Andrews wrote about it:  "The artist's eye is continually drawn to the abstract in nature.  A balance of active and inactive shapes make for a vibrant image."

The proud owner of the original "Darwin" came to my studio and then invited me to visit her lovely Asian influenced home in Kona, where "Darwin" now lives.  It was wonderful to meet someone so completely enamored with the painting.

Here is Rhonda Kavanagh with "Darwin."


I am working on finishing the children's book, an ocean scene, a Pau rider, a floral, and a native Hawaiian bird . . .

Aloha, Diane

Welcome back to my blog!

Three of my paintings are in downtown Honolulu at the 2011 HWS (Hawaii Watercolor Society) Open Exhibition, in the Pauahi Tower, 1001 Bishop Street, from October 15th through November 12th.  They are Grandeur, Kamakahonu Bay, Child's Play at Kua Bay and Honokohau Harbor.

I wish to thank Ken Hosmer and his wife Linda, for such a wonderful time, when they came to Honolulu, and he taught a workshop and juried the HWS (Honolulu Watercolor Society) Show.  Ken teaches so many important concepts about making paintings dynamic.  We got to tour Honolulu with artist Rebecca Snow, who was a wonderful host and friend. 

That's me on the left, Rebecca Snow in the middle, and Linda and Ken Hosmer on the right.






Three pieces of artwork grace the newly renovated dining room of the King Kamehameha Kona Beach Hotel.  They are Grandeur, Kamakahonu Bay, Kukio Bay Sea Turtles and Majesty at Dusk.  My thanks to artist and friend, Janet Lipps who designed the new dining room interior.

This is the reception area of the Honu Restaurant, in the King Kamehameha Kona Beach Hotel.  My three paintings are on the left, and one of Janet and Chuck Lipps beautiful koa and stone surfboards is on the right.






I want to express my appreciation to two other artist and friends I have gained so much knowledge from this year.  Kathleen Alexander in Maui with her brilliant watercolor glazes, Carol Carter who came to the Big Island, sharing her extraordinary colors and expertise.  Kathleen and Carol stayed at my home the night of the tsunami.  (They both gave me original watercolors which I love!)

This is Kathleen Alexander on the left, and Carol Carter on the right.

Here's Kathleen again, with one of her beautiful watercolors, "Haiku Plumeria".






Also I sold one of my favorite original paintings, the Cardinal and the Christmas Palm.  Yeah!


Aloha,
Diane


http://www.carol-carter.com
http://www.kathleenalexanderwatercolors.com
http://www.kenhosmer.com
http://rebeccasnowart.blogspot.com