Family

My family has always been supportive of my artistic endeavors.  I have this memory from elementary school days of my mom boiling onion skins in a small pot over the stove.  All this so I could design and dye Easter eggs that would be entered into the “natural dyes” category of my school’s egg decorating contest.  (Looking back, I think the color of these onion skin-dyed Easter eggs marked the start of my love affair with sepia tones and the color of burnt sienna.)  

Fast forward to the early years of my Marketing Communications career, when I was taking on freelance assignments and community service PR projects.  My young nieces and nephew were sometimes called upon to step in as models for photo shoots or as talent in videos on some of my projects.  They’ve appeared in a catalog for the University of Hawaii Bookstore, a video for Hospice Hawaii and some other things that I worked on.      





Whitney's Summer





                Today, my family continues to support my art with encouraging and positive comments.  They also never complain when I take or find a photo of them and it ends being translated to a watercolor portrait.  Thanks to my favorite (family) models for making my painting extra-enjoyable.                    
            

                In 2010, “Whitney’s Summer” was accepted into the Hawaii Watercolor Society (HWS) Open Show, the first time I entered a painting into a juried show.  “Wedding Day Moment” was recently accepted into the juried 2012 HWS Open Show.  It will be part of 2012 Open Exhibit from Sept. 25 – Oct. 19 at the Honolulu Museum of Art, Linekona School Main Gallery.  Please come and visit the HWS Open Show and support local artists!   



Wedding Day Moment







Cleansing My Palette

I’m glad that I didn’t really know a lot about watercolors when I first started.  The initial challenge of applying “paint to paper” was what pulled me in.  I loved how watercolors seem to flow and move on paper, and after drawing and sketching, watercolor painting held the most appeal for me.     

It really takes practice to know how paints will react when mixed with water and brushed on paper, over and with other colors.  Some colors can really brighten your work, while others make it flat and dull.  I needed to become familiar with knowing which paints would give me the right effects and help me keep the “light” in my paintings.  I’m still surprised, for better or worse, when layering in colors.   

            So I’ve been spending some time to cleanse my palette and organize my paints.  I’ve been taking notes on what other artists use.  For now, I’ve narrowed it down to some chosen ones, but I still can’t let go of others.  Alizarin Crimson, for one.  Yellow Ochre or Raw Sienna? – had to do a coin toss between you two.  But, Blue Apatite Genuine – did I ever really need this?     

            This is my new palette, for now.  My next painting will let me know if my choices were good.

Daughter of a Double Race

I love looking at the archived black and white photo images of Princess Kaiulani, the beautiful hapa-haole princess who had been chosen by Queen Liliuokalani as heir apparent.  Kaiulani’s story, like many others of Hawaiian royal lineage, was not destined to have a happy ending.  She died when she was 23, after seeing her Aunt Liliuokalani, the Queen, dethroned and the Kingdom of Hawaii annexed by the Americans.  Kaiulani lives forever young in images, with her ageless transcendent beauty.  Her father was the Scotsman Archibald Cleghorn, who chose to stay in Hawaii as the place to make his living and start his family.  Her mother was Miriam Likelike, sister to King Kalakaua and Queen Liliuokalani.  When she was a teenager, Kaiulani was sent to the land of her father, Great Britain, for her formal schooling. Princess Kaiulani, from the Hawaii State Archives

       I wanted to portray her in color, imagining the color of her glowing skin and with a touch of the modern to her ball gown.  Her oval face would be composed and of royal bearing, and eyes would convey wisdom with a measure of sadness.                 When she left the Islands to travel to Great Britain for school, the poet Robert Louis Stevenson, who also hailed from Scotland and had been staying in Hawaii at the time, wrote a poem for Kaiulani.  The beginning of that poem reads:  “Forth from her land to mine she goes, The island maid, the island rose, Light of heart and bright of face: The daughter of a double race.” From “To Princess Kaiulani” by R.L.S.

Clarity



"Counting Koi" (partial view)



The title of this post was originally going to be "Resolution,” that thing that some of us do as a New Year’s ritual.  For me, resolutions are a good way to frame the upcoming year … a way to set my expectations for the year and to take advantage of the energy that comes with the thought of starting something new, turning to a fresh page.  I thought of the word CLARITY, which I had lately been using as an affirmation word.

***

Years and years ago in my high school French class, our teacher assigned us French names to use in class as we practiced conversation.  I was given the name Claire (ugh, I thought at the time) -- no sassy name like Yvette or Suzette for me, shucks.

But now I like the name.  “Claire” means clear, bright … “Clair de lune,” of course, moonlight.  So, this will be the theme for the year and my goal for my watercolor art.  Several years ago, when one of my art teachers reminded us to “paint the light,” I really had no idea what she meant or how to create it.  But now, this is what I strive for … to paint the light, to capture brightness.  I will remind myself and affirm that I have CLARITY in my paintings and for life in general.

May you have Light and Love in life.  Blessings and Happy New Year to you!    

Like Riding a Bike

It starts easily enough with a drawing … one that turns out nicely.  Lines are good, composition good.  I take a breather and think about the paints to lay down.  But then comes the avoidance of transferring the work to watercolor paper and beginning the under-painting.  Sometimes the delay lasts for weeks!  I know that once it starts, the process will flow, and the colors and lines will come together to make it all work as a “painting.”  The flow comes back to me.  It’s just the starting that is so difficult.  I tell myself, it should be like riding a bike … just get back in the saddle and ride.  Is it fear of failure or fear of success?   Something to think about ... and maybe kill more time?

Beginnings

 


I remember as a young girl my favorite Crayola colors were Burnt Sienna and Yellow Orange.  Those were the colors that I used in my coloring books for Cinderella’s hair … Burnt Sienna to outline the strands and Yellow Orange to fill in her long wavy locks.  I think I may have even smudged the colors together, as much as the wax crayons would allow. 

I remember visiting Siena, Italy several years ago.  We walked up the crowded, cobble-stoned streets and through the gated walls … as I caught my first glimpse of Piazza del Campo and its surrounding building and rooftops, I thought, “Ah, here is the color sienna.”  Visiting Italy gave me a lot of encouragement to pick up my pencils, brushes and watercolors again.  To this day, I still love Burnt Sienna, along with Quinacridone Gold.