Monday, April 30, 2018

Hawaiian Blue

Hawaiian Blue
Oil
One of the new oil paintings for 2018 that I have created is "Hawaiian Blue".  My goal was to capture the unique blues of the  tropical Pacific Ocean surrounding the islands of Hawaii.  I found this scene on Makena State Park Beach in Maui.  The waves were breaking at the beach which created a dramatic atmosphere and a riot of blues, lavenders and greens.  The surf was difficult to swim in but lovely to be inspired by.
I start with a small black & white thumbnail to work out the composition & value.  I then figure out a 'recipe' card so I know what I will paint with using a limited pallet.

I decided to paint a warm pink under-painting for Hawaiian Blue to bring out the sparkle. I painted the majority of this as a demonstration in my oil painting class.

The debut of "Hawaiian Blue" will be at the Lincoln Gallery's 2018 National Fine Art Show.  The opening is May 11 in Loveland, Colorado.  Join me!