Art Day 101

"If you hear a voice within you say 'you cannot paint,' then by all means paint, and that voice will be silenced."

"What would life be if we had no courage to attempt anything?"

-Vincent Van Gogh

I find it quite interesting that even an artist the caliber of Van Gogh was plagued with insecurities and uncertainties in his work and artistic ability.  I have always struggled with my art, never feeling it was ever good enough. Art, I have learned, is really a series of "happy mistakes" that result in greater skill simply because of trying.  By never trying I'd never know where my talents lie. Without pushing through the difficulties there would be no growth. I'm learning to understand the creative process.

Yesterday was the day I set aside to just work on my art. I drew a series of watercolor sketches of sea turtles. Working from various photos in travel magazines and relying more on instinct instead of over-thinking, I produced three entirely unique sketches. Although none of them are masterpieces,  each taught me something valuable. The creative process was fun instead of frustrating. None of them are right and none of them are wrong. They are simply what I saw and felt at the time.

Sea turtle sketch #1

Sea turtle sketch #2

Sea turtle #3

After feeling inspired by my progress, I challenged myself to an even higher level by trying a figure. Taking inspiration from a calendar of vintage Hawaiian posters, the following rendering emerged. I learned that hands are bigger than you think [ha, ha] as hers are really too small. Test it yourself by holding your hand over your face and you'll find that they are about the same size.

Was all this worth my time - absolutely yes!

Hawaiian beauty - colored pencil

Dancing in the Moonlight

I'm a thousand miles from nowhere,
Time don't matter to me.
'Cause I'm a thousand miles from nowhere,
And there's no place I wanna be.

-Dwight Yoakum, Thousand Miles From Nowhere

I heard this song on the radio the other day, and it seemed fitting for the mood I'm in right now, especially the part about time don't matter to me. What I mean is that I have time to just be. Be creative, be lazy, be anything I want to be. Time has no hold on me right now therefore I am free to experience everything fully without the constraints of feeling like I have to do something else. Time is one of those things that we all want more of but instead of using it, we pretty much just waste it. It's been so awesome to have open-ended time to really live.

Oh but I digress. Last Sunday our plan was to go to an art fundraiser downtown. The lure was art, music and $3.00 drinks..lol. It's an easy stroll to get there so we wouldn't have to drive. Upon stepping out the front door we were awed by the sight of a beautiful, golden, full moon. It didn't take us long to make 180 degree change in plans [this is that time thing I was talking about] and we loaded up the cameras, a stool to serve as a tripod and headed to Kailua Beach to take some moonlight photos.

After many days of crazy, windy Trade Winds, this night was calm and peaceful. The moon was an incredible sight rising up over the water. As the night darkened we saw tiny stars begin to appear. The Big Dipper was right there and showed up in some of the photos.

This was one of those moments when everything just seemed right. Matt, Allison and I thoroughly enjoyed "dancing in the moonlight" so to speak, just having fun, goofing of and really taking in the beauty of the moon, the stars, the ocean and each other.

Here are some of the images we managed to capture. Carol, if you are reading this, I wish you could have been there to give us some pointers for all that technical stuff. All in all we had a fun couple of hours making memories that will certainly last a lifetime.

A beautiful moonlit night on Kailua Beach

Playing with the camera settings - almost looks like a sunset

Matt - notice the Big Dipper in the upper right side

Matt

Yours truly

Matt striking a warrior pose

Allison flexing her warriorette style

Matt and me defying gravity

Shadows against the sand and a beautiful night sky

Camera Fun

With so many amazing views, it isn't hard to find great subject matter here in Kailua. Photography has always been an interest and source of inspiration to me. Oftentimes I'll shoot a photo merely for the purpose of archiving a memory. In this situation the photo becomes less about being a good photograph, and more about saving a wonderful or otherwise important memory that might be forgotten if I hadn't pushed the shutter down. That's the bonus of our digital world - you can shoot photos all day and just keep the ones you like.

With that being said, this blog is all about having fun with my camera and sharing some images of what I saw from behind my lens. I don't profess to be anywhere near a great technical photographer, but I feel that I am pretty good at "seeing" something worth taking a photo of.

The following photos were taken near Waimanalo Beach on Hwy 72. 

It's not easy holding an island with your fingertips!

Atlas got nothing on me!

Matt and I - self-portrait. Took a couple of tries but we finally got a good one.

Under the pier near Waimanalo Beach. Yeah, I almost got wet!

This leaf was just laying in the sand under the pier. Pretty neat.

In a very unassuming strip Mall in the same area, there is this wonderful bronze statue of Yokozuna, the strongest sumo wrestler ever. I just couldn't resist taking him on. I think I held my own pretty well against such a giant.

Today Sunday the 13th, I took a walk down to check out Island Glassworks right here in Kailua. Of course today is the first day since I arrived that it actually feels like Hawaiian weather. It was in the high 70's when I left on my 4 mile round trip. The photos that follow show some of the glasswork available there and also the beauty right outside their back door. If all goes well I'll be taking a glass blowing class next weekend where everyone gets to create a Christmas ornament. Should be fun, but I'll be sure not to inhale!

Blown glass ornaments

The view outside the back door of Island Glassworks. Is this a great place or what?

Last but certainly not least, I have continued to sketch. I have been very interested in drawing people which has always been a challenge for me. Apparently the only way to get better is to just do it and I have been trying work outside my comfort zone. As I said before, I feel more like I'm living here than visiting, but am glad that so far I have been able to stick to my plan to continue to hone my skills in all things creative. By the way, it's not hard here in this little town of Kailua. There are mosaic murals throughout the center of town, and many a wall has a painted mural depicting the sea life, animals and landscape the area is known for.

Hawaiian lady based on the art of Frank McIntosh ca. 1930

Matt and Allison's kitten Kaz

I hope you have enjoyed reading my blog. If even one thing I'm sharing causes you to see the world through different eyes, then my time has not been wasted.

Mahalo!

Those of you who truly know me, are aware of how important being creative is to my sense of well being. If this is a new revelation, then read on and get a glimpse into what really makes Jeanne tick.

The past year has been spent working my tail off in order to allow myself the luxury of coming to Hawaii.  I wanted to spend some long overdue time with my son Matt, who is stationed here while serving in the US Navy, and his girlfriend Allison. I also wanted time to relax my mind and allow the creative genius that I know lives in my brain to emerge and roam free.

My flight to paradise was scheduled for Tuesday November 8th. Upon arrival the entire check in process was unbelievably easy for a change. This had to be a good sign. After my last trip to Seattle, I knew I was going to be subjected to TSA's full body scan which I refused that time, opting for the oh so personal pat-down. In order to ease my worries about unnecessary exposure to radiation I asked my oncologist about it. He said that it gives less radiation than a cross-country flight! Kind of interesting if you ask me, but with his "blessing" I did the screening and so far I'm OK.

My flight  on Hawaiian Air was very relaxing and different than most trips I've taken lately. I had the entire center section to myself and plenty of leg room.  Except for the distraught toddler that found it necessary to erupt in hair-raising screams from time to time, the flight was great. Hawaiian even offered a complimentary meal, an amenity I haven't seen in years.

Doodle Day #1 inspired by the Hawaiian Airlines logo.

I arrived on Oahu, got "lei-d," quickly claimed my baggage and was met at the curb by Matt. It was great to see him and after exchanging hugs and kisses, we blasted out of Honolulu International and headed on over to his home on the windward side of the island in Kailua.

That afternoon we took a bicycle ride out to Kailua Beach and Lani kai along the shoreline. The tradewinds were blowing and the views were spectacular. The aquarmine color of the ocean is beautiful. I am no stranger to bicycle riding but must admit my legs felt like jello after a couple of steep hills.

 

My goal for even attempting to write a blog is to hold me accountable to sticking to my goal of doing something creative every day I'm here, whether it be writing, photography, drawing, painting or some combination of all of these. So far so good. I do realize that thinking about doing something is in fact quite different than doing it.
 

Day #2 sketch

I hope that you will enjoy my blogs. May they prove to be a source of inspiration and challenge you to take the time to listen to your inner voice and live your dreams.

LIfe in Kailua

Well I've been here for almost 4 days now and honestly it feels more like I'm living here than visiting. Everyday has been filled with all sorts of new sights and adventures and a renewed sense of peacefulness. I find myself surrounded by beautiful views of the aquamarine-colored ocean on one side, and lush, green Jurassic Park-like mountains on the other. Honestly, the way the clouds shrouded the mountains, I was sure that I'd see a pterodactyl come flying down out of the mist!

Yesterday I ventured out on my on my own via bicycle on a photographic journey. The wind was blowing like crazy and the sky held clouds heavy with rain that threatened to open up at any minute, but I wasn't going to let that stop me. I was on a mission to discover the plumeria plant growing in the wild. It wasn't long before I saw them in nearly every yard I rode past. They are very beautiful and have a wonderful fragrance. My art interest has been focused on painting some of them. After not having much success, I figured going out and seeing them would be the best way, rather than trying to use reference photos. I love flowers but they have always presented a challenge to me for some reason. So I guess that's why I choose them for my subject matter, at least for a while. I even gathered some blossoms that had dropped to the ground to take home. Such a lovely smell!

Just out of Kailua Beach, the bike trail takes a pretty major climb. I made it up better than the last time which means my bike legs are coming back. Even against a very brisk and steady headwind I managed to pedal to the top. I asked a lady to take my photo by the Lanikai stone monument. Noticing she had a mask and snorkel in her hands I asked her how the water was. She told me that she had seen lots of sea turtles but because of the wind and waves, the visibility was murky but that they were visible from the beach. I decided to ride down to check it out but had no luck. But on the way back down to Kailua, just past the Lanikai tower, guess what my eagle-eyes spy down in the water along the rocks? A turtle! At first I didn't believe it, then I saw it pop up again for another gulp or air. I was so stoked and I was told by a local couple that it's a sign of good luck when you spot a sea turtle. I won't argue with that; gimme some! Next turtle spotting is gonna be in the water though. :-)

Part of my return ride was in the rain, but I don't melt!  I did however, get a bit lost but thanks to iPhone's GPS map feature and some common sense, I arrived home safely.

My artwork is also coming along and my free-flowing attitude is welcoming. My goal is to just "fire in there" and do it because not doing it equals ZERO! Since I am also my own worst critic, I am freely sharing my artistic sketches, doodles, photos and hopefully, masterpieces for your viewing pleasure and like it or not, that's cool. I am truly blessed to have been able to make this opportunity to allow myself this time to just be ME.

Today is Veteran's Day - 11/11/11 - and I am so happy to be spending it with Matt and some other young people that are stationed here serving in our military.

Thanks for viewing my blog. Ma halo and Aloha!