
Tropical colors
One thing that has always struck me is the way colors change and imbue a landscape with mood. In different time zones, this can be intensified and is one of the great pleasures of travel (whether you’re an artist or not). The scene above is the
On a recent trip to Hawaii, a “Kona Low” tropical storm hit just as we were landing. This is a once or twice-a-year event, and was not what my party of four was expecting. But it made for some good photos (to become paintings).
I captured the wet, windy trip to the hotel in a moving car (see above). The thing that struck me as a landscape artist was the deep maroon in the earth.
Later in the trip, the wind was still in evidence but the sun had come out and brought out the colors normally associated with the tropics -deep aquatic blues and bright contrasts of tan and apricot-colored buildings. This is the way most people think of Hawaii (and the tropics) but the stormy scenes brought out different colors – and opportunities to paint.

“Hotel Shadows” – Oil on canvas (9 x 12″)