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Sentry Tournament Of Champions Art Walk

December 29th, 2021

Sentry Tournament Of Champions Art Walk

This past month I’ve been working on five new paintings for a special event starting on January 5th. I was one of five artists invited to show our art in a popup gallery during the Sentry Tournament Of Champions annual golf event in Kapalua. I’ll have a total of seven pieces in the show.

I was pretty excited about being asked to be part of this event at first, but even more so now that I understand more about what the Sentry Tournament Of Champions is all about. I may not know much about the game of golf but I do know some of the names of the golfers who are participating. Names such as Phil Mickelson, Jordan Spieth and Patrick Cantlay.

I was also asked to do a painting demonstration on the patio at Taverna's restaurant on Jan 4th, from 5:30pm to 8:30pm.  This is where the pro golfers come in and draw for tee times and mingle with special guests. It will be an evening of who’s who in the golf world, and I must admit, I’m getting a bit nervous about it. Painting in the dark while surrounded by the rich and famous kind of has my palms sweating. Ok, it won’t be all that dark, I was assured there will be plenty of lighting to paint by. But just incase I’m arriving a few hours early to get set up and started on my painting since it will be Plein air.

Here is a little info from the website. “A fun 'pop-up' fine art gallery located on the world class Plantation Golf Course in Kapalua, Maui will feature an Art Walk Gallery and Online Art Auction Fundraiser, Jan. 5-9, 2022. Proceeds of art sales go to the artists participating in the auction and the Sentry Insurance Foundation which has partnered with Maui Arts League to administer the auction and design and deliver art programs and art scholarships for the youth and adults on Maui.” Visit this link to view the art and participate in the auction https://www.32auctions.com/ArtWalkGallery The auction goes live on Jan 5th, so mark you’r calendars.

If you are a golfer you can read more about the tournament here https://www.pgatour.com/tournaments/sentry-tournament-of-champions.html Be sure to read more about the Art Walk.



Book Awards

May 14th, 2019

Book Awards

I'm over joyed by these three awards given to the book I co-wrote, "The Art Of Painting In Acrylic"! What a great honor to be part of this talented hard working group of artists.

Book Descriptions:
The Art of Painting in Acrylic: Master techniques for painting stunning works of art in acrylic-step by step (Collector's Series) by Alicia Vannoy Call, Michael Hallinan, Varvara Harmon, Darice Machel McGuire, Toni Watts, Linda Yurgensen. Ideal for beginning and intermediate artists seeking to develop or polish their acrylic painting skills, The Art of Painting in Acrylic features a range of techniques and valuable instruction for working with this classic medium. This comprehensive guide offers a fresh, modern approach to painting in acrylic. Beginning with detailed information for using acrylic tools and materials, The Art of Painting in Acrylic introduces artists to the basics, including paints and brushes, supports, mediums, and other essential information for working with this fast-drying paint. In addition to learning about basic color theory, painting techniques, and how to work with acrylic paint and textures, aspiring artists will enjoy putting their painting skills to use by practicing the step-by-step demonstrations designed to instruct and entertain. Professional acrylic painters provide easy-to-follow, comprehensive instruction and inspiration, enabling readers to learn techniques for mastering this lightweight, versatile, and easy-to-use medium. In-depth lessons cover a variety of subject matter ranging from still lifes and portraits to landscapes and animals. Along the way, aspiring artists will discover helpful tips and tricks for rendering a variety of textures, setting up compelling compositions, achieving accurate proportions, and more. With its breadth of content and detail, The Art of Painting in Acrylic is a must-have resource for any artist's reference library. Includes: Color Theory, Basic Drawing, Painting Techniques, Still Lifes & Flowers, Landscapes, Seascapes, Portraits, and Animals/Pet Portraits.

Southwest Art Magazine

April 25th, 2019

Southwest Art Magazine

Have you see this month's (April 2018) issue of Southwest Art Magazine? I'm on page 85 and I'm super excited! The image featured in the magazine you can find here on my website. Just click the link.

New Interview

May 14th, 2018

New Interview

This Mother's Day was pretty special for me. It was the day my new interview with ourartsmagazine.com came out. Click the link to read it.

Lazy Sunday

January 7th, 2018

Lazy Sunday

The last couple of months have been very busy. Packed full of creating new art and teaching lots of classes, and a ten day trip to California for Christmas. So when we have an opportunity to have a lazy day we take advantage of it. That is after all the house hold chores are done.

We headed down to Lahaina to Barns & Nobles to purchase a birthday gift for a grandchild and ended up spending a few hours checking out books. Starting with the kids section in the back of the store, working our way to the front.

I can never go into Barns & Nobles without checking the art book section. First because I’m always looking for books with new art techniques I might want to try, and two, to see if they still have copies of my book “The Art of Painting in Acrylic”. I can’t help but get that feeling of excitement every time I see it sitting on the shelf, even when there is only one copy left.



I Won 5th Place

July 31st, 2017

I Won 5th Place

And the “ALL Animals” Competition Winners Are!

“Until one has loved an animal, a part of one’s soul remains unawakened.” ~Anatole France

For the 2017 ALL Animals art competition, Contemporary Art Gallery Online received entries for: paintings, photography & digital art, mixed media and three dimensional categories. The entrants were allowed to show their best art regardless of their training, experience or medium. The “ALL Animals” winners were announced July 3, 2017 and are listed below.

In the Paintings category:
Best in Show went to, Sharen-Lee McLachlan for “Sabu” Judges Choice went to, Eve Izzett for “Cockatoo”
Gallery Choice went to, Ashley Herrera for “Climbing Jaguar” First Place: Jerry Gadd for “Blue Wing Teal”
Second Place: Crista Bromley for “Striper”
Third Place: Dr. Jessie Hummel for “White Peacock”
Fourth Place: Wayne Chunat for “Flee the Fires”
Fifth Place: Darice Machel McGuire for “Home of the Honu”

In the Photography and Digital Art category:
Best in Show went to, Nancy Pallowick for “Flamingo Reflection”
Judges Choice went to Sheri Emerson for “Charge!”
Gallery Choice went to Mitchell Speert for “Wave”
First Place: Margaret Rainey for “Highlander”
Second Place: Kalen Sheng Fu for “A Sheltered Life #2”
Third Place: Matt Bradley for “Ride”
Fourth Place: Nicholas Teetelli for “Forlorn’
Fifth Place: Brittany Kelley for “Portrait of an Eagle”
And Marcia Berg Haskell for “Llama Resting,” and Jessica Manelis for “Bubba,” were recognized with an Honorable Recognition.

In the Three Dimensional and Mixed Media category: First Place: Sean Sullivan for “Blue Swallow”
Second Place: Kiz McGrath for “Ava”
Third Place: Joseph Bellofatto for “Bird of Prey”

Contemporary Art Gallery Online hosts artists of varying life and artistic experiences.
Visit Contemporary Art Gallery Online’s Gallery Exhibition to celebrate your love for art and to consume the visual display. Also, tune into sound bites of in-depth artists interviews from the “An Artists Speaks” series. To view this magnificent exhibition, please visit:
http://www.tinyurl.com/2017-animals
Contemporary Art Gallery is Always Showcasing Tomorrow's Art Giants, Today! http://www.contemporaryartgalleryonline.com

From photo to painting

May 30th, 2017

From photo to painting

My newest "Honu" painting is done but not yet uploaded to my website. This 10x10 acrylic painting will have prints available soon.

I wrote a blog about how I came up with this design. You may find it interesting to read. Just click on the link I've provided. Let me know what you think.

Suspended In Time

May 23rd, 2017

Suspended In Time

Imagine surfing a wave on Maui and riding through the curl. This is what you would see. The sky and Moloka'i off in the distance, clouds dotting the sky. "Suspended In Time" captures a moment just before the wave crashes. Water droplets are beginning to form as it descends back into the ocean.

I created this painting in acrylic on an 11x14 canvas. Creating the motion and texture of the water was challenging and fun. I plan on doing a few more of these soon.

Mothers Day

May 8th, 2017

Mothers Day

Since mother's Day is coming up I decided to feature 15 of my floral paintings. Each one of these paintings would make a lovely Mother's day gift. I have prints available in many sixes and various products that are sure to please any mom.

Pioneer Inn Lahaina

April 27th, 2017

Pioneer Inn Lahaina



Lahaina Maui is full of old historic buildings. The Pioneer Inn was built in 1901by an Englishman named George Freeland. He came to Hawaii as a Royal Canadian Mountie with instructions to "get his man". The venture failed and in order to avoid embarrassment back home in Vancouver, he decided to make Hawaii his new home. The Inn is located right across the street from the Banyan Tree Part. Through the years the Plantation style building was expanded and it now has souvenir shops, both in doors and out.
In the scene that I painted you see a man eating an ice cream cone, carrying a small shopping bag. A local man on his bike with his parrot sitting on the handles. A mother and child watching the colorful parrots under the umbrellas and a man watching the activity from the top floor of the Inn. The sun is setting giving the clouds a soft pink glow. It's also shining on the roof top and the top of the bushes. Life is busy on Front Street in Lahaina at all times of the day. This particular day I was sitting across the street from the Pioneer Inn listening to a Hawaiian concert at the Baldwin House Museum. I noticed the warm light from the sunset hitting the Inn. I took quite a few pictures capturing the moment, knowing I was going to paint that scene.

Lahaina Harbor

April 3rd, 2017

Lahaina Harbor

"Lahaina Harbor" is the "Lahaina Arts Society Award" winner for the 25th Annual Lahaina Poster Contest. This is a 16x20 oil painting and is the first painting in my Harbor series.

The Lahaina Harbor is a beautiful subject to paint. There are so many textures and colors to capture. Such as the cloudy sky, reflections in the water, the beautiful west Maui mountains, palm and coconut trees, the boats and the old Court House (the building on the left). The small structures along the wharf are fishing booths and tour guide booths.
I often walk down to the harbor to take pictures of the boats and the activity going on around it. Sometimes I'm lucky to see the "catch of the day" as fishermen return from their day's work. Other times there are lines of people waiting to go out on whale watching tours. There is definietly no shortage of activity around the harbor. Just to the right of this scene is a nice little beach where people go to learn how to surf.
For this painting I decided to use a Cadmium light red underpainting. The underpainting gives the clouds their peachy pink glow and is visible through out the entire painting. Giving it a uniform color balance. For the water I used very thin transparent paint. All in all this was a fun challenge for me. I really enjoyed the process.

Thank you for reading my blog. Come back often to read about new paintings, past paintings and life on Maui.

Reef Dancer

March 27th, 2017

Reef Dancer




Lahaina Harbor is located in downtown Lahaina off of Front Street behind the banyan and in front of the Pioneer Inn. This is my favorite harbor on Maui. I love spending time there photographing the boats and watching people. There are lots of ocean adventures for locals and visitors alike with some of the best sportfishing, sailing, diving and whale watching in the world. Pretty nice sunsets too! The yellow submarine featured in my painting is Reef Dancer. This is a glass bottom sub that keeps to the shallow reefs for the best viewing of marine life.

I was very excited to get great reference photos for my painting. The Reef Dancer was moored, waiting to take a group out to view the reef. Very few boats were in the harbor at the time I was photographing. This painting has the Pioneer Inn and the Lahaina Lighthouse. I'm working on one now that looks out towards Lanai. When finished, I plan to do one with the Courthouse in it.

Thank you for reading my blog and for viewing and sharing my work.

Diamond Head

March 20th, 2017

Diamond Head

Diamond Head is the most famous volcanic crater in the world. It's located on the South-east Coast of O'ahu at the end of Waikiki overlooking the Pacific Ocean. It was originally named Laeahi by the ancient Hawaiians. The name meant "brow of the tuna" and looking at the silhouette of the crater from Waikiki, you can see the resemblance. The current name came was given to the crater by British sailors in the 1800's. When they first saw the crater at a great distance, the calcite crystals in the lava rock appeared to glimmer in the sunlight. The sailors mistakenly thought there must be diamonds in the soil. Diamond Head is a crater that has been extinct for 150,000 years. The crater is 3,520 feet in diameter with a 760-foot summit.
I started my painting out with an underpainting of lavender. I choose this color in order to keep the painting balanced in the cool tones. My favorite part to paint was the Diamond Head cone.

My painting of Diamond Head is an oil on a 16x20 box canvas. There is no need to frame this one unless you want to. I have a variety of prints available and various products with this image on them.

Thank you for reading my blog and viewing my work. Please share with others.

Sand Crabs

March 13th, 2017

Sand Crabs

"Sand Crabs" is an 11x14 acrylic painting on canvas board. It has couple of my favorite painting techniques in it. They are spattering to create sand, and building layers to create the ocean and sea foam.

Since moving to Maui, I have painted a lot of beaches and ocean scenes. This close up detailed painting needed a little life in it so I added five little sand crabs. One of them is just coming out of his hole, all you can see is two tiny legs.

Contact me to buy the original.

Yin and Yang

March 6th, 2017

Yin and Yang

Yin and Yang is a 16 x 20 acrylic painting on canvas. There are two hidden images under these koi fish. This painting started out as an abstract of a couple tango dancing. Then it became a bright red dress, flowing across the canvas. When I covered the last image with the dark reddish brown I got the feeling of fish swimming. That's how Yin and Yang came to be. Sometimes it's just not worth fighting a painting that isn't working out as planed. Painting over a painting has long been practiced by most oil and acrylic painters for centuries. The practice of painting over old paintings is as old as stretched canvases. Even some of the Great Masters have been discovered to have old paintings underneath famous works, thanks to X-ray conservation techniques. There are many reasons to paint over old works, including disillusion with the old image (that was my reason), budget constraints, lack of sales or storage space.

The picture shown here is just one way you can frame this print. Go to the link provided and play around with you own framing ideas.

Thank you for viewing my art.

Interview

March 3rd, 2017

Interview

I had the opportunity to be interviewed by NY Clady for her "Be in the NYC Know" blog. She made the process easy and had great questions for me. Please take a moment to read the interview and leave a comment. Both NY and I would really appreciate your support. Thank you.

Maui Pineapple and Twin Falls

February 20th, 2017

Maui Pineapple and Twin Falls

In honor of President's Day I'm featuring these two miniature paintings and offering 10% off when you buy both plus free shipping. This offer is good until Friday, Feb 24th.

Maui Pineapple ( on the left) is 3x4 inches big, $70. Twin Falls is 3x5 inches big, $75. They both come with matching easels. Perfect for any place in your home. They can sit on a window ledge, on a desk or your book shelf. No need to worry about wall space.

Creating 3D Painting

January 26th, 2017

Creating 3D Painting

I just wrote a blog on my Art E Studio website on how to create a 3D painting using sand and gesso. check it out by clicking on the "Click Here For More Information" button.

Year Of The Rooster

January 23rd, 2017

Year Of The Rooster

Weekly Featured Painting - Year Of The Rooster

In honor of Chinese New Year, I'll be featuring one of my rooster paintings each week, starting with "Year Of The Rooster". The original painting has sold, however, I have lots of prints available.

In the Chinese Zodiac, the Rooster symbolizes such character traits as confidence, pompousness and motivation. Those born under the Chinese Zodiac sign of the Rooster are loyal, trustworthy individuals who are blunt when it comes to offering their opinions. Their bluntness stems not from being mean but from being honest; a trait which Roosters expect from others. Roosters are extremely sociable and prefer being the center of attention, always bragging about themselves and their accomplishments. They continually seek the unwavering attention of others which can be annoying. Roosters are as proud of their homes as they are of themselves. They're extremely organized individuals as evidenced by the fact that their homes are always neat. starting with "Year Of The Rooster".

Thank you for taking the time to view my work.

Copper Bowl

January 9th, 2017

Copper Bowl

For the second week of 2017, I'm featuring "Copper Bowl". This is a 9x12 mixed media painting on canvas board. The colors are rich and the subject is simple. Giving this painting a feng shui feel. The little bonsai tree is perfectly balanced giving the painting the feeling of calmness and peace.
The technique I used in this painting was done by layering tissue paper onto the canvas with a base color of red acrylic acting as my glue. This creates a wonderful texture. After this layer dries I start to build colors on top of the base using green-gold, unbleached titanium white, yellow ocher, burnt siena and metallic gold and copper. I paint the subject on top of this abstract background. By keeping the subject simple and using the same colors as the background the paintings take on a spiritual effect.

Thank you for reading my blog.

Red Hibiscus

January 2nd, 2017

Red Hibiscus

Red hibiscus flowers are a common sight here in Maui. In fact, there are a lot of hibiscus bushes right out side my front door. The painting you see here is an oil on canvas. I painted it on a deep gallery wrap canvas and painted the sides as well.


“Hibiscus is symbolic of femininity, sexuality and warmth, and new creation. It reminds us of the joy, happiness, and overall the blessing of
welcoming a new life into this world.” ~ Author Unknown 


Hibiscus flowers represent delicate beauty, unity and peace. In the Victorian era, flowers were often used by people to send messages, and each flower had its own special meaning. The hibiscus would be given to send the message that the giver thought the recipient was beautiful and delicate.

The hibiscus is considered a very feminine flower and is worn by young women. If the flower is worn behind the left ear, the woman is married or in a relationship. If the flower is worn on the right, she is single or openly available for a relationship.

A yellow species called the Hawaiian hibiscus became the Hawaiian official state flower in 1988, despite it not being native to Hawaii. This is Hawaii’s second official state flower. The first was the red hibiscus which was native to Hawaii.

Here are some more fun symbols about Hibiscus flowers.
• White stands for purity, beauty and the female.
• Yellow is associated with happiness, sunshine and good luck.
• Pink is not only the favorite color of many little girls. It also stands for friendship and all kinds of love, not just romantic love.
• Purple is associated with mystery, knowledge and the higher classes.
• Red is a symbol of love and passion.
• The red hibiscus is the flower of the Hindu goddess Kali, and appears frequently in depictions of her in the art of Bengal, India, often with the goddess and the flower merging in form.

Morning Dew

December 26th, 2016

Morning Dew

Magnolias are beautiful large and fragrant flowers and are thought to be the first flowing plant that evolved on Earth. Fossils of magnolias have been found dating back 20 million years. Now that is a very old flower. Some experts think magnolias will survive long after humans become extinct.

During the Victorian times, the magnolia flower symbolized nobility, dignity, poise and pride. They also represent durability, strength of character, self-respect and self-esteem.

Magnolia flowers come in a variety of colors and each color has a different symbolic meaning. The white magnolia means purity and perfection. The pink flower means youth, innocence and joy. The green flower means health, luck and also joy. The purple flower also means luck and health.

I fell in love with a couple huge magnolia trees in my neighborhood in Chico California. I took many photographs of the flowers for future paintings like this one.

My acrylic painting, Morning Dew, is a white magnolia cast in purple shadow. The dew drops were a last minute add, the flower was begging me to add them.

Madonna and child

November 28th, 2016

Madonna and child

"Madonna and Child" is a different style painting then I normally do. The style is based off of Southwest artist Ted DeGrazia (1909-1982), who is known for his paintings of children, horses, “round-eyed angels and the desert Indian. When his works gained in value and he found out his unsold paintings would be taxed, he decided to burn them. He and 20 other people went up to the Superstition mountains, cleared an area and built a fire ring. He started burning his paintings around noon and continued until dark. Some people thought it was a publicity stunt. Others thought it was a chance to create his own legend.

Quote from Ettore ( Ted ) DeGrazia, "I want to be notorious rather than famous. Fame has too much responsibility. People forget you are human."

"Madonna and Child" is a Southwest version of Mary and baby Jesus. I was commissioned to do the painting for a client. However, the client fail on hard times and had to abandon the project. I finished the piece and tucked it away thinking she may want it when things got better. But since then I moved to Maui and have lost touch with her. So I decided to post it here and offer it for sale. I'm sure it will be a hit at Christmas time.

If you have any ideas for a Christmas or Santa painting let me know. I enjoy doing them and I'd be happy to work with you to create your vision.

Water Protector

November 27th, 2016

Water Protector

I stand with Standing Rock. Their fight is all of our fight. Water is life! I never thought of myself as an "activist" before until now. If I had the means I would join the Sioux nation and stand up against the pipeline.

What does all this mean? If you have been following the fight at Standing Rock near the Sioux Reservation, then you know about the protest of the Dakota Access Pipeline. The pipeline is suppose to cross under the Missouri River. The Sioux Tribe is trying to stop it. They have called all the Native Nations together to help protect their homeland and keep the water safe for future generations. The world is watching. People from all over have been watching the horrible way the water protectors are being treated.

My painting, Water Protector, is a statement of support. I'm unable to join them in person and feel distressed about that. One morning on my way in to the studio I had a vision of an Eagle pulling a black snake from the water. The Sioux tribe call the pipeline "the black snake". The vision was very powerful in my mind and I knew I had to paint it.

The image of the eagle pulling the black snake is simple yet powerful. It shows the struggle between our Native Nation and our big oil companies.

I'm pledging the money from the sale of this painting and any prints or products to the Standing Rock protesters.

Thank you for viewing my work and my blog.

Beachen Santa - painting of the Week

November 15th, 2016

Beachen Santa - painting of the Week

Santa is ready for a little rest on a nice tropical beach. He is all set with his beach umbrella and cooler full of coconut water. I think Santa can use a bit of a break after his busy yearly schedule of making toys and his fast past night of delivering them.

Beachen Santa is the first in my tropical series. This painting is an 11x14 acrylic painting on canvas board. Creating the idea of this series came from my love of the Hawaiian Islands. Designing Santa's beach attire was a lot of fun. The black socks added a touch of hummer to the painting.

The Holidays are coming fast! Order your Christmas cards soon. If you have a Santa lover in your family you can get them a gift of a framed print for their holiday decorating or a throw pillow for their couch.

Please note; the original painting belongs to a collector in Florida.

Santa Is Checking His List

November 7th, 2016

Santa Is Checking His List

Weekly Featured Painting



From now until Christmas my weekly featured painting gallery will have all my Christmas paintings in it. These paintings I designed and created for Christmas cards. Each year I add one or two new ones. This year's Santa painting is "Surfing Santa". I'll feature him later this month. All my Santa and Christmas paintings are available as a single card, a box of 10 or a box of 25. Unfortunately the box sets can't be mixed. Some of the original paintings are still available for sale, most have sold.

This week's featured Santa painting is "Santa is Checking His List" and he is wondering who has been naughty or nice. Are you on his list? This painting holds some very special memories for me. On Santa's list you will see the names of my children, grandchildren ( minus two new grand babies ), nieces and nephews, my sisters and many of my students from 2012 and earlier. The year I painted it I had a Christmas Show in my studio in Chico California for all my students who wanted to participate. Each student painted a Christmas themed painting that hung in the studio for 6 weeks. One of my student's little brother ( who was about five years old ) was studying the names on the list in my painting. He had a frown on his face. I asked him if he saw his name on the list, he shook his head. I asked him if he saw his sister's name, he nodded. I lowered my voice as if to let him on in a secret and said "That's because it's the naughty list". His eyes and face lit up with a big smile. His father, who was standing next to him smiled at me and whispered "Good one" and winked. Boy, that was a close one!

Santa Claus or Saint Nicholas, is my favorite icon to paint. He is known world wide by the young and old. I went searching for some true facts regarding this beloved caricature. The story of Santa Claus begins with Nicholas, who was born during the third century in the village of Patara. At that time the area was Greek but is now on the southern coast of Turkey. His wealthy parents, who raised him to be a devout Christian, died in an epidemic while Nicholas was still young. Obeying Jesus' words to "sell what you own and give the money to the poor," Nicholas used his whole inheritance to assist the needy, the sick, and the suffering. He dedicated his life to serving God and was made Bishop of Myra while still a young man. Bishop Nicholas became known throughout the land for his generosity to those in need, his love for children, and his concern for sailors and ships. In the 16th Century in Europe, the stories and traditions about St. Nicholas had become very unpopular. But someone had to deliver presents to children at Christmas, so in the UK, particularly in England, he became 'Father Christmas', a character from old children's stories (in Scotland he's more commonly known as Santa). In France, he was then known as 'Pore Noel'; in Germany, the 'Christ Kind'. In the early USA his name was 'Kris Kringle'. Later, Dutch settlers in the USA took the old stories of St. Nicholas with them and Kris Kringle became 'Sinterklaas' or as we now say 'Santa Claus'!

Thank you for taking the time to view my work.

Father Christmas

November 1st, 2016

Father Christmas


Weekly Featured Painting - Father Christmas

From now until Christmas my weekly featured painting gallery will have all my Christmas paintings in it. These paintings I designed and created for Christmas cards. Each year I add one or two new ones. This year's Santa painting is "Surfing Santa". I'll feature him later this month. All my Santa and Christmas paintings are available as a single card, a box of 10 or a box of 25. Unfortunately the box sets can't be mixed. Some of the original paintings are still available for sale, most have sold.

This week's featured Santa painting is "Father Christmas". This is an 11x14 acrylic painting. For this Santa I decided to give him an old fashion look. Gone with the red velvet Santa suit and hat. In with the hooded cloak. Father Christmas has the look of a wizard. Maybe he'll bring a bit of magic to your Christmas this year.

Santa Claus or Saint Nicholas, is my favorite icon to paint. He is known world wide by the young and old. I went searching for some true facts regarding this beloved caricature. The story of Santa Claus begins with Nicholas, who was born during the third century in the village of Patara. At that time the area was Greek but is now on the southern coast of Turkey. His wealthy parents, who raised him to be a devout Christian, died in an epidemic while Nicholas was still young. Obeying Jesus' words to "sell what you own and give the money to the poor," Nicholas used his whole inheritance to assist the needy, the sick, and the suffering. He dedicated his life to serving God and was made Bishop of Myra while still a young man. Bishop Nicholas became known throughout the land for his generosity to those in need, his love for children, and his concern for sailors and ships. In the 16th Century in Europe, the stories and traditions about St. Nicholas had become very unpopular. But someone had to deliver presents to children at Christmas, so in the UK, particularly in England, he became 'Father Christmas', a character from old children's stories (in Scotland he's more commonly known as Santa). In France, he was then known as 'Pore Noel'; in Germany, the 'Christ Kind'. In the early USA his name was 'Kris Kringle'. Later, Dutch settlers in the USA took the old stories of St. Nicholas with them and Kris Kringle became 'Sinterklaas' or as we now say 'Santa Claus'!

Thank you for taking the time to view my work.

Saint Nicholas

October 17th, 2016

Saint Nicholas

From now until Christmas my weekly featured painting gallery will have all my Christmas paintings in it. These paintings I designed and created for Christmas cards. Each year I add one or two new ones. This year's Santa painting is "Surfing Santa". I'll feature him later this month. All my Santa and Christmas paintings are available as a single card, a box of 10 or a box of 25. Unfortunately the box sets can't be mixed. Some of the original paintings are still available for sale, most have sold.

This week's featured Santa painting is "Saint Nicholas". This is a small 8x10 acrylic painting on canvas. Own the original or buy a print. Santa Claus or Saint Nicholas, is my favorite icon to paint. He is known world wide by the young and old.

I went searching for some true facts regarding this beloved caricature. The story of Santa Claus begins with Nicholas, who was born during the third century in the village of Patara. At that time the area was Greek but is now on the southern coast of Turkey. His wealthy parents, who raised him to be a devout Christian, died in an epidemic while Nicholas was still young. Obeying Jesus' words to "sell what you own and give the money to the poor," Nicholas used his whole inheritance to assist the needy, the sick, and the suffering. He dedicated his life to serving God and was made Bishop of Myra while still a young man. Bishop Nicholas became known throughout the land for his generosity to those in need, his love for children, and his concern for sailors and ships. In the 16th Century in Europe, the stories and traditions about St. Nicholas had become very unpopular. But someone had to deliver presents to children at Christmas, so in the UK, particularly in England, he became 'Father Christmas', a character from old children's stories (in Scotland he's more commonly known as Santa). In France, he was then known as 'Pore Noel'; in Germany, the 'Christ Kind'. In the early USA his name was 'Kris Kringle'. Later, Dutch settlers in the USA took the old stories of St. Nicholas with them and Kris Kringle became 'Sinterklaas' or as we now say 'Santa Claus'!

Thank you for taking the time to view my work.

Special Offer

October 8th, 2016

Special Offer

Now through October 31st 2016, I'm offering free shipping when you order a signed copy of my book "The Art of Painting in Acrylic' published by Walter Foster, authored by six talented acrylic artists; Alicia Vannoy Call, Michael Hallinan, Varvara Harmon, Darice Machel McGuire, Toni Watts and Linda Yuigensen. This book is ideal for beginning and intermediate artists seeking to develop or polish their acrylic painting skills. The Art of Painting in Acrylic features a range of techniques and valuable instruction for working with this classic medium.

This offer is for U.S. residents only.

Colors Of Autumn

October 3rd, 2016

Colors Of Autumn

Weekly Featured Painting - Oct 3, 2016

Fall is here and so is this week's featured painting. The colors of Autumn are warm, rich and beautiful. I don't often paint abstracts but when I do I really enjoy them. The inspiration for this one came from a photo of trees reflecting onto a still lake. The Fall colors were so rich and vivid and the pattern they made on the water stirred my creative mind.

I created this painting for the 2010 "Patchwork Puzzle Show", a fundraiser for the Chico Community Labyrinth project. All artists were given plywood broads in three different sizes to create a piece of art work. I covered my boards with a linen fabric then added a layer of gesso before painting them. All three of my pieces sold.

The original acrylic painting is in a private collection in Chico California. However, you can buy this as a beautiful canvas print or as a matted and framed print ready to hang on your wall.

Thank you for taking the time to view my work.

View Of Lake Tahoe

September 26th, 2016

View Of Lake Tahoe


Weekly Featured Painting - September 26, 2016

This week's featured painting is a blast from the past from my life in Tahoe. This setting is a very cozy scene from a rustic Tahoe cabin, with a view in the summer time. The clear blue skies and crisp cold water is glorious to look at any time of day. Painting this scene came with a few challenges, such as coming up with ideas for what I was going to put on the table and adding the blanket on the chair to help give the scene a more cozy feel. The color palette I chose gives the scene a feminine feel. I like to imagine myself sitting at that table with a cup of tea while staring at the lake. I can't think of a better way to pass the time, can you?

The original 24x30 oil painting is in a private collection in Northern California. However, you can buy this as a beautiful canvas print or as a matted and framed print ready to hang on your wall.

Thank you for taking the time to view my work.

Fall Still Life

September 12th, 2016

Fall Still Life

Weekly Featured Painting - September 12, 2016

Fall, what a great time of year. When I was living on the mainland in California, it was my favorite season because of all the warm rich colors and cooler temperature. September is my birth month, October has one of my favorite Holidays, Halloween, and November is when we can get this crazy election done and over with. So what's not to like about the Fall? This still life study has a lot of great elements, showing the things I love.

This painting is a still life study I put together for one of my weekly art classes. The group of students in this class had just entered the 7th grade. Each student had a different view point which made this study fun and challenging. The painting is a 16x20 oil on canvas.

Thank you for taking the time to view my work.

Kokopelli

September 6th, 2016

Kokopelli

I don't know if you've been following the news about the Dakota Access Pipeline and the Standing Rock Sioux and their allies for standing up to protect our Earth for future generations. It's been breaking my heart reading and watching what is going on. I wish I could be there standing next to these wonderful defenders of our Earth and I feel sad that I can't. But I can donate to their cause by giving them my profits from sale of any prints or products of my painting Kokopelli.

So this week when you buy a print or throw pillow or tote bag of Kokopelli I will donate 100% of my profits to help them. If you want to know more about what is going on here is their FB page https://www.facebook.com/CampOfTheSacredStone/…

Kokopelli is known as a fertility god,prankster, healer and story teller, Kokopelli has been a source of wonder throughout the country for centuries. He embodies the true American Southwest, and dates back over 3,000 years ago, when the first petroglyphs were carved. Although his true origins are unknown, this traveling, flute-playing Casanova is a sacred figure to many Southwestern Native Americans. Carvings of this hunch-backed flute-playing figure have been found painted and carved into rock walls and boulders throughout the Southwest.

The technique I used in creating this painting was done by layering tissue paper onto the canvas with a base color of red acrylic acting as my glue. This creates a wonderful texture. After this layer dries I start to build colors on top of the base using green-gold, unbleached titanium white, yellow ocher, burnt Sienna and metallic gold and copper. Then I painted the subject on top of this abstract background. By keeping the subject simple and using the same colors as the background the paintings take on a spiritual effect. The original painting has sold. I have many print sizes available and this image comes on various products such as tote bags, throw pillows and shower curtains.

Thank you for taking the time to view my work.

Honorable Mention

August 25th, 2016

Honorable Mention

I just found out I was one of 10 Honorable mentions in the Turner 2016 Spring Painting contest hosted by Jerry's Artarama. I pretty excited and the prize comes with a $50 gift card. I'll be buying more art supplies soon!

Click on the link. My paintings thumbnail is in the lower right corner.

Makila Beach

August 22nd, 2016

Makila Beach


Weekly Featured Painting - Makila Beach

This week's featured painting is currently on display and for sale at the Old Jail House gallery in Lahaina. It was my second entry to the Lahaina Poster Contest. The painting is an oil on a 24x18 canvas.

Makila Beach, also known as Breakwall, 505, or Shark Pit, this is the most happening stretch of sand in Lahaina. Most visitors access the beach from Kamehameha Iki Park. This is the area where most of the surf schools set out from. There is also a beach volleyball court which can get busy during the afternoons. This is where you can see Polynesian voyaging canoes on display as part of the Hui O Wa‘a Kaulua Canoe Club. The area was once the playground of Hawaiian royalty. You can hear the drums of the Feast of Lele lu‘au while watching the sunset from here the north end of the beach, which can be busy. Wandering down to the south end of the beach where palm trees hang out over a secluded cove is a great treat. Locals call this area Shark Pit, referencing the harmless reef sharks which hang around the offshore ledge. The swimming here is poor due to the offshore reef, although it provides calm water for wading with small children. There is one shower but no restroom at this beach.This beach is within walking distance from lodgings such as Pioneer Inn, Outrigger Ainu Nalu, and the 505 shopping center. It's right off of Front Street in Lahaina and is a convenient park to take a quick dip. It's picturesque and near the harbor. 

My oil painting is the second I've done of this beach and it won't be the last. 



Thank you for taking the time to view my work.

Lahaina Harbor Sunset

August 15th, 2016

Lahaina Harbor Sunset


Weekly Featured Painting - Lahaina Harbor Sunset

This week's featured painting is an exciting one. Not that all the others aren't exciting, It's because it just won two awards in the 2017 Lahaina Poster Contest. There are a total of five awards presented in this contest. The grand prize is $2,500 and having your art made into 1000 posters that are distributed throughout retailers in Lahaina. The other four awards are the "Lahaina Arts Society" award, "Honorable Mention", "Most Promising" and the "People's Choice". My painting won the "Lahaina Arts Society" and "Honorable Mention" awards and I couldn't be more thrilled!

I started this painting with a red under-painting to help keep the color temperature balanced throughout the painting. You will notice how the red is carried all the way through starting with the sky. My favorite time of day is just before sunset. The light is warm and soft and everything seems to glow. "Lahaina Harbor Sunset" has that warm glow. Sometimes I wish the light of day could be this warm all day long. My painting shows the resting fishing boats tied up for the night. The little blue fishing huts are all cleaned up and all the hard working seaman have gone home for the night.

Lahaina Harbor Sunset is a 16x20 oil painting. I have prints available on paper, canvas and metal. You can also purchase this image on a tote bag, beach towel ( including the round ones ), phone cases, throw pillows and much more.

Thank you for taking the time to view my work.

Surfing Santa

August 8th, 2016

Surfing Santa


Weekly Featured Painting - August 8,2016

"Surfing Santa" is this weeks featured painting. "Why in the world would she be featuring a Christmas painting in August?" you may ask......well the thing is I usually paint my Santa paintings in the summer so that I have plenty of time to promote them before Christmas. I've used these paintings as my Christmas cards each year for the past 12 years. 5 years ago I started creating a tropical Santa series for the pour joy of it and they have become pretty popular. It's fun to break from tradition once in awhile. Surfing Santa is an acrylic on a 11x14 canvas board. Prints are available in a variety of sizes on a variety of surfaces such as canvas, paper, metal and acrylic. It's also available on throw pillows, tote bags, shower curtains and of course greeting cards. Thank you for taking the time to view my work.

Touch of Elegance

August 1st, 2016

Touch of Elegance

"Touch of Elegance" is this weeks featured painting and is part of my still life series. One of the things I love about the "Old Masters" is their color palette. The rich warm colors add a touch of romance to their paintings. I created Touch of Elegance with that in mind. I wanted both the warmth and romance to reflect in this piece. I started this painting with a red underpainting then layered on a mixture of yellow ocher and bunt umber for the back ground. The deep blue vase is thalo blue. The entire painting I did with a palette knife, giving it a lot of wonderful texture.

This week's featured painting is an oil on 18 x 24 canvas. The original painting is in a private collection in San Francisco, but I have plenty of prints available in many sizes.

Thank you for taking the time to view my work.

Floor Dancer Series

July 11th, 2016

Floor Dancer Series


Weekly Featured Painting - Art

Here is a series I did in 2009 and the story behind it.

One morning I was allowing myself to wake up slowly, sitting on the couch and staring at the floor. I started to see images in the pattern of the linoleum tiles. I laughed and grabbed a piece of paper and pencil to sketch what I saw. I then created paintings (in a new style for me) from those sketches. I'd had so much fun and laughed at each completed piece. I lived in that house for three years and had never paid much attention to the floor other then to sweep and wash it. But from then on, every time I look at it I saw images!

This week's featured paintings are acrylic on 9 x 12 canvas. The original paintings are available for purchase and I have plenty of prints available in many sizes. Thank you for taking the time to view my work.

New Interview on Creativinn

July 5th, 2016

New Interview on Creativinn

The last few weeks kept me pretty busy working on an interview with Creativinn.com. Creativinn is an online art magazine that features artists from around the world. I'm so excited to be one of their featured artists. The interview with Oliver was great. He asked great questions and did an amazing job with the video he created.

Copy and paste this link https://creativinn.com/interview-hawaiian-painter-darice-machel-mcguire/

New Interview

June 17th, 2016

New Interview

Mandy at "With Five Questions" blog was fun to work with. Take a moment to read the interview she did with me. Just copy and paste this link

withfivequestions.blogspot.com/2016/06/meet-darice-machel-mcguire-artist.html

On The Vine

May 30th, 2016

On The Vine


Weekly Featured Painting - Art

May is just about over and summer is about to begin. This is a good time to start summer gardens. This week I wanted to feature an older painting of mine that represents the bounty of laboring to bring food to the table. "On The Vine" is rich in color and subject. It happens to be one of my top selling prints and most viewed. It's also my top infringed upon image. Meaning, it's the one bloggers steal most often.

"On The Vine" was a fun painting to do. I first textured the canvas with thick gesso, using a wide brush to get various levels of thickness. Then I used burnt sienna as an underpainting. Next came the stock and leaves, then the ground. Keeping the shadows dark in the upper portion of the painting helps to draw your eye back into the depth of the vine. Working from back to front, I started on the grapes. Keeping in mind the colors and composition. After the grapes were in I added more texture to the vine, giving it a more gnarly look. This week's featured oil painting,

"On The Vine" is available in prints in many sizes and a few products, such as tote bags, throw pillows and note cards. One of these will surely work well for your decorating needs. Thank you for taking the time to view my work.

Sandy Beach

May 23rd, 2016

Sandy Beach


Weekly Featured Painting - Art

The last four weeks I've been featuring the paintings I did for Walter Foster Publishing for the book "The Art Of Painting in Acrylic". This is a step-by-step, learn how to paint book. The Editor of Walter Foster publishing emailed me and asked if I was interested in co-authoring a book on how to paint in acrylics and was asked to submit photos of possible scenes. I gave her about 10 for her team to review for the book. "Sandy Beach" is the last one of the four to be featured. But for this week, I've also included the other three paintings.

Sandy Beach ( not the real name of this beach ) is a little beach just a few blocks from where we live. It's not a popular beach and it's really not much of a beach at all. It's located in Kapalua right off the lower road. The beach is sometimes referred to as "the beach at the S turns.There is only enough room for three cars to park on the side of the road. Luckily for us we can walk to it from our home. Creating this painting for the Walter Foster book was very exciting and challenging. The main focus of this lesson is creating sand and foam. For more on how I painted it you can buy the book.

"The Art of Painting in Acrylic" is Ideal for beginning and intermediate artists seeking to develop or polish their acrylic painting skills, The Art of Painting in Acrylic features a range of techniques and valuable instruction for working with this classic medium. This comprehensive guide offers a fresh, modern approach to painting in acrylic. Beginning with detailed information for using acrylic tools and materials, The Art of Painting in Acrylic introduces artists to the basics, including paints and brushes, supports, mediums, and other essential information for working with this fast-drying paint. In addition to learning about basic color theory, painting techniques, and how to work with acrylic paint and textures, aspiring artists will enjoy putting their painting skills to use by practicing the step-by-step demonstrations designed to instruct and entertain. Professional acrylic painters provide easy-to-follow, comprehensive instruction and inspiration, enabling readers to learn techniques for mastering this lightweight, versatile, and easy-to-use medium. In-depth lessons cover a variety of subject matter ranging from still life and portraits to landscapes and animals. Along the way, aspiring artists will discover helpful tips and tricks for rendering a variety of textures, setting up compelling compositions, achieving accurate proportions, and more. With its breadth of content and detail, The Art of Painting in Acrylic is a must-have resource for any artist's reference library. Includes: Color Theory, Basic Drawing, Painting Techniques, Still Life & Flowers, Landscapes, Seascapes, Portraits, and Animals/Pet Portraits." About this painting; This is an 11x14 acrylic painting on canvas. I go into great detail of the process of painting this scene. If you want to learn how to paint it or just want to see the process and learn some tips you can buy a signed copy through me or at many art supply stores or online at Walter Foster www.walterfoster.com Amazon - www.amazon.com Barnes and Noble - www.barnesandnoble.com IndieBound - www.indiebound.org Indigo - www.chapters.indigo.ca .

This week's featured 11x14 acrylic painting, "Sandy Beach" is available as well as prints in many sizes and a few products, such as tote bags, throw pillows and note cards. One of these will surely work well for your decorating needs.


Thank you for taking the time to view my work.

Olowalu Valley

May 9th, 2016

Olowalu Valley

"Olowalu Valley" is one of my four paintings featured in the book "The Art Of Painting in Acrylic" published by Walter Foster Publishing. This is a step-by-step, learn how to paint book. The Editor of Walter Foster publishing emailed me and asked if I was interested in co-authoring a book on how to paint in acrylics and was asked to submit photos of possible scenes. I gave her about 10 for her team to review for the book. Olowalu has become my favorite place to visit on Maui. There is a jetty that extends out quite far. From the end of the jetty you can see Moloka'i, Lana'i, Haleakala, Kahoolawe and of course Olowalu Valley. At sunset time there is so much drama happening it's hard to focus on just one spot. I shot so many reference photos that I ran my iPhone's battery completely down. The scene you see here is the reflected color from the sunset that was happening behind me. To creat this painting I started with an underpainting of cad red light. For more on how I painted it you can buy the book.

The Art of Painting in Acrylic is "Ideal for beginning and intermediate artists seeking to develop or polish their acrylic painting skills, The Art of Painting in Acrylic features a range of techniques and valuable instruction for working with this classic medium. This comprehensive guide offers a fresh, modern approach to painting in acrylic. Beginning with detailed information for using acrylic tools and materials, The Art of Painting in Acrylic introduces artists to the basics, including paints and brushes, supports, mediums, and other essential information for working with this fast-drying paint. In addition to learning about basic color theory, painting techniques, and how to work with acrylic paint and textures, aspiring artists will enjoy putting their painting skills to use by practicing the step-by-step demonstrations designed to instruct and entertain. Professional acrylic painters provide easy-to-follow, comprehensive instruction and inspiration, enabling readers to learn techniques for mastering this lightweight, versatile, and easy-to-use medium. In-depth lessons cover a variety of subject matter ranging from still lifes and portraits to landscapes and animals. Along the way, aspiring artists will discover helpful tips and tricks for rendering a variety of textures, setting up compelling compositions, achieving accurate proportions, and more. With its breadth of content and detail, The Art of Painting in Acrylic is a must-have resource for any artist's reference library. Includes: Color Theory, Basic Drawing, Painting Techniques, Still Lifes & Flowers, Landscapes, Seascapes, Portraits, and Animals/Pet Portraits."


About this painting; This is an 11x14 acrylic painting on canvas. I go into great detail of the process of painting this scene. If you want to learn how to paint it or just want to see the process and learn some tips you can buy a signed copy through me or at many art supply stores or online at Walter Foster www.walterfoster.com Amazon - www.amazon.com Barnes and Noble - www.barnesandnoble.com IndieBound - www.indiebound.org Indigo - www.chapters.indigo.ca .

Twin Falls

May 2nd, 2016

Twin Falls


Weekly Featured Painting

"Twin Falls" is one of four of my paintings featured in the book "The Art Of Painting in Acrylic" published by Walter Foster Publishing. This is a step-by-step, learn how to paint book. The Editor of Walter Foster publishing emailed me and asked if I was interested in co-authoring a book on how to paint in acrylics and was asked to submit photos of possible scenes. I gave her about 10 for her team to review for the book. Twin Falls was one that made the cut. Twin Falls is the first waterfall you come to on the road to Hana. It's a short beautiful hike through a tropical landscape. The pool under the falls offers a nice refreshing opportunity to cool off once you reach the falls. You can go behind the falls into a narrow cave or hike to the top and jump into the pool below. The legendary road to Hana is 68 miles long, has 620 curves and 59 bridges 46 of which are only one lane wide. The waterfalls along the way are spectacular and are well worth stopping for.

About this painting; This is an 11x14 acrylic painting on canvas. I go into great detail of the painting process for this scene in the book. If you want to learn how to paint it or just want to see the process and learn some tips you can buy a signed copy through me or at many art supply stores through out the US, Canada and the UK. Or you can get it online at Walter Foster www.walterfoster.com Amazon - www.amazon.com Barnes and Noble - www.barnesandnoble.com IndieBound - www.indiebound.org Indigo - www.chapters.indigo.ca .

Thank you for taking the time to view my work and my blog.

Petaluma Art Center

April 29th, 2016

Petaluma Art Center

Recently I had the pleasure of judging an art show for Petaluma Art Center from the comfort of my studio here in Maui. The process was done through Smarter Entry, a website that manages the jurying process. Artist submitted their work to the Petaluma Art Center through Smarter Entry's website. Once the deadline was met, the judges ( 3 of us ) were contacted to begin the process. The first phase was the elimination process. 400 images were entered into the show and each judge could only keep 40. We had three opportunities to accept or eliminate images. The first pass through allowed me to get comfortable with their system. I didn't eliminate very many images, maybe 30, the first round. The ones I did eliminate were the badly photographed, out of focus, hard to see images. The next round was a bit harder. I knew I needed to get the count down to 40. With 370 images left to view, it proved to be pretty challenging. I managed to get it down to about 150. The third and last round was the hardest. Knowing I could only accept 40 images total, cutting out 110 all great art was tough. I went back and fourth over each remaining image, some of them where paintings, some were sculptures, some textile art and some wood carvings. After hours of deliberation, I managed to reach my 40 images. I then had to wait for the other two judges to complete this process before moving onto the next phase. Remember I said each judge could only accept 40 images each. So some of the images I rejected made it through. 67 images made the cut.

Phase two was the rating process. Each image had to get a number rating of 1, 3, 5, 7 or 9. The Highest number was the juror's choice for best of show. This was another tough challenge for me. I stated out rating the images that I had rejected but the other judges accepted. Once I was comfortable with hoe the system worked in this phase I got to work on the remaining 50+ images. It took about 4 hours to rate all the images. Once I finished I went back through each one to see if I changed my mind on my first rating. That took another hour. Once I was satisfied with my choices I hit the "Done Rating Button".

The show will start May 14th and runs through July 10th. If you are in or around the Petaluma California area, stop in to see the show and let me know what you think. I won't be traveling to the area myself and will miss it. I'm really excited to hear who won!

Waves On Maui

April 25th, 2016

Waves On Maui

Weekly Featured Painting

I love the drama of the ocean. Waves crashing on the beaches or rocks is so mesmerizing to me. Capturing the ebb and flow of the water on canvas is a fun challenge for me. Sometimes I can get lost in watching the ocean waves and sometimes I can get lost in painting them, as I did with this painting. I really enjoyed recreating this moment in time. The ocean is always moving. Part of the challenge for me is to give the viewer the illusion of moving water. For this painting I decided to focus on a small area instead of the whole scene. This way I could concentrate my efforts on the water as it hit the rocks and eases back out. Notice the water flowing down the rocks in the upper left side. This gives the viewer the illusion that there was a much larger wave that hit the rocks just moments before. This week's featured 11x14 oil painting, "Waves On Maui" is available as well as prints in many sizes and a few products, such as tote bags, throw pillows and note cards. One of these will surely work well for your decorating needs. Thank you for taking the time to view my work.

Rainbow Koi

April 18th, 2016

Rainbow Koi

"Rainbow Koi" is a fun, playful and colorful painting and it's my featured painting of the week. These two koi have a Yin and Yang feel to them as they playfully swim around each other. The bright colors will add happiness to any room of your house. This painting is done on watercolor paper with acrylic paints. I started with the background by wetting the paper with water then spattering it with very thin down paint. Once the staged dried I began painting in the Koi. This is one of my favorite techniques to do. It allows me to bring out the playful child in me. The original painting is available as well as prints in many sizes and a few products, such as tote bags, throw pillows and note cards. One of these will surely work well for your decorating needs. Thank you for taking the time to view my work.

Happy Birthday Dad

April 11th, 2016

Happy Birthday Dad

For this week's featured painting I decided to post "Southern Pacific Daylight" because this week, tomorrow April 12th, is my dad's birthday. He worked for the Southern Pacific Rail Road many years ago. Read the story below about the creation of this painting.

"I embarked on a journey through the California West Coast to create this beautiful oil painting. I did not actually ride this train, just did a lot of research for my painting. The Southern Pacific Daylight was a passenger train that ran between Los Angeles and San Francisco, California. The Daylight, also known as Daylight Limited, operated from 1937 until 1974 and was one of the few passenger trains retained by Amtrak in 1971. Amtrak merged it with the Coast Starlight in 1974. I created this painting for a special customer of mine who is a huge fan of trains. He has a large collection of model trains and is building a special room for them in his new house here in Maui. Since this is a West Coast California train and I'm a California girl (born and raised), I decided to add a family of jackrabbits. (See lower left side of painting). I also used a reference photo from a good friend of mine for the engineer or conductor, who is waving from the train. Her father had past away a few years ago and it was my way of helping her preserve his memory."

The original painting is not available. This image is available as prints in many sizes and a few products, such as tote bags, throw pillows and note cards. One of these will surely work well for you or your train loving friend.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD!

Thank you for taking the time to view my work.

Guitar Hawaiian Style

April 4th, 2016

Guitar Hawaiian Style

This weeks featured painting is "Guitar Hawaiian Style". I did this painting in honor of my partner in life, Charlie. Who often plays his guitar at night as a way to relax. I enjoy listening to him as I unwind from the day. This painting with acrylics. The background idea came from a piece of fabric we had. Since the music Charlie plays is slack key, Hawaiian style music, I felt it was fitting. The original painting "Guitar Hawaiian style", is available for $550. It's 12 x 22 on stretched canvas. No need for a frame on this one, I painted the sides for that modern look. If a print is more to your liking I have a variety to choose from including metal. This painting is also available on throw pillows, tote bags and greeting cards. This painting is perfect for you music room. It will add a touch of warm tropical music to inspire you. Thank you for taking the time to view my work.

The Crazy Mind intereview

March 21st, 2016

I'm so excited to have been interviewed by Zsolt on The Crazy Mind blog. Please take a moment to click on the link button.

Spring In Kings beach

March 18th, 2016

Spring In Kings beach

"Spring in Kings Beach" is this weeks featured painting. Since March 20th is the first day of Spring, I thought this painting was the perfect choice. As many of you know, I grew up in Kings Beach. I spent every summer at this beach, it was just two blocks from my house and only three buildings from my families gallery, Lakeside Gallery. The scene here is of a beautiful spring day and is from a reference photo I took while taking a morning walk. The tourists hadn't arrived yet and the lake was full. I would walk along the beach from one end to the other, both morning and evenings. During peek tourist season, my children and I would often go to the beach after dinner and pick up garbage left by the tourists. It always saddened me how much trash people left behind. It showed such great disrespect for our beautiful lake and environment. This painting is sure to brighten any room in your house. It's perfect for your "mountain living" themed decor. The original 16 x 20 painting has sold. Prints are available in a variety of sizes, on paper, canvas and metal. This image is also available on throw pillows, tote bags and of course cards! Thank you for taking the time to view my work.

Kingwell Island Art Gallery

March 14th, 2016

Kingwell Island Art Gallery

A good friend of mine, Jim Kingwell, owns a gallery in Lahaina. Last week He asked me to bring in some of my miniatures to showcase in his beautiful display case. Now how could I not say "no"? I gathered 8 miniature paintings and headed down to his gallery the next day. Check out the link posted here to visit his website.

Who Me?

March 4th, 2016

Who Me?

This weeks featured painting is "Who Me?". This is a sweet Hawaiian honu, sea turtle, wanting to share his world with you. Here in Maui Hawaii there are lots of beaches where these gentle creatures come to rest. On land they may be slow but in the ocean they are graceful and powerful. This painting is sure to brighten any room in your house. It's perfect for your "under the sea" themed bathroom or your child's bedroom. The original 8 x 10 acrylic painting is available. Prints are also available in a variety of sizes, on paper, canvas and metal. This image is also available on throw pillows, tote bags and of course cards! Thank you for taking the time to view my work.

Year Of The Monkey

February 1st, 2016

Year Of The Monkey

It's the Year of the Monkey and I happen to have a great painting to honor all the fun loving monkeys out there. So this week I'm featuring "Year Of The Monkey". This is a 10x10 inch textured painting I did with tissue paper and acrylic. You can see all my Chinese Zodiac paintings in my Chinese Zodiac gallery or click the link button.

Those born under the Chinese Zodiac sign of the Monkey thrive on having fun. They're energetic, upbeat, and good at listening but lack self-control. They like being active and stimulated and enjoy pleasing self before pleasing others. They're heart-breakers, not good at long-term relationships. But boy, do they like a good time.

The original painting is not available. Prints are available in a variety of sizes, on paper, canvas and metal. This image is also available on throw pillows, tote bags and of course cards! Thank you for taking the time to view my work.

Sunset Sail

January 25th, 2016

Sunset Sail

"Sunset Sail" is an acrylic palette knife painting on Masonite board. There is a lot of texture in this one. The bright yellow sun is the main focus. The complimentary orange clouds add drama to the blue sky and water. Taking a sunset cruise is such a romantic thing to do here on Maui. The sunsets are spectacular. The gentile swells of the ocean and salty sea breezes adds so much to the experience. And if you are lucky ( depending on the time of year ) you might see a whale or two. The original painting is available. Prints are also available in a variety of sizes, on paper, canvas and metal. This image is also available on throw pillows, tote bags and of course cards! Thank you for taking the time to view my work.

Tag Your It

January 19th, 2016

Tag Your It

"Tag Your It" is an acrylic painting on canvas board. I'm a big fan of dolphins and have been most my life. Here are some fun facts about them.
Dolphins are extraordinarily intelligent animals who also display culture, something which was long-believed to be unique to humans. They have been observed teaching their young how to use tools. They cover their snouts with sponges to protect them while foraging.

Dolphins have several highly developed forms of communication. They have a signature whistle which allows other individuals to reccognise them.
They are altruistic animals. They are known to stay and help injured individuals, even helping them to the surface to breath. Their compassion also extends across the species-barrier. There are many accounts of dolphins helping humans and even whales.They live in groups and cooperate with each other to get food and in raising offspring (calves).


Dolphins are extremely playful and curious animals. They play-fight with each other and also play with seaweed. They have also been known to play with other animals such as dogs.
Dolphins sleep by resting one side of the brain at a time. This allows them to continue rising to the surface for air and to keep an eye open to watch out for predators.

Maui Pineapple

January 14th, 2016

Maui Pineapple

Living on the tropical island of Maui has many advantages, one of them being able to eat Maui Gold pineapples all year long. This sweet, juicy tropical fruit has been a favorite of mine since I was a small child and Maui grows the best. The pineapple has became a familiar symbolic image of welcome, good cheer, warmth and affection between all who dwell inside the home. This painting is done with acrylic on watercolor paper. When looking through my "Sold" art work inventory I noticed I have sold a lot of pineapple paintings and prints. It seems the "Symbol of Hospitality" is quite popular. What is it about this sweet, succulent fruit that attracts people? Is it the shape? The color? Or is it just the meaning that us humans have given it. Should I over annualize these questions, or just go with the flow? In my quest for answers I decided to do a search on the history of how pineapples became the symbol of hospitality. It all started in 1493 when Columbus saw his first pineapple on the Caribbean island of Guadeloupe. He described the pineapple in his journal by saying "They are like an artichoke plant, but four times as tall, which gives the fruit the shape of a pine cone, twice as big, which fruit is excellent, and it can be cut with a knife like a turnip, and it seems to be very wholesome.". Columbus brought the pineapple back to Europe, which was devoid of sweet foods, including fresh fruit. The popularity and curiosity for the pineapple became a coveted commodity for two centuries after it's arrival in Europe. The pineapple captured the imagination of both the Old and New World. Seafaring captains used them like trophies to signify a triumphant journey home. They would impale the pineapples in front of their homes to symbolize "Visitors Welcome". Architects started working the shape of the pineapple into entrance columns, stair-rail finials, gate posts, weather vanes and door knockers. In the Americas innkeepers added pineapple to their signs and advertisements. Bed posts and headboards with pineapples carved on them became a common sight. Pineapples were being woven on welcome mats and intricate needlework on fine linens. Hostesses would set a pineapple in the center of their dining table when entertaining guests. Hostesses of affluent homes would try to outdo each other by creating memorable displays. Captain Cook introduced the fruit to the Pacific and Hawaii islands in the 1770s. However, commercial cultivation did not begin until the 1880s when steamships made transporting the perishable fruit viable. James Dole started canning pineapples in 1903. By 1921 the Dole Hawaiian Pineapple Company was booming, making pineapple Hawaii's largest crop and industry for 40 years. Well now, there you have it. A short history on how the pineapple became the symbol of hospitality. It's symbolic image of welcome, good cheer and warmth and affection is still used by the hotel and restaurant industries and homes around the world. I no longer wonder why my Pineapple paintings are so popular. I'm just glad they are. "Maui Pineapple 2" is this weeks featured painting. This is an acrylic painting on watercolor paper. The original painting is available. Prints are also available in a variety of sizes, on paper, canvas and metal. This image is also available on throw pillows, tote bags and of course cards! Thank you for taking the time to view my work.

Happy New Year 2016

January 5th, 2016

Happy New Year 2016

It seems 2015 flew by in a hurry! I was so busy all year the days and weeks started to blur together. I'm so looking forward to 2016, the year of magic! Well, that's what I'm calling any way. In fact I'm putting it on my calendar as a header to remind me to look and find those magical moments in each day.

Only 5 days into the year and I've had many magical moments. January 1st we went to a artist friend's art opening at Village Gallery in Lahaina. While there I kept getting called over to the Gift shop to meet people interested in my work. Two of my paintings sold that night. One of them is posted here, Makena Beach. This is a new style I'm working on.....more about that later.

Jan 2nd, Charlie and I headed up to Haleakala for a day of photography. I was dreading the cold temps on the top of the mountain, I'm a wimp when it comes to cold. But the day proved to be very mild and nice at the summit, which is over 10,000 feet. The views were spectacular and the photo ops perfect. We even saw a triple rainbow sitting above the clouds between two mountain peaks. That was my magical moment of the day!

Jan 3rd, we headed to my favorite place on Maui, Olowalu. Charlie was hoping we'd see some whales so he could photograph them. No whales, but plenty of magic! The day was so beautiful, perfect really. Just enough clouds in the sky, a slight breeze and a gentile surf to make photographing the West Maui Mountains and shore a, well, breeze. Then it was home to a pot of spaghetti with home made sauce and a night of Downton Abbey. What a perfect way to start the New Year.

Now we are into day five and my calendar is stating to fill up. Students are booking classes, Lahaina Arts Association ( the non-profit I'm President of ) is gearing up for an exciting new event called "Maui Masters Invitational" in February and orders for new paintings are coming in from the galleries that represent my work.

But no matter how busy this year gets, I'm going to focus on the magic of every day and work on some new paintings. Which brings me back to the painting shown in this post. This painting may look like a regular watercolor painting, but in fact, it is an acrylic painting on watercolor paper. I'll be doing a lot more of these as the year progresses. So keep your eyes out for them.

Thanks for stopping by to read my blog post. I hope your year will bring you some magic too. Come back again to see what I'm up to. Bye for now.

Mele Kalikimaka

December 21st, 2015

Mele Kalikimaka

Song lyrics by Bing Crosby

"Mele Kalikimaka is the thing to say
On a bright Hawaiian Christmas day
That's the island greeting that we send to you
From the land where palm trees sway

Here we know that Christmas will be green and bright
The sun to shine by day and all the stars at night
Mele Kalikimaka is Hawaii's way
To say Merry Christmas to you

Mele Kalikimaka is the thing to say
On a bright Hawaiian Christmas day
That's the island greeting that we send to you
From the land where palm trees sway

Here we know that Christmas will be green and bright
The sun to shine by day and all the stars at night
Mele Kalikimaka is Hawaii's way
To say Merry Christmas to you

Here we know that Christmas will be green and bright
The sun to shine by day and all the stars at night
Mele Kalikimaka is Hawaii's way
To say Merry Christmas to you

Mele Kalikimaka is the thing to say
On a bright Hawaiian Christmas day
That's the island greeting that we send to you
From the land where palm trees sway

Here we know that Christmas will be green and bright
The sun to shine by day and all the stars at night
Mele Kalikimaka is Hawaii's way
To say Merry Christmas
A very Merry Christmas
A very, very, Merry, Merry Christmas to you"

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Christmas Wish

December 5th, 2015

Christmas Wish

Christmas Wish has found it's forever home in the Sierra Mountains of California. The family of four kids will enjoy seeing this Santa painting during the Holiday season for many years to come.

New Christmas Paintings

November 30th, 2015

New Christmas Paintings

This year I created 5 new Christmas paintings that aren't Santa's. Three new snowmen and two Mele Kalikimaka ( Hawaiian for Merry Christmas ). My Seasonal Gallery is getting fuller, take a look. Just click on the "For More Information" button and it will take you directly to that gallery.

Nov 9, Featured painting

November 9th, 2015

Nov 9, Featured painting

Look it's Santa! He is on the island of Maui, painting a local scene plein air style. The scene is Kahakuloa Head with Kaukini Gallery on the cliff over looking Kahakuloa Valley. Santa looks pretty cool in his Aloha shirt, red shorts and hat, waring his cool shades. I can't think of a better place for Santa to be, when he isn't delivering presents, the on the Island of Maui. Relaxing and enjoying the beautiful island is a perfect way to shake off the winter time blues.

Nov 5, Featured painting

November 5th, 2015

Nov 5, Featured painting

November is here! Wow, that happened fast. I was just getting use to it being October. So what I'm I doing for the first featured painting of November? "Sunset Santa" of course. I'll be featureing one of my Santa paintings for the next 7 weeks. It's my way of counting down to Christmas.

"Sunset Santa" is an acrylic painting on 11x14 canvas board. This was the second in my series of "Tropical Santa". This one was so fun to create. The colors re so fun to work with for this winter scene. Adding the little honu ( sea turtle ) was just the right touch to complete the painting.

This painting is the most popular of my Santa series. I sell cards of this image at Village Gallery all year. People love buying it no matter what time of year it is.

A Very Special Birthday Gift

October 30th, 2015

A Very Special Birthday Gift

September is the month of my birth and this year I was given a very special gift as you can see from the photo. What is special about a set of oil paints? it's the story behind them that makes them special. You see my mom bought this set for herself over 30 years ago. She planned to use them when she became a little old retired lady. Well that day has come and she can no longer see to paint. With old age came Macular Degeneration. A very sad disease for a very talented artist and art teacher. So she had my dad pack up this beautiful cherry wood box, full of 45 tubes of Rembrandt oil paints and mediums and shipped it off to me here on Maui. The package arrived two weeks before my Birthday, they sent it early just to throw me off. When I picked up the package from the post office I knew it wasn't my supply of miniature easels and canvas frames, it was way to heavy for that. I was very curious and could wait to get the package to my studio to open it. Once I did I knew right away what was in the wooden box. I remembered when my mom got this set and how excited she was to be able to use it one day. I could hardly believe my eyes to see none of the paints had been touched. Everything in the box was brand new. The two palettes still had the plastic wrapping on them. All the mediums had never been open. My parents added 5 new palette knives and 12 new brushes to the set. I was totally blown away! My excitement was over powered by the loving gesture and the meaning behind the gift. I immediately called them to express my gratitude.

Mom was so happy I loved the set. She told me how sad she was not to be able to use it herself but was so happy that I could. She had my Dad put insurance on the package to cover $400. She thought that would be enough to cover the cost of this set if it were lost or damaged. I quickly added inflation of 30 years in my head and came up with a higher number, more like $900 I told her. After a nice long chat with her and my dad I went looking on the art supply stores websites to see if I could find this same set. This huge set is no longer available the closest set to it was listed for nearly $1,500. I was shocked! I called mom back to let her know, she was shocked too. My dad teased me by saying "you better send it back to us".....hehehe.

After a day and night of thought, I decided I was not going to let another 30 years go by with out opening one tube of paint. The very next day I took the shrink wrapped plastic off both palettes. The day after that I used one of the palette knives to mix some acrylic paint. It was three more days before I had time to open the first tube of paint. Since then, four weeks later, I have done four 8x10 paintings and have started a 24x36 Maui landscape. I'm having fun trying colors I've never used before. Oh, I should mention, all the paint is still fresh even after 30 years.

Octber 19th Featured Painting Swaying Palm

October 19th, 2015

Octber 19th Featured Painting Swaying Palm

"Swaying Palm" is this week's featured painting. It's also my favorite out of my series "image within an image" paintings. The original sold through Lakeside Gallery in Lake Tahoe quite a few years back. One of the things I like best about this painting is the soft colors I used. Because they remind me of the beach.

So what is your thoughts on this image? Should I do more of this kind of painting?

October 12, Weekly Featured Painting

October 12th, 2015

October 12, Weekly Featured Painting

With Christmas only 11 weeks away, I'm continuing to feature my Christmas paintings. This week's feature is "Father Christmas". He is part of my Santa series. But this Santa has an old fashion look. Gone with the red velvet Santa suit and hat. In with the hooded cloak. Father Christmas has the look of a wizard. Maybe he'll bring a bit of magic to your Christmas this year.

October 5, Weekly Featured Painting

October 5th, 2015

October 5, Weekly Featured Painting

Is it to early to start thinking about Christmas cards? I don't think so. I may not like seeing Christmas decorations in stores until after Thanksgiving. Nor do I like listening to Christmas music until about two weeks before Christmas. But I am a big fan of Christmas cards. Usually ( when I'm not slammed ) I get my Christmas cards out the week after Thanksgiving. I have been painting Santa for years. I love this jolly old man. Maybe because he wares my favorite color combo, red and white. Or maybe because he represents happy memories of my childhood. Every year I add one or two new Santa Paintings to my Christmas card series. A couple of years ago I added this cute little snowman as a special Christmas card for a special person. Since then I've decided to add this image to my Christmas card series. This little guy makes me smile. He is so happy it's snowing and he wants to share his happiness with you. "Let it Snow" is available in a variety of sizes, on paper, canvas and metal. This image is also available on throw pillows, tote bags and shower curtains and, of course Christmas cards! Thank you for taking the time to view my work.

Click on the link to get you to this images fast.

Lake Tahoe Featured Painting of the Week

October 5th, 2015

Lake Tahoe Featured Painting of the Week

I consider Lake Tahoe my home town, more specifically, Kings Beach. I spent part of my teen years and most of my adult years living on the North Shore of Lake Tahoe. Three of my four children were born in Truckee. As mentioned in my BIO, my parents owned Lakeside Gallery in Kings Beach. This is where my art career began. At age 16 my mother became my first oil painting teacher and I took advantage of the many talented teachers who taught at Lakeside Gallery every year. The gallery was the hub of family and friend gatherings, art workshops, garden parties, art receptions and much more. The Painting featured here is an oil painting of Lake Tahoe from the East Shore. If you look closely enough you will see the Hyatt peaking above the tree line on the distant shore. The original paint has sold but this week I'm offering a special limited time promotion on 10 24x20 prints for only $100. The promotion ends on Oct 3rd so hurry and get yours before they are all sold out. As you can see from the photo,there are many ways to purchase this image. The prints are available in a variety of sizes, on paper, canvas and metal. And this image is also available on throw pillows, tote bags and shower curtains.

Challenges and Perks

July 6th, 2015

Challenges and Perks

As President of Lahaina Arts Association there are challenges and perks I'm faced with now and again. Some of the challenges include squashing roomers by people who choose to not get factual information, which is a fun challenge for me. Another challenge is writing and giving public speeches. Neither of which comes easy. The last speech I gave I had to change just minutes before giving it. Adding info about my personal history to give the listeners a brief idea of who I am. Since I wasn't prepared for this "in prompt to" add on, I felt off balance. The next time I agree to give a public speech I'm going to make sure I know who the other speakers are and who I follow in the line up. Following Roz Baker, Senator of Hawaii, was just a bit intimidating to say the least.

As far as the perks go, it was pretty cool to realize I was dinning and speaking with Senator Baker one week and having lunch with the Mayor the next. Yesterday, July 2nd, was the "46th Annual, Maui United Way, Meeting and Recognition" Luncheon. Erin Brothers, LAA's Executive Director and I arrived early for the luncheon. We were given the chance to pick which ever table we'd like to sit at. I chose one that was close to the food and centered to the stage. As the room began to fill, our table attracted other non profit leaders such as Lisa with "Planned Parenthood" and Robert with "Best Buddies Hawaii". I started to think our table was the best table in the room. For it was attracting all the people who focus on helping children, all children including the unborn, handicapped and the disadvantage. As our groups got to know each other, we formed connections for future collaborations. Which brought on a air of excitement. As the room filled up, two more gentlemen joined our table, leaving one chair left, and who should decide to take that chair? The Mayor of Maui, Alan Arakawa. Since he was seated across the table from me I was unable to talk with him and thought it would be bad manors to yell "Hey Mayor nice to see you again. Are you still in Mansanto's back pocket?". So I kept my mouth shut. When the announcement came for the buffet style lunch, we were told that an attendant would come to each table to let us know when it would be our turn to get in line. I figured our table had a good chance of being at least in the center of the line since it was center of the room. And by that time I was more then ready to feed my stomach since it was doing an awful lot of rumbling. I was soon surprised and very happy to learn when the Mayor sits at your table, your table is the first in line. Now that is one cool perk! "Hey Mayor, you can sit at our table anytime."

There are plenty more challenges and perks I'm faced with every month as I plan the agenda for the Board meetings and coordinating the fundraising events. One of my favorite perks is getting to meet the children who benefit from LAA's programs. Their smiles and excitement for accomplishment is the greatest reward.

P.S. Photo credit: David Schoonover.

Fourth Annual Maui Masters Show

June 6th, 2015

Fourth Annual Maui Masters Show

Fourth Annual Maui Masters Show - June 1st through July 5th, 2015. At the Old Courthouse Gallery in Lahaina Maui. An artist reception will be held June 6th from 6pm to 8pm. The Maui Masters art show features 22 well known Maui artist. The artist in this show are by special invitation only. This years list of artist are as follows; George Allan Shawn Boen Michael Clements Rob Decamp Joe Fletcher Anna Good Jack Hamilton Al Harty Joel Heinz Julie Houck Rich Kenny Jim Kingwell Vladimir Kush Ferd Lorenzo Cheryl McElfresh Darice Machel McGuire Susie Monroe Nisla Jamie Roth Koana Smith Michael Sweet Sue Thomas

My Other Website

May 15th, 2015

My Other Website

Have you seen my other website lately http://www.art-e-studio.net ? Did you even know I had another one? Art E Studio is my art school business name. I've been building that website for about 7 years. As you go through each page you will discover a lot of information. I'll be adding more shortly. You see, I was contacted by a company in NY who has created an activity booking website for travelers. The CEO of Vimbly came across my Art E Studio website and thought it would be a good fit for their website. They are building an activity page for Maui travelers and are on the hunt for things to do in Maui.

I've been working on creating a series of paintings I can teach to vacationers in a three hour class, art supplies included. The students can pick from one of these paintings to create as the perfect Maui keep sake. The cost of these classes will vary depending on the medium, oil or acrylic, and the painting they choose.

My studio is small so I'll be limited in how many students I take. I'm excited to see how all this works!

Evolution of Miniature Paintings

April 7th, 2015

Evolution of Miniature Paintings

When I started out painting miniatures some 25-30 years ago, I did so as a way to fill in the drying time between my large oil paintings. My miniatures became popular almost right away. Living in Lake Tahoe at the time and working at my family owned gallery, Lakeside Gallery, these little gems were perfect for the Tahoe loving tourist looking for an affordable original keepsake. When I moved to Chico California in 2002 I continued painting miniatures to fill in my time between painting large oils and teaching. My miniatures did as well in Chico as they did in Tahoe. I gained quite a few collectors who came into the shop I sold them in monthly to see and buy what was new.

Fast forward to today, 2 1/2 years after moving to Maui, these little paintings have taken over my painting career. I now sell them in 4 galleries and gift shops around Maui. Which keeps me pretty busy. My most popular sellers are Roosters, Koi, Turtles, beach scenes with palm trees and Churches. The most popular sizes are 3x5 and 4x4 inches.

When I first started painting miniatures I did them with oil on Masonite boards. My dad cut the boards and made frames to go with them. About 10 years ago I switched to using acrylic paint on tiny stretched canvases that sit on tiny easels. My dad is still helping me by making all my stretcher frames and easels and ships them to me from California. I stretch the canvas by hand and then paint them. Because I'm not bound by buying ready made products, I get to experiment with various sizes you can't get in stores. Some of the new sizes I'm now working with is 4x5, 3x6 and 4x8. I also get to control the quality of my product and I pass that fine craftsmanship on to my customers. It gives me peace of mind knowing they will have one or more of my tiny works for a very long time.

Pineapple, Symbol of Hospitality

March 19th, 2015

 Pineapple, Symbol of  Hospitality



When looking through my "Sold" art work inventory I noticed I have sold a lot of pineapple paintings and prints. It seems the "Symbol of Hospitality" is quite popular. What is it about this sweet, succulent fruit that attracts people? Is it the shape? The color? Or is it just the meaning that us humans have given it. Should I over annualize these questions, or just go with the flow?

In my quest for answers I decided to do a search on the history of how pineapples became the symbol of hospitality. It all started in 1493 when Columbus saw his first pineapple on the Caribbean island of Guadeloupe. He described the pineapple in his journal by saying "They are like an artichoke plant, but four times as tall, which gives the fruit the shape of a pine cone, twice as big, which fruit is excellent, and it can be cut with a knife like a turnip, and it seems to be very wholesome.". Columbus brought the pineapple back to Europe, which was devoid of sweet foods, including fresh fruit. The popularity and curiosity for the pineapple became a coveted commodity for two centuries after it's arrival in Europe.

The pineapple captured the imagination of both the Old and New World. Seafaring captains used them like trophies to signify a triumphant journey home. They would impale the pineapples in front of their homes to symbolize "Visitors Welcome". Architects started working the shape of the pineapple into entrance columns, stair-rail finials, gate posts, weather vanes and door knockers. In the Americas innkeepers added pineapple to their signs and advertisements. Bed posts and headboards with pineapples carved on them became a common sight. Pineapples were being woven on welcome mats and intricate needlework on fine linens. Hostesses would set a pineapple in the center of their dining table when entertaining guests. Hostesses of affluent homes would try to outdo each other by creating memorable displays.

Captain Cook introduced the fruit to the Pacific and Hawaii islands in the 1770s. However, commercial cultivation did not begin until the 1880s when steamships made transporting the perishable fruit viable. James Dole started canning pineapples in 1903. By 1921 the Dole Hawaiian Pineapple Company was booming, making pineapple Hawaii's largest crop and industry for 40 years.

Well now, there you have it. A short history on how the pineapple became the symbol of hospitality. It's symbolic image of welcome, good cheer and warmth and affection is still used by the hotel and restaurant industries and homes around the world. I no longer wonder why my Pineapple paintings are so popular. I'm just glad they are.

Opening Night Reception for Maui Open Studios

January 30th, 2015

Opening Night Reception for Maui Open Studios

Here is a mock set up of my display for the opening reception of Maui Open Studios. The reception is tomorrow at the Maui Tropical Plantation from 5pm to 8pm. I will be tweeting it a bit at the venue. There will be 60 out of the 90 artists participating in this year's reception. In years past, the opening reception would bring crowds of people in to see the samplings of art and meet the artists. It's their chance to pick and chose how they will conduct there own personal tour of the artists studios. This year I'm artist #2 both in the guidebook and at the opening reception so I will be very easy to find.

2015 Maui Open Studios

January 8th, 2015

2015 Maui Open Studios

The 2015 Maui Open Studio guide books just arrived! This year I'm in a very good position in the book, I'm number two! How cool is that! I also have an ad that my wonderful boy friend and partner created for me. This event is fast approaching. Just 4 weeks away! I'm working on painting lots of extra miniatures for the event. I also have 6 new oil paintings, the four paintings featured in my book "The Art of Painting in Acrylic", which I have copies available for sell and 21 new acrylic paintings done in a new style all ready for the show! My next chores are rearranging the art on my walls and sending out post cards as soon as they are printed.

I'm really looking forward to this year's event. Hope to see you there!

A Great Start to a New Year, 2015

January 2nd, 2015

A Great Start to a New Year, 2015

Yesterday was the first day of 2015 and what an adventurist day it was. My significant other and I decided to go to the top of Haleakala. I packed a pic-nick lunch and we loaded the car with lots of coats, most of them for me. We started out early, leaving the condo by 8:30AM. Our first stop was the visitor center headquarters at 7000 foot elevation. at this point we put on our tennies. I haven't worn shoes in a very long time so my feet were feeling a bit cramped. We purchased a couple of books on native plants and picked up a map of Haleakala National Park. We reached our next stop, Hosmer Grove by 11:30. We hiked a short trail that led us through pine and eucalyptus trees. This area is a great place for bird watchers. Plenty of native birds make their home. I saw only a few but heard many. We spent about an hour exploring this area before we moved on. As we headed up the road we took advantage of a few pull outs to photograph the seen. The views were quite picturesque but the wind was getting quite strong. At elevation 9740 feet we reached Haleakala Visitor Center. It became very clear I was going to need more then just the one jacket I had put on at the last visitor center. So I layered the lightest one first, then the fur ( fake fur) lined one I borrowed from my neighbor and lastly put on my boyfriend's coat he had been waring. No, I didn't let him freeze in that 42 to 47 degree wind, he had brought his heavy down parka for this occasion. We eat our pic-nick lunch in the car, out of the cold and wind. Then headed to the shortest of the two hiking trails we wanted to do. At the top of the first trail the wind had picked up and was to strong to spend to much time photographing. The second trail called keonehe'ehe'e Trail ( Sliding Sands Trail) takes you down into the valley where the colorful cinder cones are and leads deep into the wilderness. We only went a short distance do to the cold wind. Going down the trail was not bad be cause the wind helped push us. Coming back up was another story! We had to stop ever 25 to 50 yards to catch our breath and to rest. I made a short video of the top of the trail and posted it on my facebook, but the wind was so loud it drowned out my narrative. Once we got back to the parking lot we headed farther up the road to the top of the Pu'u'ula'ula summit, 10,023 feet elevation. There was a protective, enclosed viewing area that allowed you to see the Big Island of Hawaii and the West Maui Mountains. We didn't stay long because sunset was getting close and we wanted to head down the mountain for a different vantage point to take sunset photos. We managed to get about half way down to a nice pull out just as the sun began to set. We were rewarded with a spectacular one as you can see from the photo posted here. I'm really happy with how the first day of 2015 started and ended. I'm now looking forward to making the rest of the year adventurist and exciting.

Surprise

December 21st, 2014

Surprise

Friday night we went to Village Gallery in Lahaina. Charlie surprised me when he unrolled the banner for the "Small Works Show". My painting of "Sunset Santa" was the featured image on the banner along with my hibiscus flowers I painted. The image was by special request by gallery owner, Lynn Shue. He did a great job keeping this secret. I was turely surprised and very honored to represent the "small works show". I'm also excited to have sold three of the six small works I entered in the show.

Village Gallery Holiday Show

December 13th, 2014

Village Gallery Holiday Show

Village Galleries Holiday Show featuring small works by gallery artists Rich Kenny, Virginia Pearce, Shauna Morrison and Darice Machel McGuire, opens with a festive reception on Friday December 12th at 120 Dickesnon Street in Lahaina! The show runs through the Holiday season.

Beach Clean Up

November 30th, 2014

Beach Clean Up

On November 23rd 2014, Maui Unighted Way, Target and the Surfrider Foundation sponsored a beach clean up. As Board President of Lahiana Arts Asscoiation (a grant recipient of Maui United Way) I and my partner, Charlie Osborn, volunteered to help out. Everyone on the clean up crew received a t-shirt, water bottle and lunch. We also each received a raffle ticket. Charlie and I were known as the LAA team. We went farther and longer then the other participants. Filling bucket after bucket with all sorts of trash. Charlie found a fish ( shown in photo) that was smelling very ripe and asked me to hurry up to take the picture. You can see by the look on his face he was more them ready to get rid of this piece of trash. Charlie and I both received an extra raffle ticket for the "above the call of duty" efforts we gave. And as luck would have it, I won a $25 gift card to Target from the raffle. Now all I have to do is wait a few months for the new Target store to open here on Maui, which we are both excited about.

Being President of Lahaina Arts Asscoiation has given me lots of new opportunities to meet and connect to Maui community members. In the short two and a half years of living on Here we have become very known in the Lahaina area and, in some cases, beyond. I'm often amazed at how fast we were excepted into our new community. Maui truly is a welcoming, loving place, full of Aloha.

Maui Open Studio 2015

November 20th, 2014

Maui Open Studio 2015

One might think living on a tropical island is all about lazy days, beach life and easy living. But not for this island girl. I'm gearing up for Maui Open Studios 2015. This is my second year participating in this event. I've been working on new paintings, rearranging my art both in my studio and in the stairwell gallery. I just ordered a case of my book "The Art of Painting in Acrylic" for the event and I've placed my order for my promotional post cards. February is fast approaching and I want to be ready. This year my open studio will be during the first weekend of the event. In the guide book and on MOS's website I am artist #2. How cool is that?!

www.mauiopenstudios.com/2015html/2015.aboutevent.html

"The Annual Maui Open Studios Event is the first island-wide event of its kind in Hawaii. It spans over 4 weekends in February (The 2015 event will begin on January 31) every year and consists of an Opening Celebration and Preview Exhibition, followed by 3 weekends of self-guided tours of artist studios and exhibition spaces."

Time For Some Early Christmas Shopping

November 7th, 2014

Time For Some Early Christmas Shopping

It's never to early for Christmas shopping. I often start buying Christmas presents in the summer because I find lots of great deals then. How about you? Are you gearing up for the coming Holiday season? Do you need some ideas?

My new book "The Art of Painting in Acrylic" is perfect for the art student in your life. This book is full of information and helpful techniques by six acrylic artists. One of which is me! My four paintings are Maui scenes and each one offers a different technique to try. Learn how to create sea foam and sand in one, light rays in another. Try an underpainting as in my "Olowalu Valley" or learn how to layer the paint to create depth as in my "Twin Falls" painting. Follow along with my co-authors, Linda Yurgensen, Toni Watts, Varvara Harmon, Michael Hallinan and Alicia VanNoy Call, to learn how to paint animals, portraits, still life and fun bright pop-art.


Order your book now through one of these online retailers.

Qbookshop - www.qbookshop.com
Amazon – www.amazon.com

Barnes & Noble – www.barnesandnoble.com
IndieBound – www.indiebound.org

Indigo – www.chapters.indigo.ca

It's also available as an ebook!
Amazon Kindle - http://www.amazon.com/Kindle-eBooks/

Barnes & Noble Nook - https://mynook.barnesandnoble.com

Apple ebook - https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/ibooks/id364709193?

Interview with Genie Canvas

October 26th, 2014

Interview with Genie Canvas

Today I'm excited to announce my interview with Genie Canvas is now up on their website. Go check it out and tell me what you think. If you have any questions regarding the canvas, just ask.


Genie Canvas Collapsible Canvases by Big Daddy Canvas picture with Aladdins lamp

Christmas Is Coming

October 23rd, 2014

Christmas Is Coming

Christmas is coming and I want to help you get ready. So starting today through Nov 23rd I created a special discount code for you to use on any of my prints. Just use this code DEMSAJ at checkout and save.

Shopping on line has become super easy for busy people these days and it's made shopping easier for those who are unable to get out to shop. Christmas shopping is a huge chore and can be very stressful. So take advantage of this discount to help ease some of that stress and enjoy your Holiday this year.

A Couple of Minis

October 11th, 2014

A Couple of Minis

These two miniature paintings are now featured at Village Gallery in Lahaina. The tall one is 3x6 inches and is a scene from Kapalua Bay, looking out at Molokai. The other is a 3x5 painting. The scene is from Napili Bay and again you see Molokai in the background.

I really enjoy painting these little gems. Maui I so beautiful, everywhere I go, every day I see scenes that inspirer me. Sharing these special moments by painting these little miniatures gives me great joy! When a customer buys one I get double the joy because I know that a little piece of my paradise will be living in a home of someone who loves Maui as much as I do.

Genie Canvas

October 6th, 2014

Genie Canvas

I just finished this big 24 x 48 painting of Sand Harbor. It's a commission piece that is being sent to Florida. Since moving to Maui over two years ago, I discovered how beyond expensive it is to ship things to or from Hawaii. A large painting like this one costs between $400 to $600 hundred dollars to ship. That is a huge cost added to my customer's total and can be a deal breaker. But I have found a solution, Genie Canvas
( http://geniecanvas.com/ ). I found this company through a discussion thread on Fine Art America. I checked out their website and was instantly excited. I ordered one ( the painting pictured here ). It took quite a long time to decide what to paint on this canvas. In Fact it sat waiting in it's tube for months waiting for it's turn.

Assembling the canvas was super easy and fast. The canvas it's self is great quality "the heavy weight, 100% cotton canvas is triple gesso primed". Once my painting is dry I will be re-rolling it up and putting it back in the tube it was shipped to me in. Then I will ship it off to Florida at a fraction of the cost to create it and ship it. Just a mere $35! How exciting is that!

If you are an artist reading this blog, go check out the Genie Canvas website listed above. You can thank me later.

Genie Canvas Collapsible Canvases by Big Daddy Canvas picture with Aladdins lamp

My Prints Are Going Global

August 28th, 2014

My Prints Are Going Global

Fineartamerica has made an announcement this past week about their new print fulfillment center in the UK. Fineartamerica is the parent website for my www.daricemachel.com website.


"We are very pleased to announce that we've begun producing and shipping orders from our new fulfillment center... in the United Kingdom!
Effective immediately, if a buyer purchases a canvas print and ships it to any address in the UK or Europe, the order will be fulfilled by our UK fulfillment center.
What does that mean?
It means that the order will ship to any address in the UK within one business day... and to any address in Europe within 2 - 5 business days!
It also means low shipping rates... no import taxes... and a whole new market of buyers for your artwork!
We're starting out with canvas prints, and we'll be expanding to include other products at the UK fulfillment center very, very quickly.
The UK center will be fulfilling orders for all of our websites, including Pixels.com, FineArtAmerica.com, FineArtEurope.com, Instaprints.com, ArtistWebsites.com, and all of the others. This includes your personal Artist Website and your shopping cart widgets, as well.
If the buyer is shipping the order to the UK or Europe, then the order will automatically be produced at the UK fulfillment center so that the buyer receives the order as quickly as possible with the lowest possible shipping charge. If the order is being shipped to the United States, Canada, or anywhere else in the Western Hemisphere, then the order will continue to be produced at one of our U.S. fulfillment centers.
If you've read this far... here comes the fun part. Starting now through August 31st, we're offering FREE SHIPPING on all canvas orders that get shipped to any country in the UK or Europe. You don't need a special code to receive the free shipping offer. Just add a canvas print to your shopping cart, select a shipping address in the UK or Europe, and you're all set. In less than a week, we'll deliver a museum-quality masterpiece to your doorstep with a 30-day money-back guarantee!
Tell your friends... tell your family... tell your followers on Facebook and Twitter... your online art business just went global!
This is just the beginning of our expansion all over the world... stay tuned... "

This is such great news. My prints are now easier then ever for purchase globally.

Heading To Chico CA

August 17th, 2014

Heading To Chico CA

Tomorrow morning we will be leaving for our trip to Chico California. My partner, Charlie Osborn's grandson is getting married on Saturday the 23rd and I'm doing my first book signing on Wen the 20 at Avenue 9 Gallery. I also get to meet my newest grand baby who was born last October, I can't wait to get my hands on her!!! I'm really looking forward to this exciting trip. So much going on in such a short amount of time.

The Chico Enterprise Records did a nice write up on for my book signing event. The books have all arrived in Chico safely and are waiting for me. I'm getting pretty nervous, I've never done anything like this and hope it all comes out well and I don't make to big an ass out of myself.

lick on the link to read the article.

My Book Has Arrived

August 7th, 2014

My Book Has Arrived

I am so excited to be able to hold this book in my hands. Look, see that image I'm pointing to? That is my painting. I'm on the cover! The long journey that started back in November 25th 2013 has come to a rest for the moment. Seeing, touching and smelling this book has given me chicken skin (as they say here in Hawaii, goosebumps on the mainland), all over my body. Walter Foster Publishing has done a marvelous job putting this book together. They found 6 artists who's works blend well together. I'm having a hard time putting this book down! I want to keep touching it to assure myself that it is real. I really am one of the authors, I really do have four paintings featured in this book. I'm not dreaming!!!! In just a few weeks I'll be doing my first book signing in Chico California at Avenue 9 Gallery.

Two years ago, when I left Chico to move to Maui, I knew a great adventure was waiting for me. Little did I know just how great it would be!



The Winner of My First Facebook contest is....

July 31st, 2014

The Winner of My First Facebook contest is....

Today I'm happy to announce the winner of my first Facebook contest. I had my friend, Pam Web pull out the name.......drum roll please.............. Bonnie Markley is the winner......Wooooohoooooo!!!!

The Palette Pages

July 29th, 2014

The Palette Pages

As a full time working artist, i'm always on the look out to find online art directories to add my website to. Last week I came across "The Palette Pages". Here is what they have on there About Us page;

"The Palette Pages is a website promoting art from across the globe! . We are the inspirational website of choice for anyone who loves art, providing a directory of Galleries and Artists from around the world and encouraging creative discussion.

The founder Lisa Gray said “As a part time artist but a full time lover of art, I really wanted to create a platform for artists to share their work and discuss all aspects of creativity. We’re new and still in the development stage of the website but the response has been overwhelming, we’re very excited about the next few months. We made the decision to put the website live as of Feb 2014 although we were still building crucial elements. We hope the creative community will grow with us”

After signing up on The Palette Pages and setting up my own page, I received an email from the sites owner, Lisa Gray. Asking if I would do an interview. I said yes. Today she posted the interview and I am beyond thrilled with it. check out the link to read the interview.
http://www.thepalettepages.com/2014/07/29/darice-machel/

Fun with kids

July 17th, 2014

Fun with kids

Having the opportunity to teach at Central Boys and Girls Club in Kahului Maui this past month gave me a boost in creative energy. 16 kids, ages 8 and up, all excited to create something new, reminded me how important it is to let out the inner child once in awhile. For the two days I taught, we did ACEOs, also known as ATCs ( art trading cards). I brought my personal collection of ATCs and all the ones I painted to show the kids. I told them I would be happy to trade one of mine for one of theirs. They all took me up on it. I now have lots of new tiny paintings in my collection. It's quite the honor to be given a piece of art created by the hands of a child. The pure ness and imagination that goes into their work is priceless.

My Book Will Soon Be Out

July 14th, 2014

My Book Will Soon Be Out

In just a few short weeks my book "Art of Painting in Acrylic"; Master techniques for painting stunning works of art in acrylic-step by step, will be on book shelves all across the US. I'm so excited I can hardly stand it! Working on this project has been a great adventure. I've learned so much along the way. I'm so grateful to my publisher Stephanie Meissner and all the wonderful, hard working people at Walter Foster Publishing for making this possible.

This book features 6 acrylic artists covering a variety of subject matter ranging from still lifes and portraits to landscapes and animals. I'm one of the Landscape/seascape artists. The four paintings I did for the book are now on my website, check them out in my gallery titled "Featured Paintings In Walter Foster Book".

For a sneak peek at the book and to pre-order your copy click on the link below.

http://www.amazon.com/Art-Painting-Acrylic-techniques-acrylic-step/dp/1600583822

Win an 8 x 10 print

July 5th, 2014

Win an 8 x 10 print

I'll be giving away an 8 x 10 canvas print of "Lahaina Harbor" to one lucky winner this month. All you have to do to win is go to my facebook page (see link below), like my page and post a comment telling me why you want to win this print. I'll be closing the contest July 31st and will choose one lucky winner.

www.facebook.com/Darice.ArtEstudio

Blast from the past

June 13th, 2014

Blast from the past

This image is a photo of my mom, Lola Owen and I at Lakeside Gallery, my parents gallery on the north shore of Lake Tahoe. It was taken in the late 80s or early 90s. Don't you just love those big glasses and cute hat of mine! I miss that hat, I wonder what happened to it. I'm holding those two framed paintings because they belong to the young lady sitting there. I just finished framing them and she was pretty happy with the results.

I had many jobs at the gallery, framer, teacher, sales clerk, model ( when ever my mom needed one ), ordering and stocking merchandise, book keeping, paying bills, scheduling teachers for art workshops, writing news letters and news announcements for the local news paper and janitor. When you work in a family business you ware a lot of hats. I really enjoyed working at the gallery. I lived two blocks away and often walked to work. My kids always knew where I was at and my dog Lacy, ( OK, she was my youngest daughter's dog ) went to work with me.

The summer months in Tahoe were the busy months. There was very little time to sit around. Having a business in Tahoe meant you had to make the majority of your income in the summer when the tourists and summer home owners where there. There was no time for painting then, unless we were short a student for a visiting teacher. The winters months were boooooring! Skiers don't shop in galleries or take art classes so I was able to paint more. My favorite subjects to paint in the winter months were tropical landscapes. The thought of a nice warm tropical beach and dreaming of one day living in Hawaii kept me going through the winters ( over 32 of them ). I was not a snow person. Didn't like to be in it, didn't like to paint it. In fact, I think I only painted two or three snow scenes, ever!

Now here I am, sitting in my Maui studio / classroom, barefooted, warm and happy. Do I miss Tahoe? No, not really. I miss Lakeside Gallery and the fun times we had there. I miss my kids and grand kids. I miss my parents but I am so happy to be living in the world of my dreams.

My Newest Work In Progress

June 3rd, 2014

My Newest Work In Progress

I've been working on this acrylic painting since Friday, May 30th. I'm very close to being done. I need to study it a few days before I declare it finished.

Sneak Peek of The Art of Painting in Acrylic

June 3rd, 2014

Sneak Peek of The Art of Painting in Acrylic

"The Art of Painting in Acrylic" Master techniques for painting stunning works of art in acrylic - step by step. Collector's Series by Walter Foster Publishing.

"Ideal for beginning and intermediate artists seeking to develop or polish their acrylic painting skills, The Art of Painting in Acrylic features a range of techniques and valuable instruction for working with this classic medium. This comprehensive guide offers a fresh, modern approach to painting in acrylic. Beginning with detailed information for using acrylic tools and materials, The Art of Painting in Acrylic introduces artists to the basics, including paints and brushes, supports, mediums, and other essential information for working with this fast-drying paint. In addition to learning about basic color theory, painting techniques, and how to work with acrylic paint and textures, aspiring artists will enjoy putting their painting skills to use by practicing the step-by-step demonstrations designed to instruct and entertain. Professional acrylic painters provide easy-to-follow, comprehensive instruction and inspiration, enabling readers to learn techniques for mastering this lightweight, versatile, and easy-to-use medium. In-depth lessons cover a variety of subject matter ranging from still lifes and portraits to landscapes and animals. Along the way, aspiring artists will discover helpful tips and tricks for rendering a variety of textures, setting up compelling compositions, achieving accurate proportions, and more. With its breadth of content and detail, The Art of Painting in Acrylic is a must-have resource for any artist's reference library. Includes: Color Theory, Basic Drawing, Painting Techniques, Still Lifes & Flowers, Landscapes, Seascapes, Portraits, and Animals/Pet Portraits."


This book is featuring four of my paintings. Check this link for a sneak peek http://www.walterfoster.com/blog/Sneak-Peek-The-Art-of-Painting-in-Acrylic/252

The book will be available August 2014. You can pre-order a copy now and save on the cover price through Amazon, here's the link.
http://www.amazon.com/Art-Painting-Acrylic-techniques-acrylic-step/dp/1600583822

Or wait to order directly from me for a signed copy.

Special Promotion

June 3rd, 2014

Special Promotion

In just two short days my studio will be open to the public for "Maui Open Studios" tour. The studio is clean, I have a "work in progress" on my easel and I will be unveiling the four paintings I did for the new acrylic book by Walter Foster Publishing, "The Art of Painting in Acrylic". The book comes out this August. This weekend will be the only time I show these paintings to the public until the book is out. I will not be posting them on Facebook or my website until August. Prints will be made available then as well. I'll be asking those interested in the paintings and the book to sign up to my Newsletter. Walter Foster Publications has offered to do a book give-a-way for this event. Anyone who signs up to their email subscription list will be entered to win one of the books. The winner must have a U.S. shipping address.

For all of you reading this blog who wish to be added to those lists let me know by emailing me through my website. I'll be happy to add your name and email.

Proofing and Editing, Easier then I thought

April 19th, 2014

Proofing and Editing, Easier then I thought

Walter Foster Publishing has been so easy to work with, making every step of the way to publishing painless and easy to follow. I just received the file on my section of "The Art of Painting in Acrylic" to proof read and edit if need be. I'm so happy and excited to say how amazing the layout of my work looks! After proof reading everything I only found one line that needed editing because it just didn't sound right. I went back through my notes and discovered that was how I wrote it in the first place. I made the change and sent it back to my Editor. I also added a bit more info to my BIO. There are six artist represented in this new book. All of whom are very skilled in what they do. Once all the editing is done the book goes to print. By May Walter Foster Publishing will start their marketing campaign. Targeting book stores, art supply stores news media of all kinds and online media. The book is due out to be on book shelves August 1st.

LAA T Shirt Design

March 21st, 2014

LAA T Shirt Design

So, what in the world is LAA? LAA stands for Lahaina Arts Association, it's a non profit organization that focuses on free art education for the children of Maui County. I've been working with LAA as a board member for the past 18 months. A few months ago I was voted in as President. At the moment it takes $150,000 to run the 13 weekly art classes, provide the art supplies and give out 6 college scholarships a year. We hope to maintain and even expand our programs so more children can benefit. It takes a lot of fundraising, grant writing and donations to keep LAA going.

Coming up in May we will be joining the "Maui Charity Walk". The Charity Walk is a state wide event that occurs in the month of May on most islands each year. It is one of the largest single-day fundraising events by a non-profit organization in the state of Hawaii. Since it's inception in 1978, over $26 million has been raised, benefiting hundreds of local charities throughout the state. All funds raised on Maui, stays in Maui.

This year we are designing a T-shirt for the "Charity Walk" and are entering it into their T-shirt contest. My job is to design the T-shirt. The photo pictured here shows my progress so far. Each sandal will have the name of the town where one of our classes in located and what we represent. In the center it will say "Maui Youth Art Outreach" "Lahaina Arts Association". I chose the color wheel for obvious reasons. The sandals represent this years "Charity Walk" theme and logo, "Put Your Best Slippah Forward". ("Slippah, is Hawaiian slang for flip flops or sandals.)

Clearprint Cross-Country Project

March 18th, 2014

Clearprint Cross-Country Project

The last two blog posts were about the Clearprint "Cross-Country" project I participated in. I received an email today saying my art work is now on their website along with the other 9 books. The books are not quite half full yet. They are heading out to the next crop of artists. Check out all the great art work so far from artist all around the Country. http://www.clearprintpaperco.com/#!cross-country/c1oyi

Finished Painting For Clearprint

March 8th, 2014

Finished Painting For Clearprint

Yesterday I finished this painting for "Cross Country Clearprint". I chose this tropical scene to represent my island Maui. The Island in the background is Molokai. The little beach is a few blocks from where I live.

Clearprint Cross-Country Project

March 6th, 2014

Clearprint Cross-Country Project

I recently signed up for Clearprint Cross-Country Project. Yesterday I received the Clearprint Vellum book. Here is how it works;

*Participating artists will receive two - 6x8 Clearprint Vellum Books when it is their turn to join. One book will be used in the exchange; the second will be for the artist to keep as a gift.

*Artists will be allowed 1 week to create their work once the book is received. After two weeks’ time Clearprint will send notifications to the artist that they have surpassed their deadline.

*Each artist gets one page (right hand side) to create on. The artist may choose to create a work on the front of their page or utilize the front and back to create a work that can be viewed from multiple sides.

I now have one week to create my work. My next post will be the finished piece.


Two more weeks to get ready

February 10th, 2014

Two more weeks to get ready

Charlie and I have been working hard to get our studios ready for Maui open Studio Tour. He has a lot of new photographs that will sure to please our visitors and he installed new lights to light up a dark corner this past weekend. I've painted a bunch of new miniatures and have ordered miniature frames from our local framer. They should be ready this week.

We took a break yesterday to tour some of the artists in Kula, Makawao and Pukalani. We ended up spending quite a bit of time at each location which made us run out of time to see everyone we wanted to see. Both Charlie and enjoyed discovering new places and connecting with fellow artists. Maui Open Studios, what a fun event!

Some Very Exciting News

February 6th, 2014

Some Very Exciting News

On November 25 2013, I received the most amazing email, one I had to read at least ten times. The email was sent by the Senior Editor / Project Manager of Walter Foster Publishing. Here is what she wrote,

"I'm the senior editor at Walter Foster Publishing (www.walterfosterpublishing.com), a publisher of fine-art instructional books. We are currently working a book titled "The Art of Painting in Acrylic." This is a 144-page, multi-authored book in our Collector's Series. We typically split the books up into subjects and include a section on painting still lifes, portraits, etc. I came across your website last week and thought you would be a good fit for a section on painting landscapes and seascapes. Is this something that would be of interest to you? We would be looking for several step-by-step projects that beginner-to-intermediate painters can follow along. Projects are typically between 6 and 9 steps, depending on complexity or the artist's preference. You would retain all the rights to your finished artwork.

If this something that you would be interested in, I would be happy to provide you with additional details regarding the scope of the project, including payment and schedule."

I must admit, the first time I read it my first thought was "Is this for real?", "Is this some kind of clever scam?". When my mind finally excepted the fact that I was reading a real email, I began shaking with excitement. The first person I shared this with was the love of my life. In fact, I read it out loud to him, just to make sure, one more time, that it was real. Then I called my parents.

After emails back and fourth, publishing contracts read and signed and images agreed upon, I got to work on the fist of the four paintings. The image shown here is the first image chosen to use as my reference for one of the step by step paintings. All the reference photos are from my photo excursions around Maui.

Why wait to blog about this exciting news until now? Well, to be honest, I dug right in and focused 100% of my energy into producing the four paintings and writing the step by step instructions. I finished the fourth painting last week and completed the instructions a few days ago. Now I can relax and focus on my next adventure, Maui Open Studio tour.

I'll post more info regarding the book soon. But for now I'll leave you with the link to it's webpage on Walter Foster's website. The book is still in production. The publishing date is August 1, 2014.

http://www.walterfoster.com/books/book.php?id=9781600583827

I'm putting together a list for anyone interested in purchasing the book. Let me know if you want your name and email added to the list.

My shipment has arived

February 4th, 2014

My shipment has arived

I just picked up my shipment of miniature stretcher frames and easels. My back stock drawer is full again and just in time. I need to get to work on stocking up for Maui Open Studios. My dad is my manufacture and supplier. He makes all my miniature stretcher frames and easels. When ever I get low or want to try a new size I just call him up and place an order. This shipment I'm excited about because I have two new sizes to work with, a 4x8 and a 3x6. I wanted to try out these new sizes out to see how well panorama miniature paintings will sell.

My miniature paintings are very popular here on Maui. I believe one of the reasons is how well these canvases and easels are made. You can't by this good a quality at any art supply store or on line art supplier. Another great selling point is the info card on the back of each canvas. My sweet partner/mate designed and prints them for me. And the last reason is how much detail I put into these tiny gems when I paint them. Each miniature painting is 100% made in the USA and each is original and unique.

Opening Reception

February 3rd, 2014

Opening Reception

Saturday night was the opening reception for Maui Open Studios. What a fantastic night it was. Over 700 people showed up to view the 57 participating artists at the event. Each artist had a small 5x5 space to set up a display of their work. Charlie and I took advantage of being set up next to each other which expanded our space to 10x5. We both had a great deal of interest for our work. Charlie's island landscape photography was well received. My "Sugar Cane Train" oil painting got a lot of attention as did the miniature paintings I had on display (two of which are in the photo). Photography Prints

Some of the people interested in our work didn't want to wait for our weekend ( Feb 22 & 23) to see our studios, so we invited them to come any time that was convenient for them. Which means I better start cleaning my studio today.

Maui Open Studio Tour

January 27th, 2014

Maui Open Studio Tour

Gearing up for this year's Maui Open Studio Tour. This past weekend I re-hung all the art in my studio and my side of the stair well leading up to it. Charlie, my life partner and studio partner has been working on his side. I'm looking forward to the opening reception Feb 1st at the Maui Tropical Plantation. Last year over 500 people showed up for the reception I hope we get at least that many this year. http://www.mauiopenstudios.com/ this link will give you an over view of the event and maps to each artists studio. Weekend three is the weekend Charlie and I will be in.

11 New Miniatures

January 23rd, 2014

11 New Miniatures

This week I'm concentrating on painting miniatures. The image here shows 11 new ones I've done so far. Six of them I did today. I hope to double the amount by Saturday.

2013 Ended With A Bang

January 14th, 2014

2013 Ended With A Bang

2013 was an amazing year. I had set high goals and achieved most of them. Including getting my work in three galleries here on Maui. Other highlights of the year were * flying to Florida for my number 2 child's wedding in May * flying to Tahoe for my number 3 child's wedding in July * new baby granddaughter born 22 of October * being voted in as President of Lahaina Arts Association (a 501(c)3 no-profit) in December and being contacted by Walter Foster Publishing in November to do 4 step by step paintings for a new book on acrylics. Needless to say, Muai has been very very good to me and I'm so excited for 2014!

Mele Kalikimaka

December 24th, 2013

Mele Kalikimaka

Here is a fun Hawaiian style Christmas poem for you to enjoy.

Was da night bafo' Christmas,
and all ova' da place
Not even da geckos
was showin' their face.

Da stockings was hangin' on top da TV?
('Cause no mo' fireplace in Hawai'i)
Da kids stay all crashed, my old man too.
They leave all da work for you-know-who.

So me, I stay pickin' up alla their toys,
When - boom! - outside get only big noise!
I run to da window, I open 'em up,
I stick out my head and I yell, "Eh! Whassup?!"

And then, I no can ba-lieve what I seen!
Was so unreal, you know what I mean?
This fat haole guy get his reindeers in my yard!
And reindeers not housebroken, you know, as' why hard!

But nemmind, this Christmas, so I cut 'em some slack.
Plus, had uku pile presents pokin' outta his sack!
So I wait 'till he pau tie up his reindeer,
Then I yell out da window, "Huui! Brah, ova hea!"

An' I tell 'em first thing, when I open da door,
"Eh, Hemo your shoes! You going dirty my floor!"
He take off his boots, he tell, "You know who I am?"
I go, "Ho! From the smell, must be Mr. Toe Jam!"

He make mempachi eyes and he go, "Ho, ho, ho!"
By now, I stay thinking this guy kinda slow!
He look like my Tutu, but little less weight,
And his beard stay so white, mo' white than shark bait!

He stay all in red, specially his nose,
And get reindeer spit on top his nice clothes!
But him, he no care; he just smile at me,
And he start fo' put presents unda-neath da tree.

I tell 'em, "Eh, brah, no need make li'dat,
And watch where you step! You going ma-ke da cat!"
Then, out from his bag, he pull one brand new computah,
Choke video games, and one motorized scootah!

He try for fill up da Christmas socks too,
But had so much pukas, all da stuff went fall troo.
When he pau, I tell 'em, "Eh Santa, try wait!
I get plenty leftovahs, I go make you one plate!"

But he nevah like hang, he had so much fo' do;
Gotta make all them small kids' wishes come true.
So I wave 'em goodbye, and I flash 'em da shaka,
And I tell 'em, "Mele Kalikimaka!"

When he hear that, he stop and I telling you true,
He go, "Garans ball-barans! Merry Christmas to you!"

A Year On Maui

August 13th, 2013

A Year On Maui

On July 6th we celebrated our one year anniversary on Maui. It's hard to believe it's been a year already.....and they said it wouldn't last, LOL. Many people asked me how I was going to deal with Island fever. I said, Island fever, what's that? It seems some people think living on an island would cause them to feel confined or claustrophobic. I think that would be true for those who don't get out and explore the world around them. Maui has a lot to offer. There is so much to do here I doubt I'll ever be bored or feel confined.

These past 12 months have been very productive and busy. Just three weeks after arriving here I got my miniature paintings into a gallery on Front Street in Lahaina. As it turned out Village Galleries ( http://www.villagegalleriesmaui.com/ ) is the oldest gallery in Hawaii. At about that same time I also sent an email to Lahaina Arts Association ( http://lahaina-arts.org/ a non profit organization dedicated to teaching art to children K-12 ) to offer my help. The president of the organization called me after she went over my art school website with a fine tooth comb. After a hour on the phone with her I was asked to join the board. I was voted in as a board member in September, then became vice-president in January 2013. last September my miniature work was excepted in the Gallery at the Ritz Carlton in Kapalua. I have also re-opened my art school in Lahaina and have enjoyed meeting and teaching new students.

Learning to live on an island is not hard at all. Especially here on Maui. There is so much beauty that surrounds me it's hard to decide where to look. The ocean views are spectacular and mountain views are some of the best in the world. And the clouds, OMG the clouds, are amazing! I love studying them every day. Oh and rainbows, I can't forget to mention them. We see rainbows everyday on our drive home from Lahaina to Napili where we live.

One of the best parts about living on Maui is I get to ware shorts and flip flops everyday, seven days a week, 362 days a year if I want to! Yep, no more snow for me. I have put on my tennies just once since living here and that was so I could ride on a Segway ( http://www.segwaymaui.com/ ), which, by the way, is a lot of fun.

The next 12 months are starting out as busy as the last. I have an appointment to show my work in a third gallery, Kaukini Gallery ( http://kaukinigallery.com/ ). This one is in Kahakuloa, a small Hawaiian community in the West Maui Mountains. A beautiful gallery in a beautiful location. And later this month I'm flying home to Tahoe for my son's wedding. I haven't been back to Tahoe for over 5 years. It will be nice to see my family and friends.

Well that's it for today's blog. I hope you enjoyed reading it. OH and check out those websites I mention above.

The image shown here is Kahakuloa Head.


Florida Here I come

May 3rd, 2013

I'll be making my first trip to Florida in just a few days. My daughter Michel lives there and is getting married on May 11th. I get to travel with my youngest daughter Monique and her family. We leave Reno on Monday for an 11 1/2 hour flight. I'm excited to meet my new son-in-law and see where Michel lives and works. But before leaving Reno I get to spend a day with my oldest son, Joshua and his family. We'll be visiting my parents as well. This is my first trip off the Island since we moved here and I know I'm going to miss it.

21ST Annual Celebration Of The Arts

March 24th, 2013

21ST Annual Celebration Of The Arts

The 21st Annual Celebration of the Arts

March 29 - 30, 2013

I'm very excited to be a part of this annual event. I'll be demonstrating miniature painting on Friday and Saturday from 1:30 to 4:30.

Celebration of the Arts has gained recognition around the entire state and beyond as the premier cultural and and educational experience available for visitors and kama’aina.
Village Galleries will host a special Celebration of the Arts exhibition in the gallery. You will be able to meet gallery artists presenting painting demonstrations and many complimentary “hands-on” workshops on Friday and Saturday all day from 10:00 a.m..
Artists and Hawaiian practitioners will gather from across the state to share their expertise and thoughts on what makes the Hawaiian Islands and their culture so unique. Art, music and hula workshops are to be experienced daily.

The Celebration Luau will have the finest traditional foods, complimented with tasty contemporary dishes and desserts. For Celebration Room Packages, call 800. 262. 8440

celebrationofthearts.org



CELEBRATION OF THE ARTS

MARCH 29 & 30, 2013

VILLAGE GALLERIES • ARTISTS SCHEDULE

Betty Hay Freeland: Poster/Print Signing
Friday: 11am - 1pm & 2pm - 4pm

FRIDAY March 29, 2013 (will start after Opening Ceremony) 11a.m. - 1:45p.m.
1. Cindy Conklin • Hands-On Kapa Inspired Watercolor
2. George Allan • Oil Painting with Palette Knife Demonstration
3. Macario Pascual • Hands-on Mixed Media
4. Rich Kenny • Hands-On Maui Watercolor
5. Frank Andrews • Hands-On Petroglyph Art
6. Kathy Long • Hands-on Graphite Drawing Techniques

FRIDAY March 29, 2013 2pm - 4:30 p.m.
1. Darice Machel • Hands-on Mini Acrylic Paintings
2. Joe Fletcher • Hands-on Oil Painting
3. Carleton • Oil Painting Demo + Hands-on Drawing
4. Beth Marcil • Hands-on Mixed Media
5. Shauna Morrison • Hands-on Jewelry Making
6. Ellen Levinsky • Hands-on Feather ART
___________________________________________

Betty Hay Freeland: Poster/Print Signing
Saturday: 11am - 1pm & 2pm - 4pm

SATURDAY , March 29, 10a.m. - 1p.m
1. Beth Marcil • Hands-on Mixed Media
2. Shauna Morrison • Hands-on Jewelry Making
3. Macario Pascual • Hands-on Mixed Media
4. Frank Andrews • Hands-On Petroglyph Art
5. Linda Whittemore • Hands-on Print Making
6. Kathy Long • Hands-on Graphite Drawing Techniques

SATURDAY, March 30, 1:30 - 4:30p.m.
1. Darice Machel • Hands-on Mini Acrylic Paintings
2. Carleton • Oil Painting Demo + Hands-on Drawing
3. Joe Fletcher • Hands-on Oil Painting
4. Ellen Levinsky • Hands-on Feather Art
5. Rich Kenny • Hands-On Maui Watercolor
6. Winnie Wagstaff • Celebrating the art of N. Robert Wagstaff

Schedule subject to change. Please call gallery to confirm 808-669-1800
villagegalleriesmaui.com
For Schedule of Cultural Presentations and more information visit...
celebrationofthearts.org or call The Ritz-Carlton, Kapalua 669-6200

Decision Made

March 16th, 2013

Decision Made

I made up my mind and decided to create a gallery on my website for my miniature paintings. I just uploaded about 30 images to start with. I'll be uploading more soon. The paintings in the gallery are not for sale because most of them have sold already. Please take a look at the " Miniature Painting" gallery.

Ive been debating

March 12th, 2013

Ive been debating

I have been painting miniatures for close to 20 years now. They are fun to do and sale really fast. I post them on facebook and have sold a few on there. Today I was asked if I have them on my website. I've been debating about putting them on here for a while now. I haven't in the past because I don't make prints of my miniatures. I sale them through two galleries here on Maui. I set aside two mornings a week to paint them. I can do between 4 to 6 of them a week. If I were to put them on here it would be strictly for show due to the fact that they sale so fast. I guess I can just post them here in my blog and not on the website, like I do on facebook.

The miniature painting in this photo is 4x4 inches, painted with acrylic on stretched canvas. This size painting sales for $70. shipping is $5.

Gianna Mitchell 4 The Luv Of Arts

March 12th, 2013

Gianna Mitchell 4 The Luv Of Arts

The 2013 "Gianna Mitchell 4 The Luv Of Arts" is an annual fund raising event. All the proceeds from this event goes to two Maui non-profit organizations, Lahaina Arts Association www.lahaina-arts.org and Ebb And Flow Arts www.EbbAndFlowArts.org. This year it has been my pleasure to work with the organizer of this event, Allison Royce, as her assistant. The event takes place on April 27th at Longhi's (a well known restaurant on Front Street in Lahaina). There will be live music, a silent art auction, a raffle and a special multi-media performance by two of Ebb and Flow young entertainers. The students in Lahaina Arts Association's "Out Reach" program created non-objective art posters for this event. I put together 4 art lessons/projects to be used by the teachers and I provided the poster paper for their use. All the children in the classes were encouraged to participate. The idea behind the poster project is to be part of the live multi-media performance. The posters will be set up on easels on the stage/dance floor, an interactive improv performance will take place by the young dancer and a musician of Ebb and Flow. The dancer or musician will pick one of the posters to use as a visual for a three minute improv routine. They will continue to choose a poster and preform to each one. We will also have the audience participate by making posters during the event.

I'm also donating the painting shown here for the silent auction and I've decided to give 100% of my profits from print sales of this image to the cause. Anyone interested in buying this print just click on the image below.

If you want to know more about either of these fine organizations just go to the websites I posted.


Sell Art Online

Miniature paintings

February 18th, 2013

Miniature paintings

Since arriving here on my new island home of Maui, I have painted and sold a lot of my miniature paintings. The fun thing about these little gems is I paint my daily life here. Everyone I've done has been painted from a photo I've taken on my iPhone. The one shown here is from our day trip to the Kula Botanical Garden on New Years Day. The size of my miniatures range from 2x3 to 6x8 inches. Each one comes with it's own easel.

I photograph everything and anything that catches my eye. Not all the images I take make it onto a canvas. I weed through 100s before deciding on one to paint. Most of the ones that do make it on to canvas I do while sitting in front of Village Gallery's gift shop on Front Street in Lahaina. For those of you who are familiar with Front Street you know what a historic old seaside town it is and know it is an artist haven. At least for some artists. On the days that I paint in front of the store, I get to meet and talk to lots of happy vacationers. People come from all over the world to visit the Hawaiian Islands. Some come by ship, some by planes and most of them are having the best time and can't wait to come back to visit.

I love my new life here. It's what I've worked so hard for many years to get to.



Please note, the painting in the photo has sold and is no longer available.

Stretching my canvas

February 15th, 2013

Stretching my canvas

All my miniature paintings are painted on canvases I stretch. I find I can control the quality and use different types of canvas, rough or smooth, raw or primed. When we moved to Maui I discovered shipping costs from my art supply sources more then doubled. My dad came to the rescue, as he so often did when I was a child, and now makes all my stretcher frames and miniature easels.

In the picture posted here I'm working on my inventory for the next two weeks. My miniature paintings sale pretty fast so I have to keep up..

Letter from a young student

February 14th, 2013

Letter from a young student

This letter from Elizabeth, a young student of mine, pulled on my heart strings. It felt good to hear from her and learn about her life since I moved. The spelling of my name was a joke she made to get my attention in class. Seeing it written in the letter brought back found fun memories. Being her "Hero" is a big responsibility, I hope I can live up to it. It's been seven months since we moved from Chico California to Maui. Life here is really good but I miss her and all my wonderful students. I wish I could have brought them all with me.

Lahina Harbor

February 8th, 2013

Lahina Harbor

My Lahaina Harbor Painting is finished. I made a few adjustments from my original drawing and I'm pleased with the results. To view the whole process go to my "Work In Progress" gallery here on my website.

Work in progress

January 27th, 2013

Work in progress

I've been working on this 16x20 oil panting for over a week. My time on it has been interrupted and I'm itching to get back to it. As you can see from the photo I posted I put a cad red light underpainting on the canvas. I choose this rich warm color to enhance the over all tonal range of this painting. If you look closely you will see this color in the sky, mountains, buildings, water and soon the boats. I think the underpainting is important for giving the finished painting a nice balance.

Stay tuned for the finished work.

Happy New Year 2013

January 7th, 2013

Happy New Year 2013

Hello 2013! What a welcome surprise you are considering the World was suppose to end on 12/21/12. But I for one, am happy it didn't. I have way to much living to do before I journey on to the next phase of existence ( what ever that might be).

2012 was a fantastic year. Starting with the birth of grand child number 6, born on January 3. Baby Clair weighed in at 5lbs 14oz. She turned a year old yesterday and I just mailed off her present this morning. Yep a little late, good thing she is a baby and wont mind......this year.

The first half of 2012 was very busy for Art E Studio with 12 classes and over 40 students a week. Needless to say my plate was defiantly full. Besides teaching I was also preparing to close Art E Studio in Chico for the move to Maui. The second half of the year was busy with the move and setting up the new studio/classroom here in Lahaina. I'm looking forward to all the unknowns headed my way in 2013 and I want wish all of you a very prosperous New Year.

A year in review

January 1st, 2010

A year in review

2009 started and ended well. I began the year with very strong goals to work towards. One of them was to find an art web site to show and sell my work. My research lead me to Fine Art America ( FAA ). After reviewing all it had to offer I signed up. Within two weeks one of my paintings was featured on the home page and soon after I sold my first print. Every morning I made it my job to log onto FAA and learn all about the wonderful marketing tools it had to offer. I began posting in the discussion forums during my first month of membership. It wasn’t long before I was one of the “regulars”, interacting with some of the worlds best artists. Many of whom I now call friends.

My excitement for this “treasure” of an web site grew as each month passed. New marketing features were added to help the artists promote and sell their work. One of my favorite features is the “customizable emails”, which allows me to send out beautiful and professional news letters to everyone on my email list. I am able to keep my customers, friends and family updated on new art work I’ve created or announce an up coming art show.

Another great feature that was recently added was “customizable greeting cards”. All my work is now available in the “card” format. Costumers are able to customize each card to suit their needs. The specs are as follows;

FAA greeting cards are 5″ x 7″ in size and produced on digital offset printers using 110 lb. paper stock.

Each card is coated with a UV protectant on the outside surface which produces a semi-gloss appearance.

The inside of each card has a matte white finish and can be customized with a text message up to 500 characters in length. The message is centered on the inside of the card and printed in black 18pt arial font.

The artist’s name and the name of the image is printed on the back of each card along with the FAA logo.

Cards may be ordered in a horizontal or vertical configuration.

Cards may be ordered with a white background or black background.

All greeting card orders ship within 48 hours, and shipping is available to any destination in the world!

I am now setting goals for 2010. The main ones will be focused on marketing my art work to increase exposure and sells. I will be creating more ideas for my students continued growth in the art of oil and acrylic painting. And I have made a goal to concentrate on posting more often in my blog.

Thank you for taking the time to read my blog and for your continued interest in my art work. May your New Year be full of creative energy.

Painting in a new style

September 11th, 2009

This summer has been a busy one for me. I've been painting a lot of miniature paintings to get ready for the Holiday season. Added six new students to my class schedule. I created an art blog, check out this link http://1stangel.co.uk/aaw/daricemachel/ and I was interviewed on 1st Angel Arts Magazine. Here is that link http://1stangel.co.uk/art/darice-machel-mcguire-interview-with-the-artist/

On top of all that I started painting in a new style. One morning I was allowing myself to wake up slowly, sitting on the couch and staring at the floor. I started to see images in the pattern of the linoleum tiles. I laughed and grabbed a piece of paper and pencil to sketch what I saw. I'm now making paintings from these sketches. I'm having so much fun with it and laughing at each completed piece. I have lived in my house for three years and have never paid much attention to the floor other then to sweep and wash it. Now, every time I look at it I see images! I have six new paintings of this dancing figure and plan on creating more soon. I hope you get as big a laugh out of them as I do. Check out my gallery page here on FAA to see these new works.
Art Prints

Fall is coming with it's shorter days and cooler nights and I will be just as busy. I'm working on plans for our "Christmas Preview" event coming up in November in Downtown Chico. Last year's event was very successful. Four of my young students were the window display at Art Etc. They took turns painting two 16 x 20 paintings I set up in the window. This year we plan on having only one large painting for all of them to work on. We will be raffling off the painting to earn money for the classroom. Tickets will be available for $1 each or 6 for $5. If you want to see some of the amazing paintings these young ladies have created you can check them out on my facebook page; Darice Machel McGuire

Promote Your Page Too
Thank you for your interest in my work.
Darice

Nine Framing Tips From a Professional....ME

August 27th, 2009

Yep, thats right. I'm a professional framer as well as an artist. I learned this fine trade from my father over 15 years ago. It started out as just a part time job to help balance my income while raising my four children. I took to framing like a duck to water and soon it became a full time job. Here are some valuable tips for framing your artwork.

1. When choosing a framer ask as many questions as you like and if the framer doesn't answer your questions or explain the process well or to your satisfaction, go to another framer. Be very careful of those who hide info from you, such as; putting museum glass on a poster that cost you less the $20.00. This kind of shop is after bumping up their sales. and doesn't have your best interest in mind.

2. If you have a stretched canvas with a dent or bulge spray the entire back of the canvas with water. The canvas will smooth out as it dries.

3. ....never let the glass touch your artwork! Glass is the number one cause of damage to art. Matting is not only for enhancing your work it's used to protect it from the glass. The mat creates a physical and air barrier between the art and the glass which will help protect the art piece from condensation that can occur behind the glass do to temperature changes. This moisture can cause damage by discoloration, buckling and it can serve as a breeding ground for mold, mildew and fungi.

4. What are spacers? The purpose of a spacer (and a mat is a type of spacer) is to provide an area of space between the work of art and the glass. You do not want any work of art to be directly touching the glass on a frame. Condensation, dirt, dust, and tiny particles can build up and adhere to the glass in your frame. This could result in damage to the work of art.

5. What about drymounting original art? Don't let anyone (not even your best friend) drymount a work on paper or anything else of value to a mat when framing it. Some framers may tell you that the work is too big to be secured with linen tape and that the piece has to be drymounted to foam core board to secure it within a frame. Don't do it!

6. There are several aesthetic reasons for matting art. It creates a field around the art to bring out it's colors and to draw the eye in. It adds drama to the presentation. It highlights a color, accents a shape and increases the overall size of the framed piece. It helps shape the presence of the piece,. For example, a black mat has the effect of lightening and enlarging the art work. A white mat will darken and shrink the image.

7. A rule of thumb to consider when planning a mat for your art is never use a mat lighter, brighter or darker than the lightest, brightest or darkest color of your art piece. And never use a "foreign" color. A foreign color is a color that is NOT in the art piece. You may be tempted to use the colors in the room you are decorating to frame your art to achieve a tie in. However, this generally doesn't work for the art piece and then if you redo the room, you'll likely have to redo your frame.

8. Using higher quality mat board is essential to protecting your artwork. Mat board that is NOT rated as Conservation Quality will allow the mat to discolor and possibly damage your artwork over time. These standard (paper) mats contain acids and lignins which for short-term use are fine. However, as a mat ages, damage can occur.

9. Protect your art from light and heat damage. Without light there would be no art. Light is what allows us to see and appreciate color. However, the very thing that allows us to enjoy photographs and art can also destroy them. Ultraviolet rays, or UV light, causes sunburns and wrinkles our skin. It also fades and discolors artwork. This damage is serious and irreversible. No conservation treatment can restore color to light-damaged materials. But careful framing and proper display can minimize the damage. I recommend conservation framing using acid free and lignin free mats which help protect your art work from the aging process. Use UV protection glass. The special coating on this glass block out 97% of harmful UV rays. Always hang your artwork out of direct sunlight. And never hang your valuable artwork over a heat source or in an area of high humidity. Heat and humidity will cause damage to your framed treasures.

The Elements of Mixing Color

August 23rd, 2009

The Elements of Mixing Color

The Elements of mixing color

When deciding to write this article, I thought it would be simple. At my age I should have known better. I've been mixing color for painting since I was 16. In my research I've discovered most articles, books and web sites talk of the scientific elements of color theory. I don't think in scientific terms while I'm painting. I'm in a creative, visual mode when I apply paint to canvas. I choose my colors based on the subject, mood, time of day and the way they look to please my eye. When teaching my students I explain what values, hue and intensity means in relationship to painting, breaking down scientific terms into simple language by visual examples. I discuss primary, secondary, tertiary and complementary colors. All these elements are important when learning to paint. And some of them are not easily learn.

Here are the seven basic elements, starting with hue.

HUE

Hue, in simple terms, refers to the name of a pure color. Scientifically speaking, hue relates to the length of the light wave, ranging in scale from red to violet, passing through orange, yellow, green and blue. all colors found in nature can be described as one of these 12 hues Red/Violet, Red, Red/Orange, Orange, Yellow/Orange, Yellow, Yellow/Green, Green, Blue/Green, Blue, Blue/Violet and Violet. By curving the linear shape of the visible spectrum into a circle you create a color wheel.


VALUE

The values of a color are one of the most important aspects of painting. This is how we get shape and depth of the object or subject we are painting. Value of a color means going from it's darkest range to it's lightest. Example: starting with black and adding white you create a lighter value of black. The more white you add the lighter gray you get. There are 11 value steps ranging from black - Level 0 to white - Level 10. Everything in a painting has value, sky, water, mountains, trees etc. Lets take a simple gray rock as an example. In order to get it's shape you must have at least three values, dark, medium and light. One value will only give you a blob of color (see example). Two values will leave the rock flat and uninteresting. Three values starts to give it shape and depth. The more values you add the more detailed the rock becomes. You can even make three rocks out of two.

INTENSITY

Intensity according to the dictionary means 1. quality of being intense. 2. extreme degree; great vigor ( not to be confused with my personality ). Intensity in color, sometimes referred to as saturation or chroma, is the term used to describe the purity and strength ( brightness or dullness ) of a color. In a painting if the value and hue of two different colors are the same, the one with the greatest intensity will come forward.

PRIMARY COLORS

Red, yellow and blue are classified as the primary colors, because they can not be generated by other paint mixtures. Theoretically, you can combine these three colors to create all other colors.

SECONDARY COLORS

Secondary colors are created by mixing two primary colors together. Example: Orange is created by mixing red and yellow. Green is created by mixing blue and yellow. Purple ( or violet ) is created by mixing blue and red. When mixing all three primaries you will get a dark neutral gray.

TERTIARY COLORS

Tertiary colors are mixed by using combinations of the primary and secondary colors. Red/Violet, Red/Orange, Yellow/Orange, Yellow/Green, Blue/Green and Blue/Violet.

COMPLEMENTARY

Colors that are opposite each other on the color wheel are complementary colors. In a painting a complementary color will enhance a subject. Such as, a vase of purple flowers with a yellow background will be more pleasing to the eye then a background of green. Complementary colors can be used instead of grays to lessen the intensity of a color. However, it is important to experiment with the colors you use. You may find exceptions to this rule. For example: Orange is opposite blue and in theory it should neutralize it, but it often tends toward a green.

Acrylic Revolution by Nancy Reyner

August 18th, 2009

Acrylic Revolution by Nancy Reyner

As an art teacher I'm always looking for new techniques to teach my students. I enjoy learning as much as I love teaching. At least once a month I go to the local book store to check out the art books. I have a large collection in which I use as references.

One of my favorite books is called "Acrylic Revolution" by Nancy Reyner. This book is full of "new tricks and techniques for working with the world's most versatile medium". It has page after page of fun and exciting ways to play with acrylic paint. There are so many techniques for both the professional and beginner artist to have many hours of fun creating paintings.

The first few pages are great guides for the beginner. starting with the 'Essential acrylic tips". Covering everything about the characteristics of the paint and the colors to use. Ms. Reyner then moves on to materials and equipment and how they are used. Such as Palette ideas, supports or surfaces to paint on and how to set up a studio.

Reyner then cover a large variety of tools you can paint with. Showing examples of paintings done with brushes, palette knives, cheese cloth and rags, string, sponges, eye droppers, toothbrushes and even feathers. All of her examples are done in an easy to follow, step by step process that makes you excited about getting started on your own. With over 100 pages of tips, techniques and projects you will soon be creating some amazing paintings.

Some of my more adventurous students and I have enjoyed experimenting with many of the techniques in "Acrylic Revolution". It's fun and exciting to see great results using non-traditional methods.

The painting posted here was done using hide glue to crack the paint. This is just one of the many fun techniques explained in the book.

Painting With Acrylic

August 14th, 2009

Painting With Acrylic

I have been using acrylic paints for years as an underpainting for my oil paintings. I'd prep a blank canvas with thin layers of acrylic, in either a cool or warm color depending on my subject. I was hesitant to use acrylic as a primary medium due to their quick drying time. However, in the last five years I've been playing and experimenting with them more. The reason for this came about because of two very insistent students wanting to learn how to paint with acrylic. I'm very grateful to those two pushy students for I am now enjoying acrylic paints as much as oils and have become fascinated with their versatility. In the beginning achieving good results was a huge challenge for me. The longer I worked with them the more fun and exciting they became. I'm enjoying the ability to make my acrylic paintings look like watercolors on paper or an oil painting on canvas and everything in between.

When teaching acrylic painting, I often demonstrate the effects of adding various mediums to achieve certain looks. Such as moulding paste and heavy gel mediums to add volume to the paint, hyde glue or crackling paste for cracking the paint and sand mixed into gesso for a rough texture or to sculpt a 3D image. I also demonstrate how various papers can be used to give painting surfaces texture. My students are often in awe and excited with the results and eager to apply the techniques to their own paintings.

Another appealing aspect of acrylics is the low cost for start-up supplies. Many of my beginning students choose to start with acrylics because of this. My supply list for beginners is very simple and affordable. I start them out with the three primaries plus black and white, two brushes, a flat and a round, and their choice of watercolor paper or canvas board. All other mediums and additives are items they can purchase as their budgets allow. Since many of my students are children, the parents are very happy with this approach.

Glimpse Into My World

June 4th, 2009

Glimpse Into My World

For me art is a way of life. It's not only what I paint or how I paint that makes me an artist. Everyday, seven days a week, I'm working on some creative process to balance my time. I spend a few hours each morning on the inter net researching information, or communicating with other artists on Fine Art America, or working on my face book pages, or posting tiny ACEO paintings on eBay. Then I'm off to my studio/classroom at Art Etc preparing for students, or helping out in the framing department, or working on a painting. On most days through the week I get home after 7pm. Then I grab a quick bite to eat and, depending on how tiered I am, I'll paint two or three tiny ACEOs. (ACEO stands for Art Cards Editions & Originals. They are tiny paintings that are 2 1/2 by 3 1/2 inches small, the same exact size as sports trading cards.)

I have students 6 days a week. Each session is two hours long. The ages of my students range from 8 years old to 80. I enjoy teaching people how to paint. I get such joy out of seeing my student's accomplishments. Watching them struggle with the challenges of learning new techniques and listening to their complaints of "I can't do this" or "I don't get it" or "My paintings don't look like your's" etc...

My mind is so full of art projects both for my self and for my students. I find there is not enough time in the day to achieve everything I want to do.

I have given you a small glimpse into my world as it is today. Please feel free to comment or ask me questions. I'd be happy to hear from you.

Thank you for taking the time to read this post.

Art Walk First Saturday

April 25th, 2009

Art Walk First Saturday

Art Walk First Saturday
I'm very proud to announce the featured artists for Art Walk First Saturday on May 2 at Art Etc, will be five of my oil painting students. These young ladies have worked hard this year learning, growing and developing their talents. Now they are excited to show off that hard work. They are: Ciena Norton, Haylee Schimmel, Tiana Smith, Sarah Ward and Jenny Zhu.

Come by and meet these talented emerging artists and enjoy refreshments on Saturday, May 2, from 4pm to 8pm.

Art Etc is located in Downtown Chico at 122 W. 3RD Street.

Art Walk First Saturday is a free event put on by the Chico News & Review. They print a map to all the participating galleries, studios and art venues each Thursday before the event.

Teaching VIA email

April 7th, 2009

Teaching VIA email

I was contacted through my web site a year ago regarding my "image with in an image" paintings, by a woman in South Africa. She was very interested in learning how to paint this style. She asked me if I knew anyone in South Africa who taught this style. I wrote her back stating I didn't know anyone in South Africa but was willing to help her if she was interested. Needless to say this became an adventure in learning how to teach via email.

After much emailing back and forth, we settled on the subject (the elephant shown here). I proceeded with sending her the list of art supplies she would need. I didn't know what brands they had there or if the names were the same, so I took pictures of my supplies as a visual for her to go by. I chose an image of an elephant and sent that to her as well.

Teaching this painting through the email was long and educational for both of us. I took pictures , made notes, refined my notes, and sent her the stages of my progress. She would then study the pictures and notes then work on her own painting. She then took pictures of her work for my critique. The whole process took over four months to complete. And we were both very happy in the end with the results.





My Art Studio

April 1st, 2009

My Art Studio

My art studio is located in Downtown Chico in a back room of Art Etc. This is where I teach and create art. The image I posted here is my logo for the studio. It was created for me by one of our artists here on FAA. His name is Charlie Osborn, go check out his gallery page.

What I love about this studio is a constant flow of people coming in and out. Customers can see art being created or taught as they shop around the store. I have sold, on average, two small paintings a week since January.

This month I'm working on putting together a "student" art show for the month of May. Five of my young students, ages 12-13, will be the featured artists during our "First Saturday Art Walk" and will each have a painting displayed in the window for the entire month. They are all excited and scared.

I decided to put this show together to help them learn more about what "being an artist" is all about. They will be learning how to talk to customers, how to answer questions regarding their work and hearing comments, good or otherwise, about their work. I'm hoping this experience will help give them a deeper understanding on what it takes to be an artist. They are excited and so am I.

If you are in the Chico Downtown area May 2nd come by and see their work and give them encouragement.



Party with a 5 year old

March 21st, 2009

Party with a 5 year old

Hi everyone, I'm heading up to the mountains to celebrate my grandson's 5th birthday. We are going to PARTY!

The picture I posted is the only one I have of all four of my grandchildren together. It was taken this past Christmas. This was my two grand-daughters first meeting. It sure is hard getting all four of my kids and my four grand-kids together. I have a daughter in Florida, a son in Reno NV, a son in Auburn CA and a daughter in Loyalton CA. And I live in Chico CA. We are spread all over the place!

Have a great weekend everyone.

AHHHH Spring

March 8th, 2009

AHHHH Spring

Spring, the trees are in bloom. The bees are busy flying from blossom to blossom and we get an extra hour to enjoy it.

Today I went for an eight mile bike ride through Bidwell Park with my favorite person by my side. It feels so good to get out and stretch my legs and breath in the fragrant air.

The picture I posted here is a tiny painting I did last week and is currently posted on eBay. This painting is only 2 1/2 x 3 1/2 inches big. This tiny size is called ACEO ( Art Cards Editions and Originals) or ATC (Art Trading Cards). They are fun and fast to paint. These tiny paintings also help me work out ideas for my larger fine art paintings.

In my FAA gallery I have four 16 x 20 "Beach Sandals" paintings, these paintings I created after working out the details in the ACEO size first.

I love beach sandals or flip-flops if you like. I live in them all spring, summer and fall. I wish I could wear them in the winter too. But.... (BIG SIGH) I don't live in Hawaii.....YET.

What's your favorite spring time thing to do, paint or wear?

Donating Blood

February 26th, 2009

Hi everyone....I'm feeling a bit light headed this afternoon. I donated blood for the first time EVER today and nearly passed out twice before leaving the site. I had to call for a ride home. I felt like such a wimp! The nurses were very attentive and helpful. They told me I became dizzy because I eat just before going in and advised me to wait awhile after eating for the next time. I went home and slept two and a half hours.

So here is my warning to all of you....learn from my experience....DON"T DONATE BLOOD RIGHT AFTER YOU EAT.....you might fall flat on your ass.

Will I donate again? Yep sure will. My blood just might save somebody's life.

First blog

January 25th, 2009

I'm sitting here in front of my computer, trying to come up with my first blog on FAA. Being new to blogging, I'm not quite sure how to go about it. And having so much on my mind, I'm overwhelmed with ideas.

I could just talk about myself.....hum, let's see.. I'm 50 years young. I have four adult children and four grand-children. I was born in Sacramento California and raised in Lake Tahoe...( well not really IN the lake, more like next to it). I also raised my kids there. My parents owned a Gallery on the North Shore for 37 years. This you may already know because I talk about it in my profile page.....

Or I could talk about my art.....My first love is oils. I started painting in oils at the age of 16. I like very thick paint and lots of texture. A lot of the paintings I create are done with a palette knife. I also like to play with acrylics. I get great textures using sand mixed with gesso or molding paste. I love experimenting.....I also teach beginning oil and acrylic painting to children and adults....

Or how to frame art.....I have a lot of years in the framing department....13 years as a framer in 4 different frame shops. So if anyone needs advice or help, just ask.

OK, this was my first attempt at blogging. How did I do?