Aloha All!
There is a lot to cover today,so
unfortunately
i will have to be brief in my replies this time
and just opt-out for a
Big Group Hug and hearty Mahalo
to MaukaHale,TikiAno,Hang10,Mikey!,HakaLuigi,the Professor
(in my best Felix the Cat voice)and TikiHula!
As well as all of you who come here to visit
Thank you
for all of your kind thoughts
and infectious enthusiasm...
It's really been a source of comfort
and motivation
as i wade thru molasses
as march 7th looms...
Speaking of...
Three Artists
12 Categories
36 Creations
March 7th.... Be there!
http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic=46892&forum=17&start=0&23
That's a link to the Event page where they have a bunch more fliers
and kind of witty smart-alecky comments from the peanut gallery
Funny...if you're in a pinch......
Alrightio! On to a project that gained momentum
then simmered in the pot
then was relocated
and now awaits the Summer/Fall
in a different location than originally intended
Such is the story of the wayward project....
Anyways... this was planned for the Tonga Hut in Palm Springs
on a wall
then it became on canvas or wood
then it was moved to the Grand Hut of the Queen
so she may enjoy it everyday...
So,as soon as the smoke clears and final details are agreed upon
(which is often a long process)
it will be painted and will hang majestically on the Queen's wall
a tribute to all of her wonderful imaginative accomplishments!
it all started with a story in an email that Sven sent
It's a wonderful clever tale
and the visual potential to create a masterwork
was contained in those lines...
Here's the story...
As i read it
it sunk in...
Sven had described
the Tonga Hut in NoHo
Her Bamboo Ben Treehouse village up in the Mountains
Mojave Oasis
Rock Hudson's Home that she transformed into a Tropical Paradise
and finally,the New Tonga Hut in Palm Springs...
Pretty Great Tale,albeit brief
Perfect,and Condensed
Needless to say
the ol' brain started bubbling
and here's what i began to do....
started working out the wall
which later evolved into a triptych
as you will see
then some boat studies
Like Sven,i just kind of mixed different aesthetics from different islands
hoping to somehow give it an all-encompassing Polynesian feel..
Each of the locations were inspired by Sven's words and Amy's locations
It was a real mind-bender to not do a literal interpretation of each place
but to grab attributes of each and translate that into little environs...
First is the Slowly Sinking island in the East
Not really too accurate a description of NoHo's Tonga Hut
but the story needed a motivation
It's more a quest of Expansion and Exploration
Finding an ADDITIONAL Oasis to compliment the other
to be a cousin...
Here are my sketchbook studies
and a tighter more stylized version
(i had to draw it out more "real" at first
before i could play with the space
arrange objects
and still have it follow the entire work's flow...
the roofs were based loosely on the booths
and I've included the Drooling bastard and even incorporated the 3 clamshell fountain waterfall
you can see some of the submerged huts on the right.....
Here is the more stylized version on watercolor paper
playing around with different elements
molding the landscape....
Next on the list...
BooBen's incredible Treehouse village!
Again...started in the sketchbook
creating a whimsical version
while still throwing in actual real life details here and there...
and here's the watercolor
i wanted to get a feel of that half covered forest lighting
Next up is Mojave Oasis!
a Favorite Refuge of Mine
that Amy is SO gracious to provide for us...
Another sketchbook exploration...
This one was fun and it was a joy to revisit Mojave in my mind
walking about the grounds...
i changed the trailers to huts and the TikiBird
into an actual carved Frigate Bird wooden flying Sculpture Thing,i guess....
Anyways, i wanted to keep the tale in a fantasy/tribal sense
no planes ,cars,radios
just what we can gather and master from the resources around us
Just like the Islanders!
Here's the watercolor
Playing around wit da grounds
did some more frigate bird studies
but will have to share them later
not really even worth the wait
but i will share them eventually,nonetheless
Next is Amy's Hut in palm Desert
Rock Hudson's old home
and she transformed it into Paradise!
i think I've been there 3 times
and always love to enjoy a mid-buzz catnap
in the raised huts she has in the corner area of the grounds!
Again... the Pirate ship is now Polynesian-ish
and my nappyhut is right next to the waterfall and enthralling Koi fish
and look! Is that a Barney West Tiki?
:)
Here's the ink on watercolor paper
"furthering" of the subject...
a little more Desert
and i flipped the bar and back raised patio hut towards the viewer
welcoming them in....
The final destination
the Tonga Hut
was still being constructed
so i held off on translating that
Next!
the composition
fitting all of these lands in a way that
is not only flow-y and seamless to follow
but also helps to fill in the story
for the viewer
BUT also allows them to stop and visit each location
if that is their desire...
In other words
the Hard part..
Here it is together
with some color and shape and flow studies
Here's a blowup of those two blue squares..
Now to
as james brown would say
TIGHTEN UP!
HAH!
Warming up......
Didja notice i changed the TikiBird plane from a sculpture into
a momma bird ,attending her nest
while her mate
(the bird that leads the warrior to the spring)
flies in the sky towards her....
This composition has the New Tonga Hut in the middle..
All this black and white must be drivin ya NUTS!
Let's play with some colorways,shall we?
Second colorway
(each one i played with different ways to COLOR the piece
solid fills with highlighting
more rendered
and just so...
Third colorway
and then the piece needed to be a different size
so i began this
and stopped
to let Amy attend to all these projects she has under her care...
and for me to start the 12 gargantuan show pieces...
it's been a pleasure to be finally be able to share this process with you
(i finally got permission to post and share these! Aint you Lucky?)
these projects are always long
often arduous
but always worth the journey!
and the learnin!
Great paintings don't just paint themselves
and the story and subject matter deserved the utmost attention and consideration and respect..
aaaaaand i want this to be a Great painting for those reasons!
and because they are places and people i love dearly....
So only time will tell
once this gets restarted up
i will be able to finally put brush to surface and start the FUN part!
and of course,it will be shared with you all...
Mahalos to Sven and Amy and to all of you
for walking along this visual pathway with me
:)
Goodnight All!
