BUY YE BANANAS WHILE YE MAY

Sunrise Cloud Pattern, 6 x 8 oil

It is our first day on Maui, and we're at Costco.  I buy a big bag of apple bananas.  Because apple bananas are the number two reason I come to Hawaii, snorkelling being number one.  Well, maybe painting is number two.  Anyway, they're up there.

Rick says they are way too green and I shouldn't buy them.  But I've been in this position before when I couldn't find bananas anywhere.  These should be ripe by our second week.  I insist on buying them.

It is now day 5.  The first finger on the hand is going yellow.  Yay!  We did find bananas other places, to tide us over until these were ripe.  Gather ye bananas while ye may!

WHALE SONG

Mackerel Sunrise, 9 x 12 oil

In almost all the bays on Maui, you can hear whale song if you put your ears underwater.  You can hear a lot more of it if you are in shallow water near the mouth of the bay.  And if there are no motorboats about.  And if you aren't breathing loudly.  And if your head is deeper underwater.

I have found that the best way to listen is to stand on my head in the water, holding my breath, and quietly swirling my hands to keep my balance.  It appears to be a unique solution: I haven't seen any other snorkellers doing it.

SUNSET

Golden Sunrise, 6 x 8 oil

Every evening there is a guy two balconies down from us who blows a conch at sunset.  He has his own special way of deciding when the sun has set, which I haven't figured out yet.  One night there is an actual disk visible, and he blows the sunset call while the last bit of the disk is still twinkling on the horizon.  Another night, the sun is obscured by clouds.  When is the actual moment of sunset?  I would be tempted to consult a table on some of these nights.  Whenever it is, it's always uniquely beautiful.

MOTORBOATS AT NIGHT

Cloudy Sunrise, 6 x 8 oil on panel

As soon as the sun goes down, it begins.  A sound like a motorboat, or maybe a dirt bike, but long sustained sound with short pauses.  We are staying at Luana Kai, an oceanfront property with a spongy lawn in front, and a waterfilled ditch beside.  And, as it turns out, a great place for frogs;  Or in this case, toads, the infamous Rhinella marina, or Cane Toad.  The call reminds me of the drawn-out tones of a didgeridoo, though the toads do eventually take a breath.  Some nights there are one or two, some nights many.  A toadly chorus to accompany the sound of waves.

MOORISH IDOLS

Honokeana Mackerel Sunrise, 12 x 9 oil

Moorish idols are really pretty fish.  Now that I have my weight belt, I have the chance to see how really pretty they are.  I have found a pair that are not too skittish, and they allow me to approach within two feet.  I am surprised at how large they are.  And how brilliant yellow.  They have lots of little markings on their noses that I never noticed before.  How wonderful to be able to get close and see!

HANA IN WINTER

Hamoa Sunrise, 9 x 12 oil

We are driving to Hana in the rain.  Ordinarily, I would think rain would make a dreary drive.  But oh, the waterfalls!   Last time we drove this road the weather had been dry and many of the falls had no water at all.  This time there is water everywhere.  Some falls are rushing and brown.  The closer we get to Hana, the clearer the water is, but all the falls are all full. Not content to stay in the streams, water is pouring over the rocks and onto the highway.  Sodden soils have slumped into the road, closing off the hillside lane.  This on a road that is only really two lanes half the time.  The road to Hana.... always an adventure!

WEATHER

Hot Sunrise, 12 x 9 oil

We have had showers in our forecast the last few days, and the next few days to come.  We are finding that if we just set out for some other part of the island, we can find some sunshine and calm for snorkelling.  The other day, we found it in Honolua bay.  There we had the clearest snorkelling I've ever had at that site, and saw lots of brilliant fish.  As I was getting out, I asked the lady next to me how her snorkel was.  She said she hardly saw anything, but she was used to Fiji and other exotic places.  I couldn't argue; Hawaii isn't the best.  But here we are, and I insist on enjoying it.  How can you complain about a place where you can drive for ten minutes and get out of the rain?

WEIGHTS

Cliffside Palm, 16 x 12 oil

I am REALLY buoyant.   That's just how it is.  Today I got a weight belt for snorkeling. With my magical weights, I am neutral at the surface, my mask rising and falling above the waterline as I breathe.  Trouble is, when I free dive, I take in a big breath, and I am once again buoyant.  I don't really think I want so much weight that I am negatively buoyant when I breathe out, that just doesn't seem safe.  Today I experimented with breathing some of my air out.  Better underwater, but when I came up I didn't have enough juice to clear my snorkel.  This is going to be a tricky balancing act.

NAPALI MIST

Napali Mist, 9 x 12 oil

A studio painting based on photographs of Kauai.  Every moment, the mist pattern changed.

KIHEI SUNRISE

Kihei Sunrise, 9 x 12 oil

DAWNLIGHT AND COTTAGE

Dawnlight and Cottage, 6 x 8 oil

ROOTS IN THE SEA

Roots in the Sea, 12 x 16 oil

KAHO'OLAWE

Sunrise Kaho'olawe, 12 x 16 oil

SUNRISE HEAT

Sunrise Heat, 12 x 16 oil

SUNRISE FATIGUE

Point to Island, 6 x 8 oil

After almost 25 days of sunrises,I am getting up later and later.  This is happening partly because I am staying up later, but also the sunrises are beginning to repeat themselves in my paintings.  I am looking for a different light, some long morning shadows, maybe a different color pattern.  And just 15 minutes later gives me a whole new palette to work with.

HAWAIIAN DASCYLLUS

West Maui at Dawn, 6 x 8 oil

This little coral mound houses a colony of Hawaiian Dascyllus.  They gather in a range of sizes, from the two-inch almost-black adults to younger fish with white on their dusky sides, to tiny disks the size of my pinky fingernail, that are mostly fin.  These itty-bitties have a neon-blue stripe across their nose.  They all flutter in and out of the coral like Nemo in his anemone home.

RED DIRT

West Maui Dawn and Cottage, 6 x 8 oil

The winds of Kihei blow with a fine red dirt.  Like something out of the midwest dust bowl, it comes in the windows and settles on every horizontal surface.  It covers lampshades, sifts into carpets, stains tile.  I've been driving with the car windows shut and still red dirt gets in the car.  I try to clean a spot on the upholstery and learn the hard way that you have to vacuum first, or red dirt will leave a ring around the clean spot.  Maui red dirt makes cleaning a neverending process.

OCTOPUS HIDE AND SEEK

Tropical Moonset at Sunrise, 9 x 12 oil

I come upon an octopus in pretty shallow water.  He retreats behind a head of coral.  But he just can't resist sticking his eyes up to see if I'm still there.  I am.  He slides farther round the coral.  Up come the eyes.  If I stay back, he just looks at me.  If I approach, he retreats.  But always, the eyes come up.  Just checking.

BEING YELLOW

Kamaole Sunset, 6 x 8 oil

I am constantly amazed at the versatility of the trumpetfish's coloring.  I've seen them pattern their tails to mimic the peacock grouper, turn green enough to blend in with the coral, and even brighten to a blue that matches a parrotfish.  Today's trumpet is being yellow.  There are some yellow tang nearby.  I hope he doesn't think he looks like one of them.  He doesn't have the figure for it.

SUNTANS

Dawn Palms, 8 x 6 oil

Something has shifted on the beaches of Hawaii.  Used to be you'd see lots of people lying in the sun getting tans.  Now more people are sitting in the shade, and many wear long-sleeved shirts while snorkelling.  Different beliefs for different times.