In Memory of Patricia

My mother, Patricia, was a strong and independent woman who fought personal adversity to excel in life.  Born with a birth defect, she was a strong advocate for women’s rights when it wasn’t vogue, mother to nine children, and a brainiac who wasn’t allowed onto the game show ‘Jeopardy’ (early days) because she blew everyone away in the trials, Patricia was a true renaissance woman; dynamic, spirited, talented, and a force to be respected and honored.

One of her achievements in life was to be named ‘Rose Queen’ at the College of Saint Rose in Albany, New York.  This title followed her throughout life, and her love of roses was legendary.  When she passed away, having suffered the ravages of Alzheimer’s (which is the only way she would have been taken without a fight), Robena decided to dedicate a collection to her, all based on roses.

A beautiful tribute to a beautiful woman…

 

Here’s a small sampling of the collection –

Dinner and a Float

Maui artist Robena was invited over to some friends’ house for dinner; a beautiful estate in Kula with gorgeous panoramic views.  As she was enjoying a glass of wine on their lanai, she noticed that the couple had a beautiful collection of Japanese fishing floats tastefully displayed throughout the house.  The ones on the lanai were bursting with light and color as the setting sun shone through them – she then knew that this was to be the subject matter for her next collection.

Japanese fishing floats were used years ago (before plastics) to keep the nets afloat.  They come in all sizes and a variety of colors, with the green/blue ones being the predominant ones.  These floats would at times, become detached from the net, and travel by wind and current, ending up on distant shores.  A number of floats ended up on the beaches of Hawaii intact, and were collected by many.  Though their numbers are dwindling because of new materials, some of these floats can still be found – but rarely.

The couple in Kula had been collecting them for decades, and had amassed quite an array of floats.  Robena arranged with them to come back with her camera to capture these transparent travelers, and ended up with seven images she turned into exquisite paintings.

A small point of interest – while Robena was painting this series, she walked into the kitchen and saw a bowl of onions.  Same shapes, same palette, same vision – so as part of her show, she included the onions – seen here.

Antique Glass from Maui

The Maui artist, Robena has been collecting glass for years, which she uses as subject matter for some of her paintings.  In the past, she favored glass from Mexico, as it has imperfections that work beautifully in her compositions.  Recently, she has been attracted to antique glass bottles from Maui, with their raised lettering and storied history.  She acquired three bottles from an antique shop in Paia, set them up with interesting colors and shapes behind them, and began photographing.  From this mini-photo shoot, Robena selected three images that spoke to her and painted a series. Here’s the results…Note of interest: The T.H. after Maui on the Lahaina Ice Company bottle stands for Territory of Hawaii.

The paintings have received some great attention from clients, which has prompted Robena to find some other bottles from Maui for inspiration – which we’ll see the results in a month or two.  But I don’t expect it to end there; Robena is smitten by what she is discovering, and is seeking to create more paintings of antique bottles used throughout the state, and not just Maui.

Stay tuned…

Liquid Space

One of Robena’s most admired paintings is titled ‘Liquid Space’, a beautiful depiction of life under the waves.  Since Robena takes all her own photographs, from which she creates her paintings, she went to Big Beach in Makena, Maui, and plunged into the water with her underwater camera in hand.  At a ten foot depth she stood on the bottom and aimed her camera toward the open ocean.  From that photo she created ‘Liquid Space’.  Stunning.  Beautiful.  Captivating.

Clients who see it in person, are visually transported to this world of peace and tranquility.  The imagery acts as a stress-reliever, as you can visibly see them lower their shoulders, take a deep breath and succumb to the tranquility.  It is mesmerizing and subtly powerful.

She painted ‘Liquid Space’ along with ‘Liquid Dreams’, which gives us all a unique and magnetic attraction to the restorative nature of life beneath the surface.

Maui Ocean Center – a place for inspiration

As Robena was preparing for an upcoming show focused on marine life, she contacted the Maui Ocean Center, and was granted permission to photograph in the exhibits.  The Maui Ocean Center is a world-class facility, and the exhibits are spectacular!  For hours, she was enthralled with the unique splendor of ‘life beneath the waves’, and was able to photograph scores of scenes.  Attached to this posting are some of the paintings she created from her journey underwater.

Enjoy!

Negative Tide with Franny

Anne E Coopersmith, known by friends and colleagues as ‘Franny’, is a Marine Biologist who teaches at the University of Hawaii/Maui.  For an upcoming show, Robena wanted to paint marine life and asked Franny for her help.  Looking at her moon and tide charts, Franny found a negative tide that was to occur in the near future, and the ladies made a date to meet at Olowalu on the west side of the Maui.  A negative tide only happens a couple times of year, when the tide is extremely low, exposing the reef and its inhabitants to a greater degree than normal; providing a great opportunity for discovery.

Robena brought a large glass bowl, filled it with water and perched herself near a coral head.  Franny, with snorkel gear on, searched the reef for marine life and gently placed it in the bowl.  Robena took a photo and Franny returned the specimens to the reef – unharmed.

 

 

 

 

‘Olowalu Gang’ depicts a brittle starfish, sea urchin, and limu (seaweed).

 

 

 

 

 

‘Rock Dandy’ is of a hermit crab.

 

‘Baldwin Beach Drifters’ is comprised of seaweed!  Robena took a handful of seaweed that had washed up on shore and took a photo of it.  This painting is exactly the way it looks in the photo – the salt and sun had pulled the chlorophyl from the plant, revealing some beautiful colors.

 

 

 

The same with ‘Passing Beauty’

 

 

 

‘Local 7-11’ is of our local species of crab named 7-11; Hawaiian legend states that the dark spots on the crab are fingerprints from a god.  While Robena was waiting for Franny, she discovered this crab right below her feet and took a photo with her underwater camera.  A fun painting was created to capture this brief (and reef) encounter.

Next blog… a visit to the Maui Ocean Center!

Answers to Robena’s technique

I have been asked a number of times recently to explain Robena’s painting technique.  So here goes…  After Robena has decided on the imagery for her painting, she sizes the final piece and builds her own frames out of kiln-dried wood.  She then stretches unprimed, medium weight canvas over the frame, starting from the center of each side, and then equally and evenly working her way to the corners.  With photograph in hand, she lightly sketches in the image, and once complete, goes back and adds detail.

Using four colors; Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, and White, she identifies the colors in the image and mixes her own palette with acrylic paint: She typically doesn’t use White until the end of the painting.  Once all the colors are identified and created, she will begin by dry brushing the stronger features of the subject matter, while the stretched canvas is on an easel.  Upon completion of this step, the painting is laid down on a table or on the floor, and a series of washes are applied, typically from the darkest to the lightest.  The dilution of the paint allows her to gently build up color, giving her paintings a soft and subtle look and appeal.  Some paintings, such as the one attached to this blog, have dozens of washes applied to the same area  – the cheek of the dancer in this example has over three dozen layers or washes applied to achieve the desired look.

Just like watercolors, she has to control the amount, viscosity, bleeding, and run off with brush, paper towel, and a keen sense of ‘where it’s going’.  When she is about 80% – 90% finished with the painting, she typically stores the painting for about a week plus – taking it out of sight and (hopefully) out of mind.  When she returns to the painting, she places it back on her easel upside down, and positions a mirror at the far end of the room.  These vantage points allow her to have a new perspective and approach to her artwork.  Back and forth between mirror and standing in front of her painting, Robena discovers some of the nuances she is seeking to make the painting mature toward completion.  This process is very gradual, as the subtlest additions can dramatically alter the overall look and success of the painting.

Robena loves working with raw canvas, as the paint goes into the fabric and doesn’t sit on top, as one would experience with a primed canvas.  This attribute also comes with a downside, in that the ‘white point’, or the base color that all colors are determined in a painting is tan – the color of the canvas.  To establish a proper white point, Robena judiciously introduces white in a series of washes, allowing all the colors in the painting to emerge and radiate out.

Once complete, Robena finds the ‘right wash’ that will pull all the color elements together, and then applies a wash across the entire surface of the canvas.  This tightens up the image, and sets it.   When the painting is completely dry, a signature, and three coats of matte varnish to prevent the introduction of moisture and UV protection is applied.

The painting attached to this post is a value painting whereby it was created with one color, which can be seen in the darkest kukui nut.  That color is diluted and washed in varying degrees throughout, to create the rest of the painting.

Hope this explanation helps!

 

Legend of Naupaka

Robena created a painting titled ‘Legendary Love’, depicting the plant Naupaka in both its Beach and Mountain variations.  The Beach variety is common throughout the region, with its white buoyant seeds being carried on tides and currents to distant shores.  Scientists believe that the mountain variety was carried by birds into the interior of the islands where it mutated and adapted to its new environment.  This type of Naupaka is only found in Hawaii.

The Hawaiian legend of this half-flower states that the daughter (Napaka) of royal descent fell in love with a commoner, a fisherman.  The family did not approve of the relationship and separated the couple.  When they parted, Naupaka took a flower and split it half, and gave one half to her love and carried the other half to the family’s residence in the mountains.  Both lovers planted their half in the garden of their respective homes, which took root  – signifying their undying love for each other.

The painting, ‘Legendary Love’ brings the “lovers” back together – Beach Naupaka on top, and the Mountain Naupaka on the bottom.  A beautiful story, an amazing flower, and an inspiring painting.

Maui art in process…

Maui Artist, Robena, has created a series of paintings depicting antique glass bottles from the Island, in a fresh and contemporary way – using light, color, and abstraction to bring their essence into view – creating captivating images of Maui.

To begin, she arranged the bottles on a table on the lanai, and took scores of photos while moving the various elements around to achieve the look she was intent on creating.  When all three paintings are viewed together, you can almost detect her movement around the objects on the table.

Painting with only four colors – Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and White, she mixes her own palette, creating paintings that breathe freshness into the rooms in which they hang.  Impact with Intention.  Robena brings the beauty of Maui to life with paintings that resonate in the heart while honoring the spirit and traditions of her Island home.

Holiday treats!