 With You, With Me: Pueo Pair with Royal Poinciana 8"x8" Love is a beautiful thing! Here we have two electric blue Pueos, or Hawaiian Short-eared Owls. THey are not normally bright blue, but every so often I like to bend the rules a bit.
I love how the owl on the right is so incredibly happy and the left owl is looking at right owl to make sure everything is ok. Left Owl is thinking, is Right Owl super happy or going slightly bonkers. I guess I might be speaking from experience. My husband is always on the fence with this same predicament, trying to decide whether I'm being super silly because I'm happy or I'm bonkers. I haven't told him its a bit of both, let him figure it out... Whether you are just super happy or slightly bonkers, when you are a pair of Pueos sitting in a Royal Poinciana tree with big red blooms, nothing could be better!
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 Cascading Love: Gold Finches with Bougainvillea on Trellis 8"x16" Last year, I met Barbara and Ross. They have since found a very good home for many of my kto paintings and we became quick friends.
This year, we decided to do a few commissions. One specific and one left up to me. "Cascading Love" is the mystery piece. I was going to send out an initial sketch, but it didn't read clear and so I just started painting. Barbara, Ross and I discussed having birds represent the family in this one. I had the option of painting five birds (immediate family) or nine birds (including daughters' families). I did five birds because nine would have been too many for this size canvas and I used Gold Finches because they are known to flock in big groups, plus they have great color! At my parents' house, my mom loves to garden and she has a step trellis with cascading flowers. I thought that would give us the flowing flower feel that we discussed in the gallery. The two birds at the top I see as Barbara and Ross, all snuggled together, with the girls doing their own silly thing below. Good Fun! 
Musubi Cafe in Waikiki: Hawaiian Shack Commission 24"x30"
Way back in January, I started a super fun commission for the Otake family featuring their awesome musubi, bento and beyond store in Waikiki. We worked out some color details and then I had the freedom to add to our initial vision. I added the bicycle and had to make it a Schwinn along with a couple surfboards and a banana tree. Musubi Cafe's logo is right up my alley, so I knew from the beginning that this would be a great commission. In the end, I think the painting came out perfect: bright, cheery and featuring a delicious place to stop and grad some tasty treats in the heart of Waikiki! Check out the real Musubi Cafe whenever you are in Waikiki!
I Think We're Alone Now: Japanese a White Eyes with Red Hibiscus 20"x20"
These little Japanese White-Eyes think they have hidden away enough to be out of sight, but somehow we found them among all these red hibiscus flowers! They would blend into the green leaves and they are just the right size to shade themselves from curious eyes under the billows of petals. If only they didn’t have those giant white rings around their eyes!
Bunch o' Coconuts: 'Akepa Pair with Coconut Bunch 10"x20"
We are all just a bunch o’ coconuts!
These two birds are Hawaiian 'Akepas. The male grows into his bright orange ensemble within a few years while his lady stays under the radar in modest peachy green. Interesting fact about 'Akepas, they have a crossbill that is only noticeable close-up since they are so small. I keep them simple, so the crossbill is not evident here... My friends, the ‘Akepas, have come down to the beach to try a tasty treat of coconut water and coconut meat. Shaded by the palm fronds and cooled by the shore breeze, life can’t get any better than this! |
AuthorKaren Obuhanych (kto ART) is a Hawaii-based artist who relishes in the simple, happy moments of everyday life. Archives
August 2017
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