A mama 'I'iwi and her baby making a perfectly imperfect heart... The song says it all: A Song For Mama (Boyz II Men) You taught me everything I'll always keep it inside
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I love this painting! I made this small one as a study for a larger one, to see if I liked the composition, etc. I do:) Naturally the song came first on this painting. I plan to create a series of this little yellow songbird in various weather conditions to work as a set. "Let It Snow", "Here Comes The Sun", "Wish Upon A Star"... Any other ideas are welcome! "Fat Bottomed Girls, you make the rockin' world go round"... I had to make this painting. It was itching to come out and I just had to do it! I was on a plane to California with my husband who thinks I'm bird-crazy. He was sleepy, so I started drawing to pass time. I have five million sketch books now full of drawings, so I was just having fun. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see that my husband was watching what I was drawing. I got all excited that he was paying attention, so I started drawing based on songs. He tried to guess a couple, so I had to make them a little harder. He's not too familiar with classic rock (which is my favorite genre) so I tried this Queen song with fluffy hen butts, and he didn't get it. I had to tell him and he just shook his head. Oh well, at least I got a great idea out of it! The 'Anianiau is a native Hawaiian bird that lends a bright yellow-green hue to our colorful higher rainforest elevations. Up in particular forests, you may find some delicious lilikoi or passion fruit trees. The Passion flower is funny looking, with two levels of stamen/pistils that protrude out. Combined with the wavy tendrils that come out from the center petals, it is quite the exotic flower. My 'Anianiau finds these flowers very curious indeed! This little White-Eye had come bearing gifts. It is a traditional greeting in Hawaii to present visitors with a sweet flower lei. For this White-Eye, it's much easier to bring the entire bush. Enjoy your stay, or wish you were here. Either way, he is saying "Aloha!" The Saffron Finch is common in Hawaii, introduced a while back. Now they flourish and add brilliant yellow balls of light to my morning walks. This pair is nestled on a branch of cherry blossoms. Like the Saffron Finch, cherry blossom trees were introduced to the islands and other places all over the world. In Japan especially, the cherry blossom is a symbol of life (and the whole cycle of life), hope and beauty. The cherry blossoms truly are magical when they bloom all at once, creating bunches of delicate white and pink pillows. Together the Saffron Finches and cherry blossoms make a good match. This painting feels so refreshing! I'm ready for another beautiful day! Pineapples and Leithrix birds, a perfect match! The Red-Billed Leiothrix is a private bird. Today these two decided to have a piña cocktail for sunset. I embellished their bellies just a bit to look more arched in color and cheery. They kind of remind me of CareBears, which were personal favorites of mine in childhood. All types of happiness in this painting today. Let's all have a good day! Coffee is a staple of Kona in Hawaii and these Java Sparrows are having fun bouncing around on its slender branches. I wanted these birds to look like they are all over the place: looking up, looking forward and upside-down. That's how the Java Sparrow acts, always on the move, searching for something edible or entertaining. The coffee cherry may look tasty, but it's not what we use to make our morning cuppa joe. Coffee farms peel off the cherry to get to the seed within. After lots of preparation, toasting and so forth, our precious coffee bean is ready to pulverize and brew. Too much work for these three Javas, they'll soon be onto their next adventure! I love painting my version of the Red-Billed Leiothrix because I can make them look like rainbows:) these two look completely content on their tree branch. I have rainbows on the brain because Wyland Waikiki wants an actual rainbow painting. The rainbow idea morphed into the idea of making a double rainbow and then I thought it might be fun to make two birds look like a double rainbow. And here we are! Nothing says happy like a couple of bright and cheery birdies! My visit to Waikiki was a quick one, but I was able to finish this painting, "A Day In Waikiki". I saw some beautiful red hibiscus on the way over and thought it would be nice to paint them. And I love the look of Japanese White-Eyes, with their pronounced eyes and rounded bodies. They look so content sitting on this hibiscus stem. Not a care in the world. I had fun at Waikiki and hopefully next time I'll stay just a little longer:) |
AuthorKaren Obuhanych (kto ART) is a Hawaii-based artist who relishes in the simple, happy moments of everyday life. Archives
May 2019
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