What allowing brings

“Red Trunks” © 2013 Rebekah Luke, 16″ x 20″ oil on canvas board

Learning to relax, accept, and allow has opened an intriguing period of Creativity for me, both in and outside of the studio. I feel like I’m on top of a wave, and I don’t want to reach the shore. I’m going with the flow, and I like it.

Nine canvases are in various stages of completion for a show scheduled for August. (The oil paint needs the time to dry. ) I’ve gone out with my plein air students every week, sometimes twice a week, to paint at different locations on O‘ahu. Every time I say, “I have an idea,” DH says, “Uh-oh,” but this idea’s pretty good!

I’m revisiting some spots that I painted 20 or so years ago and repainting the scene. At first I thought my earlier work was better than my current work, but, after a little reflection and some feedback from friends, I now think the current work shows clearer intent and inner perspective. Sort of like when listening to music; you can tell the difference between someone who is reading the notes and a musician who already knows the piece and is playing it by heart.

Still, it’s all about the Light. Recently I’ve met other artists with a lot of Light — oh, so brilliant! We’re starting to explore the idea of collaboration. “It’s a hui thing, never just yourself,” a former colleague Lono points out. For this show, I’m sharing the billing with a talented 3D artist. We’re having fun planning it, and I’ll be sure to let you in on the details when they are final.

Next, I’m allowing the idea of providing reproductions of my art at affordable prices lower than that of an original painting to occupy a place in my product line. I can’t wait to see what the proofs look like, printed on both on art paper and canvas. Then it will be fun to take them to market.

Teaching is going well. Painting I and III finish up this week, and I plan to start new classes in June for children and adults. I’m encouraged by parents of youngsters who’ve requested more art lessons, and by my adult pupils who manage to come to class despite challenging issues with family, at work, and at home.

Art and making art is healing, and it is a gift to me to witness the progress. The folks in Painting III, who are coming with me to Italy in September, are so enthusiastic that they are organizing their own show and suggesting subject matter and locations that they want to paint this summer.

One of the pleasant surprises is my return to music. Since my teenage years, my parents, teachers, choir directors, and DH noticed I had “some musicality.” The path has always been available to me — beyond music lessons, performing in a group, playing instruments, study in college. While painting is on my students’ bucket list, arranging and composing music has been on mine.  But until last Christmas I didn’t really know where to begin to learn how to do it, and I was too shy to ask.

I’ve been encouraged by thanks from the performers in my glee club for my help in teaching them how to read music and hula dance, for sure, and I love the strokes. As for the melodies and lyrics that are coming to me at dawn right after my dream time, that’s a whole ’nother vibrational level. Stay tuned! I am so very grateful.

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“Red Trunks” pictured above will not be in the new collection. I’ve framed it for this coming weekend’s Bluegrass in the Ko‘olaus Festival at Ho‘omaluhia Botanical Garden. I’m taking my easel to paint by music and a couple of finished canvases, including this one, to show folks what a finished painting will look like. My painting group comes here to Luluku regularly. I enjoy painting the mountains and the trees.

Copyright 2013 Rebekah Luke

The feeling of a red-letter day

When I have a red-letter day, like Saturday was, I try to try to savor and remember the feeling. It’s sweet incentive for living and loving life to the fullest. Then I may be open to welcome the next time. Because the feeling is amazing.

To that end, I’ve decided to turn over another leaf by resisting the urge first thing in the morning to reach for an electronic device to see what happened overnight while I was sleeping. I will wait until after I practice tai chi—currently the saber set, breakfast without the TV news or the sound of a ball game, and a walk with the dogs on the beach. I will eat healthy foods, exercise, and meditate.

Saturday began with three neighborhood girls and one boy arriving at the studio at 8 a.m. for their first art class with Aunty Rebekah. I am offering the same basics to youth as to my adult Bucket List painting students: ball, cube, cylinder, and cone. The kids were great and kept me on my toes. It was nice to have 10-year-old-boy energy in the studio.

His mother wondered if perhaps he wouldn’t like the class if he was the only boy. For the exercise of drawing a ball, Jefferson filled a balloon with water and inflated it. Of course, the balloon eventually popped, but we agreed beforehand he would have to clean it up. I think he likes the girls.

A couple of the kids hadn’t eaten breakfast, so I’m glad I had two oranges in the set. When I cut them into slices to show ellipses, their eyes grew wide with appetite, and we all had a refreshing snack. The dogs Alice Brown and Pua were in heaven during recess with all the attention. Later, to get the kids to finish their drawings, I brought out some cones—sugar cones that DH thoughtfully bought when he saw me searching for a cone shape for the lesson—and a carton of ice cream.

“What is this?” I asked. They shouted, “Cone!” “And what is this?” I followed, scooping out vanilla. “Ball!”  Mission accomplished.

Then I went to play at the annual Punahou Carnival. It’s the famous fund-raising event of my alma mater where I perform with the Punahou Alumni Glee Club, sometimes provide paintings for the Art Gallery, and work in a booth with my classmates. Punahou School is super organized and makes money for the student financial aid program—how my parents could afford Punahou for me—by getting the junior class, their parents, and the alumni to donate goods and volunteer their labor.

I adore the camaraderie of the glee club, not to mention the chance to sing and dance. We rehearse weekly, and our director is skillful at getting our choir to peak for our performances. We sounded good and had an enjoyable time with the music.

The Class of ’67 . . . what can I say, except that we are tight. For example, Christine flew in from Arizona just to help serve laulaus for 3 hours. Every year we rendezvous at the Carnival to see each other briefly, hear our classmate Henry Kapono Kaaihue entertain in the cafeteria, and then go our separate ways again. It’s so nice to see everyone.

That would have been plenty, but the surprising joy of the day was the sale of my paintings by the Art Gallery! It was exciting! I painted the scene of the Ko‘olau Mountains from the spot where I go often with my painting group. It began on a spectacular clear day with hardly any clouds to hide the top ridge. The panorama was breathtaking, and I decided to turn it into a diptych of two horizontal paintings side by side.

“Lanihuli Diptych” is my most recent art work. I didn’t plan on taking anything to the Carnival because I’d not been successful in sales any previous years there. But my glee sister Tamson Fox, a full-time fine artist, reminded me in January the event was coming up. I’m so grateful to her for changing my mind.

Still giddy with delight and with my new earnings burning a hole in my pocket, I headed to the Diamond Head end of the midway and bought myself a present—a bling-y Pāʻani top with a night-blooming cereus flower.

DH and I hung out to catch my cousin Sunway’s performance with her band before it was time to go home. We negotiated with the “O” men in the produce tent over the script price for the avocados. They let us keep enough to buy one malasada doughnut each for the ride home. Yummy sugary goodness. Never mind the resolution to eat healthy. I’m celebrating!

It was the perfect ending to my amazing red-letter day.

Me and my glee sisters perform at the Carnival. (Photo by Joyce Pavlis)

Members of the Class of 1967 in a publicity shot with classmate and music recording artist Henry Kapono Kaaihue. Which one looks like the star? (Photo courtesy of Carlyn Tani, Punahou Bulletin)

Lanihuli Diptych, left panel, sold!

Lanihuli Diptych, right panel, sold!

Copyright 2013 Rebekah Luke

Mountain panorama commands a diptych

There’s something about the Ko‘olau mountains that draws painters to this landscape again and again. Besides their obvious lush and weathered volcanic beauty, they challenge us plein air painters to capture their form in the ever-changing daylight. I spent a lot of time studying the ridges and valleys in my most recent diptych of Lanihuli as viewed from Luluku. Together, the panels measure 60 inches by 22 inches, unframed. Oil on canvas board.

Lanihuli Diptych, left panel

Lanihuli Diptych, right panel

Update 2/2/13: I am please to report that “Lanihuli Diptych” was sold to a buyer at the Punahou Carnival this past weekend. Half of all sales are donated to the student financial aid program at my alma mater. ~RL

Copyright 2013 Rebekah Luke

Color and paint from still life

I can teach you how to paint!

While my art students are on a little break from class—they’re vacationing in Turkey!—I’ve decided to show you what we’ve done so far in Painting I. Each week I welcome students with a studio tabletop set-up, explain the lesson, and do the lesson with them. We paint these assignments after practicing basic drawing and perspective, and learning about the values of light.

I urge students to not paint from a photograph, preferring that they draw and paint from life and the “local color” cues they should put down in the beginning. However, the now-ubiquitous digital camera phone and that the set is not available for viewing once the class is over for the day make it difficult to not refer to a photo.

The problem is, for beginners especially, if you paint from a photograph, the painting will look like a photograph. I think a painting is more interesting when it shows the artist’s individual line, imperfections included. Looseness will develop with time.

Below you can see how I treated the assignments myself. The medium is oil paint on canvas paper. Here’s evidence that limited palette paintings are generally stronger than images created with a full palette. Still to come, after students come back from break: the red-green painting and complementary color lesson and “the world in full color.”

Copyright 2012 Rebekah Luke

The painting. Monochromatic color lesson: adding one hue only, veridian, to black and white, still mindful of the range of values, that is, the various tints and shades of gray. Lesson includes painting glass.

The set. Analogous color painting lesson with black, white, and three yellows. Black mixed with yellow makes green.

The painting. Using cadium yellow pale (cool yellow), cadmium yellow light (warm yellow), yellow ochre, black, and white.

The painting. The combinations of mixing cadmium red light (red-orange) and veridian (blue-green) represent the first of four lessons about complementary colors, that is, colors that are opposite each other on the color wheel. Combining complementary colors produces neutrals that are stronger than tube paints named for earth tones.

The set. Complementary colors blue and orange with shiny metal, glass, reflective surfaces, highlights (the incandescent spot) and low lights (from the window light).

The painting. Though challenging, it is much fun to paint reflected light.

The set. The complements yellow and violet mix to make warm tans and browns. Of light rays passing through a prism, yellow is the lightest value, and violet is the darkest. This still life set introduces drapery.

The painting. Painting drapes in the studio now is good practice for painting the Ko‘olau Mountains in the landscape later!

To learn more about painting lessons by Rebekah, please see the related post: Is painting on your bucket list?

Kalo diptych

Heart-shaped kalo leaves

Border of green not red hues
Valentine preview

 

Kalo diptych / 10" x 7" / oil on canvas

Copyright 2012 Rebekah Luke

Happy new year! What’s on your plate for 2012?

♥ LOVE, Love, love! ♥ We made it! A happy and loving new year to all. Muah! It’s gonna be a good one!

What’s new on your plate for 2012? Here’s what’s on mine: 1 lotus petal, 2 reunions, 2 books, 50 lei, and plenty of Skype.

This month I’m getting ready to teach my first formal course in Painting, to be launched in February at my studio in Kaaawa. Our kids and grand kids will be moving to Italy for their work around that time, and with a crib and other childrens’ things gone from our place, I’ll be rearranging the furniture to make room for a few students and floor easels. I can envision another petal of my lotus opening. Exciting!

As we have all noticed, I’m sure, this is a time of great change in our lives and on our planet. I look at these changes as part of the circle of life and events to be celebrated.

Of course, having one’s family move half way around the world is a big change, and we are helping each other adjust emotionally as well. My darling husband (DH), who was Miss Marvelous’s primary caregiver in her first year when her parents worked outside the home, and I will miss the two toddlers especially. It’s so much fun watching them develop.

Thank goodness for Skype. Thank goodness for a great reason to travel to Europe—I’m projecting in 2013—and thank goodness they will be back here in three years.

In June I’m partying and reminiscing with my Punahou Class of ’67 classmates for our 45th high school reunion. Yes, indeed, it’s been that long. Nearly everything is set for the six-day event, and I hope many will attend. We’ll have such a great time reconnecting.

In July I’m committed to welcoming the yachts of the Pacific Cup race to Hawaii, and my crew of lei makers will be on call once again.

Come August it’s a biggie. I’ll have published a new book and e-book about my relatives in time for a gathering. My cousins of my mom’s side and I are going to North Kohala on Hawaii island for a family reunion. Kohala is where my grandparents and their 15 children lived until June 1925 when they moved to Honolulu.

In 2011 I made two scouting trips there to find the old house (it had been moved, and I found it!) and to gather information for the trip. Our family is so fortunate that we can literally walk the land of our ancestors and experience the place of their birth.

And that’s it. Pretty full, huh? I’m sure yours is too. It’s meant to be. I wish you love during the transition. There still may be some bumps in the road, so take it easy. Thank you so very much for visiting, and check back often during the year. Reiki blessings to all. ~ Love, Rebekah

Copyright 2012 Rebekah Luke

My oil paintings year by year

In my second year of oil painting, I did "Kalama Beach" on a canvas panel. 18" x 24". Ariel Krape Hylton Collection. © 1990 Rebekah Luke

Just a few more electronic images to gather, and my Retrospective Collection of paintings will be complete — for the time being. Most of it is installed at Rebekah’s Studio.

I presented “Kalama Beach” to my step-daughter about 20 years ago. When I went back to photograph the work for this collection, I saw I had attached an “artist at work” snapshot of her watching me paint at this very spot. (Sigh.) Time and place. Perhaps Miss Marvelous will inherit the piece one day.

To view more of the collection, just click on http://rebekahstudio.wordpress.com/retrospective-collection. It’s another look back! Thank you for visiting!

Copyright 2011 Rebekah Luke