Hodge Podge Of Flowers On Oahu, Hawaii

Rainbow Shower Tree

I love these trees!   The Shower trees come in other colors, but this is my favorite combination of hues.  They are not very large trees, as you can tell in the photograph below.

There are so many beautiful blooming trees in Hawaii.   And of course, everyone associates the Hibiscus flower with these islands.    

Below are a couple of my reference photographs of water lilies.   Please keep in mind to not copy these photos in any way unless you ask my permission.

I hope to paint these before too long.    The above photo of the white water lilies is okay except for the extreme light on the upright flower to the left.   But as an artist, I can fix that when I paint by putting more darks in that blossom and using subdued color.   I mainly love the red reflections in the water from plants above and behind that rock.

This is a Ti plant, or some here in Hawaii call it a Tea Leaf plant.   I was told it was native to Hawaii, but have since learned it is native to the Philippines as well. I have this plant on my lanai and it has gotten much larger than when this photo was taken.   I love the burgundy and reddish shades, but they come in green and variegated varieties as well.

More to follow soon.   

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Horses On North Shore Oahu

"Famous" Tree on the North Shore of Oahu

This tree was always a landmark on the North Shore of Oahu, and I believe this is the exact tree filmed in an episode of the TV series "Lost".   Naturally I missed that particular episode.  :-)       

Below are more photos of horses.

Two of the reference photos above inspired me to paint two recent oil paintings shown below.

"Plumbago At Kawailoa Ranch"

9" x 12" oil

Available

Blue Plumbago flowers bloom year round in Hawaii's tropical climate. 

"They Board Horses Don't They"

8" x 16" oil

Available

Below is a interesting reference photograph of mine that might lead to my creating an oil painting of it.

All of these photos were taken in the vicinity of Haleiwa on the North Shore of Oahu, across the road from the beaches.   Haleiwa would be a great future blog post.   

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Fall Foliage

Michigan Horses

Today I completed an oil landscape painting with Fall foliage and it made me think of  posting some Autumn  photographs to this blog.   It has been a while since I posted here, and I promise not to let that happen again.   I have been very busy painting and have not gone on any photo shoots lately.  Believe me, I desperately want to take off to the country or the ocean to take photos very soon.   I have missed that.

Below are some more Fall scenes for you to enjoy.

A barn in Michigan with just the beginning stages of Fall foliage.   I believe those are mums blooming in front of the fence.  Below are some photos taken at the Washington Park Arboretum and Botanical Gardens in Seattle.   

The picture below was also taken at the Washington Park Arboretum in Seattle.   It is the reference photograph for the painting I completed today, which is also shown below.

"Autumn Of Our Life - Ecclesiastes 9:9"

12" x 16" oil on panel

I changed things a little in the painting.... wonderful thing, artistic license !  You may view the blog post about this artwork here

Looking forward to sharing many more posts with you in the coming year.   Have a wonderful New Year !

reynoldsrenditions@gmail.com

Waikiki Banyan Trees

This photo of a banyan tree was taken at Kapiolani Park across the street from the beach at Waikiki.  This mother is taking photos of her son in the tree, which I have seen many people do of friends and family. The banyan tree is native to India and is the national tree of that country, but it is found in various parts of the world as well.    The banyan tree is also known as the "strangler fig". This tree is impressive, but it is not as large as older banyan trees which can cover a lot of ground because of their aerial prop roots which spread and spread .   Below is a shot of some of these aerial prop roots which can become indistinguishable from the main trunk over time.

This is a larger, older banyan tree than the previous photograph.   It clearly shows how thick and woody the aerial prop roots can become.   This was taken in Waikiki on the Honolulu Zoo grounds by Kapiolani Park.
I intend to create a painting from this and/or other photographs of this man and the pigeons enjoying the shade under the branches of this old tree.   One of the largest banyan trees in the USA was planted in 1873 at the Lahaina Courthouse by the harbor at Lahaina, Maui.  I have been there, but do not have photos of that particular tree, which is over 60 feet high and covers an entire city block.

Here are two banyan trees at the Honolulu Zoo ground in Waikiki.   The very first banyan tree in the USA was planted  by Thomas Edison in Fort Myers, Florida.  Edison and Henry Ford were endeavoring to find a cheaper way to produce rubber for car tires.   When first planted, it was only 4 feet tall but now it covers an acre of land.  In fact, my first time to ever see a banyan tree was in Florida around 2001 when I visited one of my granddaughters who lived there.  I did not see any more of these trees until I moved to Hawaii a few years ago.

Let me close with a beautiful rainbow shot taken at Waimea Bay on the North Shore of Oahu.

Enjoy !   Please return again soon as I will be posting more frequently in the future.   

reynoldsrenditions@gmail.com

Black-crowned Night Heron of Hawaii

"God gives every bird its food, but He does not throw it into its nest." - J. G. Holland

This adult Black-crowned Night Heron is truly in its own paradise !  This reference photo of mine was taken in Waikiki at the Hilton Hawaiian Village Resort where they have a variety of birds and even penguins.   

This was also taken at the Hilton resort and gives a closer view to observe the color of the feet and bill, etc., of an adult.  Their eyes are very red.   The male is usually taller than the female, about 26 inches in height with a wingspan of 45 inches.

The above two photos were taken months apart at Ala Moana Beach Park on Oahu and show young herons  not quite - but almost- in adult plumage.   Here they were feeding on minnows.   Their diet varies greatly including frogs, mice, insects, and various fish.   Sometimes they catch and eat baby and small adult birds.  

This juvenile Black-crowned Night Heron posed for me at the botanical gardens at Waimea Bay on the North Shore of Oahu.    Hawaii recognizes this heron as Indigenous, and it was first taken note of by Captain Cook in 1778 on the island of Kauai.   It is known as 'Auku'u in Hawaiian and is very similar to all Black-crowned Night Herons which breed on every continent except Australia and Antarctica.

Below is a recent painting of mine.  I took the reference photograph of the heron in the tree on the island of Kauai in broad daylight.  There was no moon present.  I used a lot of artistic license in this painting.

"By The Light Of The Moon - Black-crowned Night Heron"

10" x 8" oil on museum quality gessobord

Available

reynoldsrenditions@gmail.com

Hibiscus of Oahu Hawaii

Isn't this a beauty !   I photographed this and the other Hibiscus below at a restaurant in Waikiki.  For the most part, these are all hybrids and not native Hawaiian plants.   I will save that for another post.   Unfortunately, I do not know the proper names for the Hibiscus shown but hope you enjoy the show!

I intend to paint these lovelies before too long.   I have prints of Hibiscus for sale at Fine Art America.  Once you arrive at that link, click on "Galleries" and then on "Photographs of Hibiscus".   Soon I will post more photos of Hibiscus on this blog.   

Thank you for visiting and please return again soon.

reynoldsrenditions@gmail.com

Kailua Beach Park Oahu

The above scene is at Kailua Beach looking east towards Lanikai.   Locals and visitors alike feel it is the best beach in Hawaii, and it was designated as the best American beach in 1998 by an expert, Dr. Stephen Leatherman.    Kailua Beach Park is about 30 minutes from Waikiki and is an excellent family beach as there are gentle waves from Kailua Bay on the windward or eastern shore of Oahu.    

This is looking west from Kailua Beach.   The least crowded time to visit the beach is during the week.

I thought you might enjoy the photo of the lifeguard station with the old ironwood trees.   Wind surfing and kite surfing is very popular at this beach.   Nearby you can rent kayaks and adventure to offshore islands.

The scene directly above shows kayaks in the Kawainui Canal which leads to and empties into the ocean (top photo).    To the left of the kayaks on the canal is a fabulous steakhouse and seafood restaurant called Buzz's which I enjoy visiting and the food is great.    By the way,  there is plenty of parking at Kailua Beach Park, restrooms, showers, and picnic tables.   

This is looking west again and not far from Buzz's restaurant and steakhouse.   I painted this scene with a different catamaran and figures shown below.

"A Good Day - Kailua Beach"

16" x 20" acrylic on canvas

Available

Thank you for visiting today.    

reynoldsrenditions@gmail.com