Cereus - Night Blooming Cactus

"Flowers seem intended for the solace of ordinary humanity." - John Ruskin

The Cereus or night-blooming cactus is a vineing cactus that grows in several parts of the world.  The flowers are rather large and quite beautiful , and the pitaya or dragon fruit (strawberry pear) is produced from this plant.   There is one main area on Oahu where I take reference photographs of it every July.  I leave early in the morning and try to arrive there about 6 in the morning, because by 10 a.m. or so the flowers have begun to fade from the sun.   

This close-up shot reveals raindrops on the petals and gives an excellent view of the center detail of the blossom.   Below is a recent painting of mine completed from a reference photo.

"Serious About Cereus"

12" x 12" Oil on canvas

Thank you for visiting today !

reynoldsrenditions@gmail.com

North Shore, Oahu - Waimea Bay

Today I just needed to get out of the studio for a while, and when I heard the surf on the North Shore of Oahu was going to peak today at 18 to 22 feet I knew where I needed to be.    I visited 3 beaches today, but below are some photos of Waimea Bay you will enjoy.

The top photo is fantastic to give you an idea of how high the waves were today.  The lifeguards at the beach kept telling people there was no swimming allowed as it was too dangerous and there were rip currents.   In the winter the North Shore of Oahu always has high surf periods, and people come from all over the world to view or participate in the surfing competitions held here at that time.  

I have painted Waimea Bay a couple of times.  I have included the lifeguard boat in the paintings, but they keep moving the boat almost every time I am there.   I am rather found of that boat !  (To include in paintings, that is).   Below is a photo of it taken today .

Please visit again soon as I will be posting more beach photographs in the future, plus a variety of other subject matter as well.

Moonscapes

This photo was taken around 7:30 or so yesterday morning and I was just thrilled to capture a rainbow over the moon !   I was out on my lanai (patio) from around 6:30 a.m. (before daylight) on Tuesday and got some good shots of the moon itself while it was still dark.  It rained a little , and as it became daylight this beautiful rainbow appeared.   I quickly took a few photos and how inspiring they are to me for future paintings.
Below are some other "moonscapes" also taken from my lanai.

Three of the above photographs were taken yesterday; the second one from the top with the full moon was taken about a month ago.    I must paint the "rainbow over the moon" very soon!    Below is a miniature painting of mine of the moon at sunset.

Thank you for visiting !

reynoldsrenditions@gmail.com

Frangipani / Plumeria

I believe this is the "Rainbow" plumeria.  It is really quite lovely, but difficult to try to paint.   

The photo above is of the Singapore Frangipani and is obviously mostly white.   It's soft beauty makes an impact.

Plumeria or Frangipani as they are also known as are found throughout the Hawaiian Islands and just about everywhere you look you find them, mostly as landscaping plants since they aren't found in the wild.   Next time I  post some plumeria photographs I will do more research on them and their history.   They are small trees and some lose their leaves when not in bloom and others do not.   

Hawaii is truly a paradise as it so breathtakingly beautiful and it is a constant inspiration to this artist.  There are many other flowering trees here in this beautiful State that I will share with you on this blog in the future.

Nene - Hawaii's State Bird

The Nene is the state bird of Hawaii.  It is found only in the Hawaiian Islands and is on the endangered list. Most of my photos shown below were taken at the Kilauea Point National Wildlife Refuge on the island of Kaua'i  .  These birds are use to people and so photographing them is relatively easy.   They are closely related to the Brant and Canadian Goose.

Below is a photo I took of "teenage" Nene at the Kilauea National Wildlife Refuge.  I have not been fortunate enough to capture shots of tiny baby Nene  but hope to do that one day.

So far this is the only painting I have done of the Nene, and I plan to do more in the future.   They are rather inspiring birds to try to paint.

reynoldsrenditions@gmail.com

Leeward Coast of Oahu - Sunset Seascapes

"The Lord on high is mightier than the noise of many waters, Yea, than the mighty waves of the sea."          Psalm 93:4

All of these photographs were taken on the Leeward or Eastern coast of the island of Oahu, Hawaii.   I have yet to do any paintings from them, but my intention is to paint from these photos very soon.   The photo of the lighthouse was taken at Barber's Point.   

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Stepping Stones

"One of the secrets to life is to make stepping stones out of stumbling blocks." - Jack Penn

The above photographs were taken at the "Grand Canyon of The Pacific" on the Island of Kauai, Hawaii.  It is not as large or as colorful as the Grand Canyon on the USA mainland, but it is still quite impressive just the same.   The day these photos were taken it was rather hazy out as well.  

Sometimes we make "mountains out of molehills" with our personal problems and they seem insurmountable like a great grand canyon with no way out.   We need to be patient and "wait on the Lord"  (Psalm 27:14) because He causes all things to work for our good (Romans 8:28).

Obstacles can be used to our advantage.   "See every difficulty as a challenge, a stepping stone, and never be defeated by anything or anyone."  - Eileen Caddy

With faith, hope, endurance, and perseverance our valleys and mountains of adversities will be like tiny grains of sand.   

"Adversity is the diamond dust Heaven polishes its jewels with."  - Thomas Carlyle

  

Orchids

"If you get simple beauty and naught else, you get about the best thing God invents." - Robert Browning

Orchids are just breathtakingly beautiful and I enjoy them so much.   I have a good "green thumb" except when it comes to orchids; I rarely buy an orchid plant because its fate is doomed in my hands as most of the time they do not survive under my care.   Other plants, especially African Violets, do very well for me.

I have taken more photographs of orchids which I will share soon.   Hope these beauties above help make a  pleasant day for you.   

reynoldsrenditions@gmail.com

Ala Moana Beach Park - Honolulu

"The sun will not rise or set without my notice and thanks."  - Winslow Homer

The above photographs were taken at sunrise at Ala Moana Beach Park in Honolulu .   It is a wonderful family park, although rather crowded later in the day.  My favorite time to visit there is at sunrise.

This clearly shows the marina across from the park looking towards Diamond Head, the famous extinct volcano which is located in Waikiki, about a 10 minute or less drive from Ala Moana Beach Park.   

These photos are rather peaceful, and here is wishing you a peaceful and productive day !

The Path

"All the paths of the Lord are mercy and steadfast love, even truth and faithfulness are they for those who keep His covenant and His testimonies"  Psalm 25:10

This one of many paths located at Foster Botanical Gardens in Honolulu.   Different paths lead to new delights, botanically speaking.   It is rather like life; the paths we choose determine our destiny, which may not always be delightful if we are not wise in our choices.  We could take a path by a Cannonball Tree shown below; it has pretty flowers on it and may appear appealing, but the rather large round "cannons" on it   can really hurt you if you are hit by one as they fall.   When they smash on the ground (or you) they give off a foul odor.    Kinda like bad choices we make.   But we are always given a new day to try our best again; never give up by always looking up for guidance !   Life is too wonderful to spoil in any way.

A Sampling of More to Come

This shot was taken in a suburb of Salt Lake City a few years ago.   I recently completed an oil painting of these Iris shown on my fine art blog  http://reynoldsrenditions.blogspot.com    I really have taken a fancy to this flower and wish they were suited to the climate in Hawaii.   

The above two scenes were taken at Waikiki on the Island of Oahu.   I intend to use them as references for paintings in the future.   Just wanted to share them with you; however, this blog will mostly focus on landscapes without man-made structures, as well as nature photos of plants and animals.....any and everything that inspires me and that I believe you would enjoy as well.

The two ocean photos were taken at Makapuu beach on Oahu.  Those two small islands in the background of the one photo are protected bird sanctuaries.   The plumeria blossoms were also in that area.  Plumeria trees are found almost everywhere in the Hawaiian Islands and come in a variety of colors: white, pink, red, and a rainbow plumeria with multiple colors in the flower.  I will definitely post more of these flowers in the future.   Here is one more right now :

God was generous with beauty in His wonderful creation !  It is that beauty that inspires me to paint and to constantly try to do it justice with my photography.   

This is just a sampling of what this blog is all about.  I hope you enjoyed your visit !