Subject’s portrait during a live sitting, the portrait sitter reveals his multi faceted soul, as over the time of the portrait sittings, the fine nuances of the face are displayed.

Paintings are the record, the universal spirit recognized in all beings and creation. From this level of awareness, phenomenal manifestation of the play of the forces existent in creation. Beyond

"Hawaiian art" or "any other art". Universal art is the basis. Critics and political beings may attach the labels. Shouldn’t we strive for that which is pure?

Painting is not dead, nor should working with oil paint on canvas be considered anachronistic. The tradition of painting is a continuing and developing one. Progress is yet to be made, building on the work of the great painters of the not-too-distant past.

It would seem that the advent of the "ready-made" earlier in the　last century, has usurped the value of craftsmanship in art. I believe that this is a detour from the path. It is only a matter of time in which innovation for the sake of innovation alone will fall by the wayside. The true values of art will survive, as art strives for eternity.

My landscapes are both painted in the open air and my studio. The work progresses through the direct process of observing nature. Scales seem to be removed from the eyes as greater depths of color and spatial relationship appear. Indeed the act of painting seems to be a form of meditation causing a heightening of the awareness. While in the field, what takes place on the canvas seems as a reduced reflection of all that is experienced. Yet when viewed back in the confines of the studio, it is clear that the canvas has brought back the vitality of the greater experience.

Sometimes I feel that it is the landscape, which has painted itself, not the artist. I have been but a medium through which the landscape has been painted as a record recorded of its presence.

One of the joys of painting is the endless combination that the paint, color and texture manifest on the canvas. When successfully juxtaposition, different colors go into vibration or oscillation with each other. Layers of paint are built up with various degrees of transparency creating unpredictable new effects.

I like a good, textured, painting which gives you the sense that there is something more than the image itself.

Monet is said to have put each canvas aside, and pulled it out when the particular atmospheric/lighting effect appeared. A particular canvas was earmarked for only a certain atmospheric effect, and thus he would not work on it under a set of conditions different than those he had decided to be suitable for that piece.

I have continued with the same canvas under varied conditions, all of these conditions adding up in terms of layers of paint, one over the other, contributing to an unforeseen final mood which is born from all the different painting sessions coming into harmony not without conflict having taken place between these same layers/sessions, and their traces evident along with their resolution. I have held back some canvases for over fifteen years waiting for the right moment to finish it.

Time seems to be an indispensable element of the work. Time has no meaning. The span of time from the beginning of the canvas until the realization of its completion has no predetermined time line. Time is necessary to see all the subtleties in the work and develop the feeling for what alterations or modifications are to be made for all the parts of the painting to live together in harmony. This time is also necessary for separating the painter's labor of the painting from the intensity of feelings that accompanied the earlier act of bringing the raw unfinished painting to be on the canvas. At that earlier stage is identified with the stimuli outside of the canvas, and during that period, when viewing the painting, he would see more the external stimuli, than the work itself on the canvas. This could be for better or for worse... The canvas will cause recall private experience at the time, re-creating sensations. Yet, the same canvas may communicate absolutely nothing to another viewer. Or the artist would still be so much enamored of that experience, that he would be blinded to the imperfections or disharmony of the canvas. Thus, only once he has put the work out of his sight and over the course of time allowed that memory of the experience to fade, and then he would be able to once again look at the work and see it on its own merits and make decisions on how to proceed.

On the other hand, during the time of the initial painting act, you may have implanted in your mind a very strong idea or feeling as to what direction you wanted the work to take. The work at that time may not live up to that ideal, and you may fell the work incomplete, unfinished. Only once again by distancing yourself again from these feelings by means of the passage of time, can you view the work in a more objective frame of mind. Then you may even discover a new painting and see that it is indeed a completed harmonious work. In both cases the passage of time was necessary to see your work more objectively.

YET - if we all co-operate, we shall turn this world into Heaven on Earth.

To come back to the issue of art... no, I cannot bury my head in the sand! But, alas, let there be POSITIVE VIBRATIONS!!! We shall not let those of destructive tendencies drag us down. With eyes open, we shall rejoice in the beauty of the Creation. We shall know our potential; we shall strive for the Ultimate. Let the art offerings serve as witness of the Goodness that exists around us. See the positive, strengthen it, and in the effort of making a better world, we shall strive for beauty!

Most of the paintings are for sale.　 An artist must survive, and as such he must sell works to buy time to create new paintings.　 So, please be encouraged to buy my works and become a part of this creative process.

Paintings that are no longer available are indicated in the caption below the image as being sold, however, if prints are available it will be indicated.

About lighting: Light is the key - lighting varies with time of day and accents different shapes and features. Light through clouds like a spot light on one area of the landscape highlighting it in contrast to the surroundings. Lighting of the paintings is of utmost importance - good lighting will make the painting work, poor lighting will hide what is there. Atmospheric factors change the light and the softness or hardness of view.

How to paint a landscape, how to paint a sky, how to paint anything for that matter? The key is using our eyes, "listen" to your eyes, and let your eyes make the　decisions as to shape, color, etc.

Monet and the Impressionists including greats like Pissaro, Sisley, Morrisot showed us to connect with nature in a fresh way. Kandinsky showed us the Spiritual in Art to be true to our inner

World, to manifest our spirituality in our work, every brush stroke's direction has spiritual importance. Art of the spirit to enhance our consciousness and awareness to expand to awareness of the universe in a grain of sand... allowing vibration of color influencing the psyche with a positive vibration to uplift the spirit to new heights.

Has this "political art' captured the art establishment and installed its own proponents as the curators, critics and other art-world power possessing individuals?

Will the power – holding - individuals in the art world recognize a painting, which is art for art's sake? If there is no social-political connotation. Is art for art's sake doomed? You can make the difference!