This is an abstract that I did while on a recent trip to Maui. I think I was somewhat influenced by some Hawaiian colors.
I did this on my iPad in an app called Procreate. Procreate is a go-to app for many artists who paint on their iPads. It is sold as an illustration app, but I use it as a painting app with no problems.
In the 80’s some time I was in a hurricane while on Maui. It completely destroyed Kaui and we only had very high winds on Maui.
The next morning the beach was covered thick with shells. What a find! My mother and I grabbed up all the shells we could get our hands on.
I doubt I would do this today. These shells are needed by sea creatures for homes. They are part of the sea’s eco system. But I didn’t understand that when I was younger. That you go to the ocean you look, you enjoy, but you leave it there.
Today, we have digital cameras to capture the beauty of places we visit. There is no need to collect things and bring them home.
I enhanced this photo in Enlight, then TangledFX.
Glorious Morning
This is a painting I did while we were still in Maui. I was very influenced by the gorgeous flowers in Maui. Tropical flowers are so bright and have such beautiful shapes.
I think of this as abstract flowers. I was showing more the shapes and colors than actual flowers that I saw.
I work on my abstracts in layers. I start with a painting in Rebelle, making lots of drips and using the pen to make lots of lines. Then, when I bring the painting into Painter, I look around for shapes and colors that I like, and that is how my paintings grow.
Going Round In Circles
I started this painting in an app called Rebelle. I used watercolors and inks and created lots of drips. Then I painted with a watercolor brush loaded with lots of paints and drew in various shapes.
Then, I took it into Painter 2016 and used pencils and acrylic paints to finish the piece.
I like using pencils in lots of different colors in my paintings. It seems like a great way to spread color around in a painting.
I like this particular painting because it has a lot of very bright colors. I painted it while we were in Maui recently. I think all the beautiful tropical colors there influenced me.
Dreaming About Maui
I just returned from a two-month trip to Maui. It’s like I’m a new woman. I have more energy than I’ve had in over 20 years. I have Lyme disease. It went undiagnosed for 18 years. I think that the treatment for the Lyme is finally starting to work.
I usually feel like I’m carrying around a 50-pound rock and always feel exhausted. I never do anything without first thinking about it to see if I have enough energy. That feeling is gone. I hope it continues to last. The pain is also being controlled with medication. I am so grateful.
This painting I did while in Maui. There are so many incredibly beautiful flowers in Maui. I just had to paint a few.
I started this painting in Rebelle with watercolors and inks and finished it in Painter with oil paints.
I Say Hello
This is a painting I recently finished.
I started this painting in an app called Rebelle. I used inks and watercolors in Rebelle.
Then I took the painting into Painter to see what I could find. These three birds showed up right away. Initially, there were four birds. But common wisdom says that one should use odd numbers in grouping images in a painting, or just about anything. Odd numbers always look better than an even number of objects.
As the painting progressed, more and more flowers and various shapes just showed up.
I am very excited as we leave for two months in Maui this month. This is a dream come true. Right now and through November, is hurricane season. Usually, I don’t worry about that. But there have been several near hurricanes hitting Hawaii lately. There are three off the islands now, and high winds up to 140 mph are expected. The increase in hurricanes is due to global warming. More and more, I am seeing the effects in my life of global warming.
Here in Seattle, we are having a drought. Last night we got our first real rainfall since April. Everyone knows we are famous for rain, yet we’ve had none. There is a chance that the high pressure system laying off our coast will keep rains from El Niño from coming in this winter. That would mean two years of drought. This is very serious, but no one in government seems to care.
Aloha.
Flower Frenzy
I started this painting like I start all my paintings. I make a few layers of marks with several colors. Then I start looking to find what appears to me in the painting.
Lately, all I’ve seen are flowers. Flowers everywhere.
I think this is because I’m getting closer to going to Maui for two months. Maui is filled with gorgeous colors and beautiful flowers.
When I first became ill, my life as I knew it ended. I laid in bed for over 15 years with no diagnosis. I did nothing except go to doctors when able.
When I finally got a diagnosis of lyme disease, I got treatment and some of my life returned. Not a lot, but more than I had.
I believe that my constant faith in God (although there were some challenging times about that) and my ability to pick myself up and be positive and practice staying positive got me back to living.
My life is still very limited, but I’m extremely grateful I live only a five-hour flight from Maui. I can do sitting on an airplane. I collapse once I get there. But, I’ll have plenty of time to recover from the flight this year.
Aloha, everyone!
Kerry C. Mitchell's Adventures 