14. umikumamaha


I have been listening. This morning it was a chorus of birds at dawn, dwindling down to one lone and probably lost hen who is clucking merrily about two houses down the street. The other night when I went to bed, it was late, around 11 or so, I heard a cowboy! They're called "paniolo" here, and he was rounding up his cattle, whistling and calling the strays until at least midnight, moving up the mountain, and getting fainter and fainter as I began falling asleep. I was enchanted by the sound, and by the idea that we live here not a quarter mile from the heart of this small town, yet in the hills and dense trees on the borders of yards are roaming animals and cowboys. Four years ago I could hear the cattle close by "mooing" at night. The "amorous cows", I called em, and told my daughter, "they'll be gone in 5 years time." You don't hear them much anymore. I still remember the day I was heading into town when this HUGE big black boar came bursting out of the trees, ran lickety split along with all the cars for about 50 yards, then disappeared back into the thicket. love it.


Oops. The "hen " is now crowing. Ok, it's a rooster. Just hoping he stays two houses away, ....I had one cocka-doodle-dooing right out side my bedroom window once... all night long!!

Now on to art! Lotsa changes, in jobs, my schedule, my art! I "jumped ship" and went from working days on the sailboat to afternoons and evenings on a small dinner cruise boat. And found the change in my schedule meant adjustments in my time, my habits, my painting. Had a commission in January that proved challanging- I always find it difficult to paint "for someone else." But here's the finished piece,- a wedding gift for the daughter of my client, and so a bit stylized to make it romantic. You know..."love birds"...

The next piece, my "pole bendin", has been reinvented several times...sigh...I am "only the brush" and this was a restless painting that would not leave me alone till this last image. It started out as a plein air piece I did on location at the Old Airport. Not happy to be "just another landscape", oh no! it begged me to redo it.
And on and on ...it was such a relentless nag! "Build me a frame!" it demanded! "Now paint it another color"! Boy... I was so tempted at times to sneak it into my pickup and over to the local landfill, but hey- how many times do you have a talking painting? "Now repaint the whole dang thing!" It was not happy until the final image you see here. 32" x 48".


I've not heard a peep since. Only the moonlit cowboys...

Hot on the heels of that one (hey, wait-what about my hammock?) is my "tribal whale". Been building in my mind for a coupla months, till I put charcoal to paper then brush to board and this is the result. Inspired by my gentle brethren in the sea, we saw some beautiful breeches on the boat this season before they headed back to Alaska. The background is a panel of ground plaster mixed with blue and green acrylic on wood that I made a few years ago as part oof a 60 piece "Sea Wall." 24" x 48"










Thar she blows!
hmmm....I'm feeling an octopus coming on soon...The next thing ya know I'll be reading Dr.Doolittle again.
(Ok...., ok, I loved that book.Just don't tell anyone...)

and **news flash** I have a new online art shop at lcapell.etsy.com ...go ahead and take a peek! Hope to keep on top of it and updated frequently

peace and aloha,
lynn

All photos and art are copyright lcapell and my not be reproduced without permissin. Mahalo

13. umikumamakolu


New year, new blog... Hau'oli Makahiki Hou! New resolves once again to be the best person/mama/daughter/artist I can be....to not waste a precious minute of this amazing life (well maybe I can cut myself a teeny bit of slack there cause lying in a hammock IS where I do my creative thinking) . Ahhh how I love the "1st" and always consider it a clean slate.
To ring in the new one, I am replacing my "nom de plume" -"ellecapell" -with my true name, (or at least initial) L.Capell. No I was not "on the lam". It seems I was only confusing my friends, family, cats (yes they read this too) and immigration authorities with my attempt to be witty by spelling out my first initial as "elle". Some of you caught on , but the votes are in- and since I do sign my art work as "L. Capell " ...well,,,, c'est moi (French for "silly me").

I'm turning over a new leaf in painting as well. Starting with "remaking" a painting I did last year. It's a seascape, plein air, painted on location at the Old Airport...nice but not "NICE with the exclamation points" (my own thoughts) . So I sanded it down, left the ghost image, and am now repainting it to a much more exciting, and "arty image"!! Never content to do things "the easy way",... oh no...I struggle with those inner "painting demons" until I feel that I have done a truly new take on an old theme. Either that or messed it up completely. As it is still a work in progress, I won't have the piece posted till the next blog (this is just a teaser) ( and I really am working, and NOT in the hammock!)


Till then, I shall warm your lil hearts with some snaps of snowy Mauna Kea. Absolutely gorgeous, especially when viewed from the sunny and palmy (is that a word?) beaches of the Big Island.
Wishing everyone blessed health, happiness and peace.
aloha,
Lynn (my real name, I promise)

Pics are copyright of L.Capell and my not be used without my permission. Mahalo!

12. umikumamalua
(now say that 5 times, AFTER two mugs of eggnog!)

A wild week of torrential winter rains and lightening bolts! The big bad storm dumped 7 inches of rain here in Kona! That's makes for a lotta green grass in this yard. So no boat trips this week, I spent it on the boat in dry dock (now there's a lie-! Ha! "dry" dock indeed) glancing nervously at the gathering black clouds all around us and muttering charms to keep the lightening bolts from kissing our mast (and my ***!)
I heard Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa have slopes full of snow - I'll have to run out and shoot some photos soon as the clouds blow away a bit. I love the image of snow in Hawaii!
Christmas is just around the (stormin) mountain, and so not having any Christmas paintings this year (yet) I'll post one I did in Panama a few years back, that I used as my Christmas card at the time.
We lived in this small village on the Island of Taboga, and as in most Catholic pueblos in Latin countries, much of the center of the village revolves around the church. Well this was a 400 year old church with an old bell tower, and a huge old bell that was missing a clapper. So to ring the bell, the local kids would go up the winding stairs and beat on the bell with sticks. And stones. The result was usually akin to someone shooting at a gong or a trashcan lid with a potato gun. A godawful-stopyouinyourtracks (so you could cover your ears) kind of noise . Some of the more talented ones would make an interesting rhythm, not that much more pleasant but at least with a catchy little beat.
I climbed up there myself (I'm a sucker for an unusual perspective) and found this charming view of the staggered little houses encircling the plaza, and was enchanted by the "looking down" view of the rooftops of the church and the village. Seems "Christmas-y" to me, with the cross, the rusty tin roofs and the red clay tiles, and makes me smile smile to remember this scene and the "tolling" of the bell. Peace to all.

Mele Kalikimaka,
Lynn

all photos are the copyright of L.Capell and may not be reproduced without permission. Mahalo.

11 umikumamakahi
"There's a kind of hush..." (Remember that song?) The power is out, ...funny how that tends to send people in a tizzy. Makes em wander around on the streets in the dark and talk to total strangers, wondering “what’s going on?? What do we do with no tv, no computers, no music, just darkness and quietness.” Wow...sooo very quiet and so nice. I can hear a dog barking far away. Hmm.....kinda makes me want to pick up my guitar, or howl at the moon! Course I might get something thrown at me, (either way-ha!)
So-typing the the dark- a perfect excuse ahead of time for any typos I may make.

Did a little snorkeling today, midday off the boat (of course I was working!) and you can feel the “nip” in the water... temperature’s dropped a few degrees, everyone was shivering and a lovely shade of blue, but still “wet heaven”. Speaking of blue, there are a couple of patches of blue rice coral that are found only on this island, and it’s as if somone painted it, the color is such an unbelievable vivid lapis blue. I also saw an amazing creature...an "ocean angel!" Well, that was my name for it anyway. Imagine this...a delicate transparent pink body, about 1/2" long, with two symmetrical transparent pink "wings", it was so tiny and ethereal, just drifting along in the current. It probably was some kind of jellyfish, but it DID resemble Tinkerbelle! (the Captain said I just must've held my breath waaay too long....!)

Went to Maui in August, flew in a tinnny - (typo, but it WAS tinny -and tiny!) 6 seater. Smooth hop over but appearantly that’s not always the case, judging from the sigh of relief from the other passengers when we landed. I had a two week art show at Sargent gallery in Lahaina, with three evenings of painting in the gallery for folks on Thurs, Fi and Sat. With food poisoning, no less! I shoulda been an actress for that performance as a painter! Spent a day sightseeing -we even drove the famous “Road to Hana”...hoo boy....you drive and drive and DRIVE , and not only that but the road curves and curves and CURVES , then you get to the end and you have to TURN AROUND and go back! Shoot....It’s like a bad joke! Turns out last October’s earthquake messed up the last part of the road, so even if you don’t want to go back, you have no choice. Try that on top of food poisoning! There must be a moral here somewhere, but if you want my advice skip the road to Hana and go for a beer in Makawao.

Ok, enough about me... art time!! A little bit about these plein air pieces I have done on location around the Big Island: the first is of Kealakekua Bay, in the picnic area late afternoon, looking south. Oils on board, 11" x 14". The second is the same place, painted when I was teaching a class there, and wanted a different perspective. I love that purple "vog" in the afternoon, over the mountain. Oils on wood, 9"x 12" Then on down, the third is NOT the road to Hana, but a view of an Old Hawaiian Battlefield here in Kona. Locally called "the End of the World". A powerful place, even the waves there are strong!
And the hammock.
I included this one for fellow artists Bill Jones and Lisa Towers (wonderful blog btw,take a peek- http://onpainting.wordpress.com/ ) (hey Bill the cats run the hammock concession, but said they can work something out!)
Oils on wood, 9" x 12"

Saw this on the back of a pick-up truck here -
"Silly boys, trucks are for chicks!"

(ya gotta know the Big Island- we love our trucks!)

aloha,
Lynn

All art and photos are copyright of Lynn Capell and may not be reproduced without permission. Mahalo!

10.umi

Shoots...time does not simply fly, it soars!! Time since my last posted blog, time since my darlin daughter has grown up and graduated and I am filled with disbelief that she has been in my life for 18 years already. Her first five years of schooling (from kinder to 5th grade) were spent immersed in Spanish in the little fishing village on the Island of Taboga in Panama, which was at various times funny, fascinating, invaluable and embarrassing (yes, embarrassing, as we both fumbled our way learning Spanish!) Looking back, it was a magical time in both of our lives, a time of innocence and peace. Compare that to the hustle and bustle here in America of simply trying to earn a living and survive, I can only reminisce with fondness and gratitude that we have been able to live in such special places.
To celebrate this place in time in both of our lives, I have selected of few images of oil paintings of Natalia (o my lovely punkin!) that I have made over the years, as both of us grow and change. Hopefully as an artist I have also matured, while still staying loose and playful and true to my own rule of " coloring OUT of the lines!!"
Cheers! to life and to loved ones...
Ps: hmmm....looking at these paintings, one may wonder...does she really sleep that much? Well maybe yes and no...it's just that she does have this wonderful "languid" persona...and we do love our hammocks!
aloha,
Lynn

To see a larger version of these images, click on the photo. All images are copyright L.Capell and may not be used without permission. Thank you!

9.'eiwa

Leaping whales and horse tales!

Wow what a winter! It's been truly incredible these months to be able to witness one of nature's wonders -the humpback whale- from the catamaran deck. Words do no justice, so my pictures can hopefully tell a story. One whale is worth a thousand pictures, so here are a couple of my better shots when I wasn't so overcome in my excitement and able to focus the camera.
They can grow to 50 feet in length, so to be so close to one is a wonder. Mind you, it doesn't happen out here like this every day...


















This mother and
her calf came right up beside us,
the calf swimming above the mother,
riding on her back.
The huge mama kept pushing the
calf over to us, ...it was the most
remarkable thing. And the baby would
roll over on it's back, unafraid.


... yet another beautiful breech...















two photos downyou can see the large pectoral fins as the whale swam near our boat....

























one whale "spyhopped" for a better view and yes! was actually that close!!! He was looking at us all as he swam the boat's length. Truly amazing gentle giants, these keepers of the sea.
















Back on dry land, I was driving up to Holualoa, and this fellow in the last picture was having a good chuckle ...aww...horsefeathers! Whales, indeed...








life is 'bout a dream...
aloha, lynn


All photos are copyright 2007 L.Capell and may not be reprinted without permission.

8. 'ewalu

Ahhh...winter's here!!! Big luscious pounding waves, clear blue skies (no vog!) over Hualalai Mountain, and -sigh- lotsa traffic. I suppose the traffic thing is inevitable...if you live in a beautiful place, "they" will come.
First pic was taken last week from the sailboat as we were coming into Anaehoomalo Bay from the ocean, with the offshore winds a' howlin'! Absolutely gorgeous....

I have been teaching a "plein air" class ,( which means painting outdoors on location), for the past several months. I spent my 5 years in Panama teaching myself, and I love being able to pass on tips and techniques I have learned.

Love as well "getting out there" and doing it myself, - a wonderful experience that is too easily put on the back burner when one is going solo. So , accompanied by my enthusiastic small group of students, we painted in the hills and beaches around Kona, and I have included some photos of the work I did there.
This was painted at Greenwell Gardens, at around the 1500 foot level above Kona in September. Oils on wood, it is 51" x 18". Funny thing was, I looked toward a view that wasn't even in the garden, but off in the distance. But that's what caught my eye and I always try to find that inspiring feeling, ...so here tis..."Greenwell Gardens".


I was down at the Old Airport with my class, and as we painted the coastline, the model airplane club down the beach from us was flying their remote planes, and they literally were buzzing our heads as we painted away. I kept envisioning one crashing into my wet painting! This one is titled Kiawe Trees and is 17" x 26".


Up in Holualoa as you go down the drive to the Inn is this little scene. I love the tall trees in the background, against the tiny little coffee shack. Called "Holualoa, December", it is 9"x 12", oils on wood.

And my backyard. Little old bench surrounded by adopted plants and things from family and friends and perfect for coffee. Just part of my wild tangle of a little yard. Called "set yourself down", it is 24" x30" oils on wood.



A new year and personal promises to paint even more, and to live and paint by my gut feeling and intuition. And of course, to keep on sailing!!! Happy New Year!
Be true to yourself and to others,
and live aloha,
"elle" capell

All photos and artwork on this page are copyright by the artist L. Capell, and my not be used without permission. Mahalo!

7. 'ehiku

tHe qUakE. A week of stories..and everyone's question "...and where were you?" seemed to be endlessly interesting. I was in the driveway loading up the truck to go painting and thought it was "just a little quake" at first, then literally saw our wooden house (on stilts) rock and roll and twist every whichway, creaking and groaning and shuddering (the house, that is!) It's an unreal feeling thinking your house will crash to the ground before your eyes. I heard my daughter screaming above a deep and very loud rumble in the earth - and that was just the first one! Natalia, on the other hand was experiencing the shaking and shuddering from inside the house as she was standing in a doorway ( oh we've heard all the "earthquake rules") while the paintings fell from the walls and cupboards opened up around her, sending their contents tumbling or flying though the air. The place where she stood was littered with stuff! But we are unhurt and our house is unhurt and what broke can either be thrown away or glued back together.

I talked to a few surfers who heard "the rumble" and felt both quakes- in the water. And two different stories of people who were up in helecopters touring the island- one saw a waterfall go brown , and another saw the waterfall stop all together, then start back up. A woman on the highway saw the asphalt come in big waves all around her as their car jumped and bounced all across both lanes. Some 29 house have sadly been "red flagged" on this island, and over a thousand buildings incurred damage throughout the islands. The irrigation ditches around this island were badly damaged, with the farmers suffering losses or setbacks until they are repaired. Our hospital was in disrepair, and rooms evacuated. Several art galleries lost a lot in ceramics, wood and especially glass pieces. Many rock walls just crumbled, and there were some landslides triggered. The next few hours were wierd, with no power and no radios up to inform us what was happening, on all the islands. Very "twilight-zoneish" as folks chatted in small groups wondering what to do, wondering what was happening or whether there would next be a tsunami. Thank goodness it was daylight, Sunday morning.
But wonderfully, amazingly, no lives were lost (well yes-there was one...aww Kathleen I am sooo sorry about your cat. Maybe he's in cat heaven, rolling around in catnip.) There was no tsunami, and people were so warm and helpful to one another. Everyone you talk to just keeps saying, "we are so lucky...we are so blessed...it could have been so much worse."
My heart goes out to those who were so scared and who suffered damage and loss.
The price of paradise, n'est c'est pas? And pins and needles at the slightest little shake, at last for a whle...
.
Life goes on, back painting, back sailing and surfing. My plein air class met last Sunday to paint the rugged beauty of the beach down by the Old Airport. A gorgeous day, with the tinny little mosquito drone of model airplanes (from the flying club beside us) buzzing the treetops -and our heads! And faint "halleluja "strains of songs as we were downwind from the "beach church".

A serene evening spent motoring by sea on the catamaran NoaNoa,-a two hour trip back to Kona from Anaehoomalu. The silhouette of the mast, stars in my hair, a sliver of a moon in a blueblack sky. A sweet evening spent "nightdreaming" on the bow. (You know, not asleep, but daydreaming in the night.)

My "Place of Prayer" painting, oils on wood. A blessing made of stones I saw on the beach in Waipio Valley. I am drawn to these small sculptures made of rocks, and wonder about the people who made them, and what they had in mind.

My mahalos for a blessed life, and aloha
"elle"

6. 'eono

Yet another surf-inspired piece, this time a triptych that I finished last week. I watched these tandem surfers at Pine Trees last spring, and I 've wanted to paint them ever since. And since they were so precariously balanced, I thought I'd give it a whirl translating them into paint on 3 pieces of wood. The couple was so graceful and poetic, - to see them in the water was beautiful indeed. (How the heck do they do that on a surfboard, for pete's sake!)

Another magical day on the sea, as the catamaran Kaimaka ( the boat on which I crew) came upon a pod of Spinner dolphins! What wonderful creatures! They seemed to effortlessly glide and play tag with our boat for about a half an hour. The larger ones , sleek grey beauties, were just beneath the surface in front of our bow occasionally snorting big "whufs" of air before diving deeper.

The females and baby dolphins were swimming off to one side in small clusters and sometimes one would simply fly from the water spinning and twirling! One of the babies kept doing miniature leaps into the air,

trying to spin but only fluttering his tai before plopping back into the sea. It was so cute and funny and I just knew his own mama was laughing too.

A red sun glowed below darkening clouds that promised to rain, and a strong and naughty wind carried us back to the beach... but not before flinging the whole darn tray of delicate pastries onto one fellow's chest! "What a wind!" I howled, but the crew just smiled and winked, "You ain't seen nothin yet - wait till winter!"
Hoo boy... stay tuned...

My new word, "nalu" means "wave" (as in ocean) , in Hawaiian.

ahhhhh..loha,
"'elle"
or "lynn" ( both be me!)

The paintings and photos on this page are all copyright L.Capell and may not be used without permission. Mahalo.

5.'elima

owowow..... my "new (moonlighting?) career" as a crew member on a fifty foot catamaran is helping me appreciate the rejuvenate powers of a loooooooooong hot soak in the tub. I now know where all my arm muscles are. I even know where my finger muscles are! But the upside is the flying along under sail on the brilliant blueblue/greengreen ocean , with the lovely Kona skyline and mountains on one side and the misty silhouette of Maui's Haleakala crater surrounded by clouds on the other, the sun in my face and the wind in my hair. sigh. I simply love it. I wanna "come back" as an otter or a whale. can't wait for the next sail on Thursday.... just need a few more of those loooong hottttttt soaks....
and yes!! I'll remember to bring the kayak from the beach! aye yae yae....that's a long swim. in the dark. my sincere thanks to the captain for being the one to go.

labor day on the rock....early Saturday I did the "dawn patrol" with Natalia at Kahaluu and it was so much fun. nice refreshing waves, we got in n' out before the crowds, and I sat on the wall and watched a kayak race , strung along the horizon, like pearls on the sea. ----------- - ----- ---- - ----- - - --- -
and all those bikers out and about!! (what does one call a group of motorcycles anyway? hmmmm...)

the rains have stopped,at least here in Kailua Kona, so it's sprinkler time again! I can even feel a bit of fall, a nip in the night....or wishful thinking?

and a melancholy moment for the "crocodile guy"....Steve Irwin...."a hui hou", to that great ocean in the sky.....

all art and photos on ths site are copyright lcapell 2006 and may not be used without permission. mahalo.