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.

4.'eha

took this shot last Friday morning from the deck of a catamaran, sailing out of Anaehoomalu Bay. Picture this..... gliding along under sail...listening to "Iz",... just the sound of wind and water ...the warm tropical morning sun....and THAT view. Ahhhh.....Twas me. (well, someone's gotta do it!). as we came in there were some kitesurfers just flying! across the water around us, it was all so unbelieveably beautiful. I'll get back to this another day (my~ ahem~ "new profession" as a sailor! hoo boy)!
saw a wild kid (baby goat) as we were driving down to Kua Bay. We stopped, he stopped, we all just looked at each other from about 10 feet away, but when I reached for my camera he stepped into the shadows of the keawe trees . it was beautiful how he blended in. it would be nice to think they're all around us, in the shadows, peacefully. and I actually do hear them bleating in the evening sometimes.

I miss seeing the donkeys that used to wander the lava. will the wild horses of Waipio be the next to disappear? to be replaced by coqui frogs??? sheeeeshhh....


ahhh the glorious waves, the sweet rolling surf is back. Novice surfer that I am, I still enjoy it even on the "inside." I can only imagine what it must feel like on the "outside", riding the "big ones"! They have my awe and my respect (both the surfers and the waves!) truly a graceful sport , this sport of kings.

these are a few more from my "surf series" ,
I've finished all but one. again, they are oils on wood panels. now I'm thinking of doing a "huuuuge" one...we'll see,,,another day, another painting, another wave.....


aloha,
Lynn



all paintings and photos are copyright l.capell 2006 and may not be used or reproduced in any way.

3.'ekolu


view of the world yesterday toward Hualalai Mountain , 6:30 p.m.

a moody morning sky...fat petulant clouds were grumbling muaka, following last night's heavy heavy rain. (my little grass seedlings were thowin' a party!) still no surf, but I paddled around anyway ...ahhh...it felt sooo good to submerge. kakahiaka, my kona.
a flock of wild parrots went careening overhead. (so what do you call a flock of 'em all flapping like mad and squawking at the top of their little lungs! ) wonder what they're so excited about? hey Jan, they're heading toward your house!

finished up several more in the "surf series". wonder if my friends will recognize themselves. They're all oils on wood panels.

The shots I used for my surfers' inspiration were from Kahaluu and Lymans last winter in the big surf. (I just love the winters here! of course I love the summers too...sigh...) I'll post a few more the next time... and maybe I should start noting the sizes of the paintings here?....hmm..



My neighbors' mangos...I've got my eye on these...(just a few more days...!)

word today is 'woo". as in court and spark!
(or "wooo wooo" as in those mangos!)

aloha (yet another beautiful word),
"elle"

2.

numbah 2...
today's the day!
Not that it's REALLY a special day, but I like the idea of it. It gets things tingling, anticipating "hey...day for what?! day for what?!! " And when I stop and think about it, every day is pretty special, and a gift.

This "weatherchick" didn't go out surfing today, because at 6 a.m. the tide was high and going even higher. Flat for sure. But sunny and gorgeous, nontheless. Good day for growing my new little grass seedlings!

I finished the large "surfer girl" piece yesterday, posting it here. At the end I added the "splatter" on all the pieces in the series, and hours later I was still finding tiny white spots all over my body! The Beach Boys song ("Little Surfer Girl) was playing in my head the whole time...I've always loved that song. Now my daughter listens to it. Today I'll finish up the other 6 pieces in the series, putting swashes of color and a glaze on top.

Natalia and her friends went yesterday to The End of the World , and they all jumped off, one by one. Into the ocean, that is! Ahhhh...I just love the name of that place, and am always awed by the wild beauty of the cliffs and the tremendous waves that hurl themselves onto the rocky shore in the winter. You feel each thundering "BOOM!" at the same time you see the whirling spray.. Summers are so tame by comparison. Still,...I wouldn't jump....



"Our" hawk, magnificent fellow that he is. He's now back in the wild blue yonder after meeting up with the front end of a speeding car. But he wasn't too badly hurt and we were all so delighted to see him released back to the sky! (and WE know, love does heal...)

What a "cathood" we live in! Our yard must be the only one in the neighborhood to NOT have a dog or cat (bunnies don't count). So the delinquent cats in the neighborhood,~ all shapes, sizes and colors~ love to slip through our yard or hang out on the grass when I'm not looking. Now they are sending me "catelepathy" I swear, and making me be inspired to photograph them. What next, I'm supposed to paint them? Meow.

Hawaiian breakfast of champions? (yep they're chocolate chip cookies).....mmm,,,,,

weird word of the day.... "hoopla"!

ok deep breath here , this is post numero uno ....life on the "lava"...

la'va: according to Thorndike Barnhart (who???) 1.the molten rock flowing from a fissure in the earth. 2.rock formed by the cooling of this molten rock (really, that's how it reads!) Some lavas are hard and glassy, others are light and porous.

driving along Alii Drive (redundant?) I was thinking about my life on this rock and how sometimes it's sooo smooth , as in "pahoehoe" lava, and other times so damn sharp and pointy , that'd be the "a'a'" kind. Sounds like a good enough title for this blog, so here we go...

surf report from "da weatherchick"...(which was my career goal when I was five)....Kahaluu- flat. Lymans- also zilch. Still a pretty morning, drove down to the water for a peek but since there was a nip in the air and I don't "do cold" I stayed on dry land, watching no waves. Aiieeee!!! Got a "surf jones" goin' on.....

sat by the sea anyway watching 2 women in the water on their boards, dangling legs and drifting in the shallow part,... young girl out strolling with her cockatoo, (yes that's "-too, not "poo" . They walk their birds here.) .... a kid at the bus stop strumming his uke....and the first soft rays slant over Hualalai's dusty blue mountain.

heading home to paint..I'm in the middle of a series of some surf inspired work. I guess when it's flat I gotta somehow "get wet". I'm enjoying this series, as I paint I really go inside each piece and imagine how that water feels...

hasta manana (o where's the "tildes" when you need 'em...)
"elle"
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*all paintings and photos published here are copyright lcapell 2006 and may not be reproduced or used without permission