Vacation in the Hawaiian Islands 2011

Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states (August 21, 1959), and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It occupies most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of Australia. Hawaii’s natural beauty, warm tropical climate, inviting waters and waves, and active volcanoes make it a popular destination for tourists, surfers, biologists, and volcanologists alike.

Due to its mid-Pacific location, Hawaii has many North American and Asian influences along with its own vibrant native culture. Hawaii has over a million permanent residents along with many visitors and U.S. military personnel. Its capital is Honolulu on the island of Oʻahu.

The state encompasses nearly the entire volcanic Hawaiian Island chain, which comprises hundreds of islands spread over 1,500 miles (2,400 km). At the southeastern end of the archipelago, the eight "main islands" are (from the northwest to southeast) Niihau, Kauai, Oahu, Molokai, Lānai, Kahoʻolawe, Maui, and Hawaii. The last is by far the largest and is often called "The Big Island" to avoid confusion with the state as a whole. The archipelago is part of the Polynesian subregion of Oceania. We plan to visit Oahu, Kauai, Maui and the big Island Hawaii.

About 1.3 million people live in Hawaii and 1 million of them live on Oahu. U.S. military personnel make up 1.3% of the population in the islands. It seemed to me they were all out walking on Wakiki's main street in Honolulu when we were out on the weekend evenings!!

We arrived in January after 15 hours of travel, surprisingly awake, mid-afternoon ready to hit the Wakiki Beach. We were staying at the Outrigger Wakiki in a supposedly partial-beach view room, but there was an industrial blower that made such noise, it was impossible to open the patio door so we had no view at all and no ocean breezes either!!

The hotel is right on the beach so we relaxed and enjoyed that and I met an artist I had corresponded with via e-mail for years who was my creative coach through Eric Meisel who lives in Hawaii so it was a wonderful first day and night in Oahu, The Gathering Place.

Pictures taken by me are of Wakiki Beach, the hotel and surroundings.

Paris Inspired Art- Monotypes Part 6

This monotype, Versailles, expresses the royalty, dynamism and history I found at the very popular tourist stop the Palace of Versailles, only 16 miles outside of Paris.

Versailles was the center of political power in France from 1682, when Louis XIV moved from Paris, until the royal family was forced to return to the capital in October 1789 after the beginning of the French Revolution. Versailles is therefore famous not only as a building, but as a symbol of the system of absolute monarchy of the Ancient Régime.

It represents the ultimate in beautifully appointed but often overdone rooms with antiques and art treasures culminating in the Hall of Mirrors. See earlier posts where I describe the palace and gardens and the juxtaposition of them and the contemporary art exhibit showing there.

Paris Inspired Art- Monotypes Part 5

What do you think is the number one tourist attraction in the world? What is the most recognized attraction to people in the world? My guess would be the Eiffel Tower. It is the most-visited paid monument in the world; millions of people ascend it every year. Named for its designer, engineer Gustave Eiffel, the tower was built as the entrance arch to the 1889 World's Fair.

The tower stands 1,063 ft tall, about the same height as an 81 storey building. Upon its completion, it surpassed the Washington Monument to assume the title of tallest man-made structure in the world, a title it held for 41 years, until the Chrysler Building in New York City was built in 1930.

Image: Le Tour, Monotype by Linda Dubin Garfield

Paris Inspired Art- Monotypes Part 4

The Bois de Boulogne, one of Europe's most spectacular parks, just west of the city is a place where Parisians go to breathe and enjoy spacious green surroundings. A historic spot which French nobility once used as hunting grounds, the Bois de Boulogne is a lyrical expanse of greenery and calm where picnics, bike rides, boating, and even fishing can make you feel like you're far away from the urban scene.

One word of warning: prostitution rings thrive around the Bois de Boulogne after dark. Avoid the area at these times.

Image: Bois de Boulogne, Monotype with mixed media by Linda Dubin Garfield

Paris Inspired Art- Monotypes Part 3

These three monotypes are titled (from the top) "Le Marais," "Sully" and "Vosges." I purposely grouped them together because they are geographically together in Paris. Le Marais is the area where you find Place de Vosges which I spoke about before. It is the oldest planned square, quite lovely with great architecture around it. Build by Charles !! for his son, it stand the test of time and still works as a beautiful, popular square today. The Victor Hugo Museum is there as is the Sully Hotel (meaning large, grand edifice, not a place to rent rooms). You can refer back to past posts to read more about these places. I was enamored by each place and tried to encorporate the energy and feeling of the place in the work of art.

Paris Inspired Art- Monotypes Part 2

Moulin Rouge, which means Red Mill, is a cabaret built in 1889 by Joseph Oller, who also owned the Paris Olympia. Close to Montmartre in the Paris red-light district of Pigalle on Boulevard de Clichy in the 18th arrondissement, it is marked by the red windmill on its roof.

The Moulin Rouge is best known as the spiritual birthplace of the modern form of the can-can dance. Originally introduced as a seductive dance by the courtesans who operated from the site, the can-can dance revue evolved into a form of entertainment of its own and led to the introduction of cabarets across Europe. The modern can-can was born as dancers (many of them failed ballet dancers with exceptional skill) were introduced to entertain the guests. The can-can that we recognise today comes directly from this period and, as the vulgarity of the dance lessened, it became renowned for its athletic and acrobatic tricks.

The Moulin Rouge lost much of its former reputation as a 'high-class brothel' and it soon became fashionable for French society to visit and see the spectacular cabarets, which have included a can-can ever since. The dance is recognizable for the long skirts with heavily frilled undergarments that the dancers wear, high kicks, hops in a circle whilst holding the other leg in the air, splits, cartwheels and other acrobatic tricks, normally accompanied by squeals and shrieks. Whilst the dance became less crude, the choreography has always tended to be a little risqué and somewhat provocative.

Today the Moulin Rouge is a tourist destination, offering musical dance entertainment for visitors from around the world. Much of the romance of turn-of-the-century France is still present in the club's decor.

Images: Top: Moulin Rouge 1, monotype;and Bottom: Moulin Rouge 2, monotype capture the joy, excitement and provocativeness of the Moulin Rouge as well as the choreography and maybe even a hint of the windmill.

Paris Inspired Art- Monotypes Part 1

Capturing the excitement and energy of the streets of Paris is a daunting job. Paris is a walking city and I walked miles and miles, or should I say kilometers? Every neighborhood had its charm and flavor. In previous posts, I spoke about Marais where I stayed. Some of the energy and passion of this fabulous city is in the monotype if you look for it. The movement, the color, the application of the ink- all work toward expressing the sights and feelings of the experience of Paris in visual form, using color instead of words.

Top: Rendez-Vouz d'Octobre, monotype, bottom: Rues de Paris, monotype