Outrigger canoes and the people who paddle them are everywhere in Hawaii, but the little town of Kailua on Oahu is a major hub of watercraft activity, where the canoes are lined up in the shade of the Ironwood trees awaiting their next adventure in the hands of a capable paddler. The canoes are brightly colored in blue, red and yellow, and their straight lines and shiny hulls make a great foil against the sinuous trunks and dappled shade of the ironwoods. One by one the teams of paddlers come and take away the canoes, launching them into the water, the sun bright on their bronzed shoulders. I continue painting in the cool shade, but my thoughts are with them, gliding like an arrow on the open ocean, the salt spray a curtain which drenches me as I cut through the waves.
This Painting is available through Black Dog Gallery, Kilauea, Kauai