JANE WORD TAYLOR ART: There is a sense of timeless balance between the essence of place and its various iterations. I love the interaction of the abstract shapes with the sometimes whimsical details of the moment. Paintings displayed chronologically - click to enlarge. Some art is available: email janewtaylor@icloud.com or go to www.janewordtaylor.com
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| Kohala Mountains Sunlit Moment Acrylic on Gallery Wrap 18 x 24 Original available at Gallery of Great Things in Waimea on the Big Island of Hawaii Giclee prints available at janewordtaylor.com I walk past this view several times a week. It is often hidden behind fog or clouds - the startling clarity of this moment caused an immediate rush home for canvas and paints. Having lived at the base of the Kohala Mountains for most of my 73 years, and explored them on foot and on horseback, as well as by flying over them more than once, I feel a deep connection to these rolling hills, sweet smelling pastures, and deep, mysterious rain forests. I was fortunate to grow up in a different era - nobody stopped me from walking or riding my horse in those hills or swimming in the streams. I now know my understanding was only of a transitory moment in the history of this amazing and multi-layered place. |
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| Maiapilo Comes Back Acrylic on Gallery Wrapped canvas 12 x 16 inches $500 See it on Jane's Website - prints also available Acrylic on .5 inch gallery wrapped canvas, 12 x 16, this was painted en plein air at Old Airport in Kona, looking away from the ocean. The introduced fountain grass and Haole Koa dominate the landscape, along with a few Kiawe trees, and of course the much loved but also introduced beach heliotrope. The Maiapilo, which I photographed at the nearby national park in a similar habitat, has not yet returned to this area. Hence the picture is to some degree, wishful thinking, but it certainly could grow here. The birds are also introduced - the charming grey francolin were brought in along with practically everything else you see in this picture. |
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| Kona Nightingale Acrylic and ink on Arches Watercolor Paper 10 x 14 Original $350 Giclee available at https://www.janewordtaylor.com/carousel.php |
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| Loved Kiawe Tree at Anaeho'omalu Acrylic 12 x 16 on gallery wrap $500 free shipping in the United States janewtaylor@icloud.com www.janewordtaylor.com/ When I first came to to this now popular and well-used beach, there was not a road to it. I came by boat and enjoyed a private visit. Thick trees reached almost to the shore. Most of them are gone now. There were no buildings yet. The famous fishponds were safely protected behind the roots of native Hau trees. A combination of development and the 2011 tsunami has entirely changed the area. This ancient Kiawe tree remembers. |
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| Mo'opuna Acrylic 12 x 16 Gallery Wrap $500 |
Once in a while, when I am painting on location, a place opens up and shares a tiny bit of its story. I went to the Old Airport park 3 times to finish this painting. The first time was all about the clouds, the ocean, and the distant Mauna Loa. That first painting day, back in May, was the only time when Mauna Loa was clear and crisply visible. The second time was mostly about the tide pools. I had an interesting conversation with these two girls who were sitting in the water. One of them turned out to have a family historically involved with fishpond preservation, and I enjoyed talking to them immensely, so I put them in the painting.
The third time I went, I was really unsure what the painting needed. I just knew it wasn’t finished and hoped something would come to me. I set up my easel and had not even started putting out the paint when it happened! I was approached by a lovely gentleman who had seen the painting and said he wanted to show me something his great great grandfather (there might have been more greats) had passed down to his family. I followed him South about a hundred feet from my location and he pointed and said “can you see the faces?” I could see nothing that far away - my eyes aren’t that sharp. I took out my phone and asked if I could take a zoomed in picture, and he could show me. He was fine with that and there they were. I could not believe I’d been standing there painting those rocks for 3 separate times and not noticed. I do love discovering things like this. I told him about the faces I’ve seen in North Kohala on the cliffs, and he said he didn’t know their stories, but he did have a story for these:
He told me his great great grandfather shared with his family that this was “Auntie Pele and her mo’opuna, looking back towards Hualalai, Kilauea and Mauna Loa. Since that rock is sometimes popularly called “shark rock” I asked about that and he said, no that is just a modern thing.
I am naming the painting “Mo’opuna” which means grandchildren. I am deeply grateful for moments of connection like these, and that he was willing to share.
 The Oldest Kona Store Acrylic 12 x 16 on gallery wrapped canvas, ready to hang Private collection |
I always love painting in South Kona. The steep hillsides provide wonderful contrasts of the lush countryside against the distant ocean and sky. Flowers abound and on this day, the fragrance of roasting coffee filled the air.
Maintained by the Kona Historical Society, the old Greenwell store is the oldest surviving store in Kona. Please check their website for historical information.
https://konahistorical.org/hn-greenwell-store-museum
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| Kahalu'u Storm Gathers Acrylic 12 x 16 on gallery wrap Sold |
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| Back Door at Anna's Ranch Acrylic 8 x 10 on gallery wrapped canvas giclee prints available on https://www.janewordtaylor.com/carousel.php |
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| Memory of a Sheltering Tree at Ke Ala Kahawai O Waimea Acrylic 12 x 16 on Gallery Wrapped Canvas $500 |
Sadly the property owner outside the stream-side trail easement saw fit to bulldoze the trees, knocking them into a mess almost in the stream itself, and the place is a sad remnant for the moment. I'm sure it will someday be restored but for the moment this is all I could do.
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| Stream-side June 2023 |
