Maui Plein Air Painting Invitational 2016.

This annual event in Maui is helping the island to be known as an art destination. Over 2000 people attended the event in Maui the week of February 13-21, 2016, spread through different locales on the west side. 25 celebrated artists participated from the islands and around the USA. This group of artists in the picture below selected to paint the arranged model on the lawn of the Montage Kapalua Bay. Others --who were very brave souls-- were down on the beach painting- the wind had to be 30 miles an hour with gusts down there!!

I watched Hui Lai Chong develop and finish a emotion-filled painting with a wistful- looking native Hawaiian girl posing against a coconut tree amid the lush grounds. The speed she could work, with precise color placement skill, was an education in all aspects of fine art painting. You can see her working here with all the gear needed to paint on location.

She paid particular attention to the color distribution in the composition to move your eye through the imagery. Highlights on the girl's hair, the curve of her cheek and eventually the minimal background of the gardens were added in completing the picture.