East Side

11×14: Limited Edition Print

The east side of Hawaiʻi Island does not do postcards. It does rain. It does mist climbing out of the gulches at dawn, trade wind shoving the whole coast around, and a green so dense it feels like it's being generous with you against your will. Hāmākua, Hilo, the long run of valleys dropping into the sea one after another, waterfalls that never asked for an audience.

This piece is a close-up of a section of my larger painting, Waimanu, and it carries that side of the island in its bones. The white slashes are the pali, the sea cliffs and the whitewater at their feet, depending on which way your eyes lean that day. Emerald and near-black underneath, the color of canopy after three days of rain. Turquoise pulled from the shorebreak. Flecks of coral and yellow like lehua and ginger caught in a shaft of light, gone by the time you look again.

I made it loose, scraped and layered and a little feral, because that coast has never once behaved itself. Stand in front of it long enough and you can smell the wet ferns.

The sunny side gets the brochure. The east side gets the rain, the wind, and the truth.

The image is shipped unframed and shipping is included within the US.

Larger custom sizes are available. Please send a note if you'd like to explore owning this piece in a larger size.